The Dressage Foundation is pleased to welcome the 500th member to the Century Club. The Century Club, founded in 1996, recognizes dressage riders and horses whose combined ages total 100 years or more and who have performed a dressage test of any level.
The 500th member of the Century Club is Helene Dellechiaie of Oak Ridge, NJ. Helene is 71 and her Connemara pony, Finnian's Chase (Finn), is 29. Helene and Finn completed their Century Club ride on June 26, 2021, at the Greendell Dressage Schooling Show in Newton, NJ, with a score of 73.125 percent in Intro Level, Test A.
Helene has owned Finn for 26 years and has enjoyed many successes. Their prolific partnership includes several Awards of Excellence from the American Connemara Pony Society, the Master Challenge Award from the United States Dressage Federation, and three Horse of the Year Awards from the United States Equestrian Federation. Helene is a member of the Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association (ESDCTA) which is the same United States Dressage Federation Group Member Organization (GMO) as the first Century Club rider, Lazelle Knocke, also of New Jersey. Lazelle and her horse, Don Perignon, joined the Century Club in 1996.
Helene said, “I would like to thank my husband Phil for his unrelenting support of my passion and my trainers Kara Stark McGrew and Suzanne Marshall for their patience teaching Finn and me how to dance. We would especially like to thank The Dressage Foundation and congratulate them on their 25th year of inspiring seniors toward achieving one more goal and honored to be the 500th team.”
Each year, The Dressage Foundation welcomes many new Century Club members. In 2020, The Dressage Foundation welcomed 48 new members. So far in 2021, 24 riders have joined. Thanks to the support of Platinum Performance and donations from dressage clubs and individuals, TDF awards ribbons and plaques to each new Century Club member, as well as provide an annual Century Club Newsletter to all members.
“The Century Club members are some of the most inspirational equestrians I’ve ever known,” said Jenny Johnson, TDF’s Executive Director. “They come from all walks of life and all equestrian backgrounds. Some have ridden their entire lives, some just recently picked up the reins. We receive many calls and emails from riders who tell us that joining the Century Club is on their ‘bucket lists,’ even if it’s years away. Many thanks to all of the donors who help us recognize and honor the seniors of our sport, and congratulations to all the members!”
To learn more about the Century Club, please visit dressagefoundation.org or contact Sara Weiss, Director of Grants and Programs at sara@dressagefoundation.org or 402-434-8585.
To support the Century Club, please contact Jenny Johnson, Executive Director, at jenny@dressagefoundation.org or 402-434-8585. Donations to support the Century Club may also be made online at dressagefoundation.com/support/.
The Dressage Foundation
The Dressage Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, tax-exempt, donor-driven organization that is dedicated to educating, supporting, and advancing the sport of dressage. The organization solicits contributions, appropriately allocates the donations, and awards grants to dressage riders, judges, instructors, breeders, high performance teams, nonprofit equestrian organizations, and more. For more information, please call (402) 434-8585 or visit www.dressagefoundation.org.
