DIFOPL Amateur Championships Contenders: Emmy Adwers

Emmy Adwers At Top Of DIFOPL Amateur Dressage Championships

One of the top riders in this year’s DIFOPL Amateur Dressage Championships is Emmy Adwers, 36, of Harding, New Jersey, an FEI competitor and a technology analyst on Wall Street. Emmy has two horses entered in the championships – Ali Baba 92, a 14-year-old, 16.3-hand Danish gelding by Alibi; and Loverboy, a nine-year-old, 17-hand Holsteiner gelding. Emmy competes both horses at Prix St. Georges/Intermediaire I and is in contention not only for the top ribbons, but also the First Place and Overall High Point Trophy.

The DIFOPL (Dressage In Florida Omnibus Prize List) Amateur Dressage Championships was founded by Shirley Johnson of A'Dashi in 2002, and launched for the 2003 Florida winter shows. The championship season began with the Miami Dade Fall Dressage Show, October, 26, 2002, and will end with the Gold Coast Grand Finale, April 26-27, 2003. There are eight classes being contested from Training Level through Grand Prix.

Emmy is an enthusiastic supporter of the Amateur Championships. “I really believe in anything that supports amateurs because all of us amateurs have a unique and a tough situation in that we work and do something else all day and then we go out and we compete against people who do this for a living,” Emmy explained. “It’s nice to have something that supports the efforts of the amateur. I like to support anything that does that.”

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Full Credit to Dr Cesar Parra

A rider for most of her life, Emmy started her love affair with horses 24 years ago in her home state of California. She competed in rodeos, gymkhanas, three-day eventing, and hunters and jumpers. In 1982 Emmy began her focus on dressage and trained with Hilda Gurney. Eight years ago, she launched her career as a technology analyst on Wall Street in New York while continuing to ride. Eighteen months ago, when she was looking for a new trainer, Emmy read about Dr. Cesar Parra on HorsesDaily.com’s “Who’s Who.” After the initial meeting and lessons, Emmy knew she clicked with him. “Two months after I joined with Cesar I won the Darla Lynn Schwark Memorial High Point Award for Fourth Level Amateurs at Dressage at Devon 2001,” Emmy notes.

Emmy gives full credit to Dr. Parra for her success in the 2003 Amateur Championships, pointing out that he not only found both horses for her, but he has also taught her how to ride them well and deliver consistent scores in competition. “Cesar just has a wonderful system,” Emmy stated. “It’s very classical. It’s German. It entails hard, systematic work.”

Dr. Parra maintains a training facility in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, and a winter stable in Jupiter, Florida. Last year, Emmy was a weekend commuter, flying in to Palm Beach on Thursday or Friday night and out again on Sunday so that she could train and compete on the Florida circuit. Even though she was only able to ride two or three days a week, Emmy owned three horses, so she could get several hours of training in over the weekend. This year, she is in Florida full-time, living in Jupiter. “This particular season, our firm closed down so I’m able to take a couple of months’ break.”

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Structured Routine of Working and Riding

But for the past year-and-a-half, Emmy has maintained her career and riding by strict adherence to a disciplined schedule. “I get up at 4:30 in the morning, take the train in to New York and work from 6:30 in the morning until 4,” Emmy recounted. “I’m on my first horse at 7. Cesar, even though he works all day, teaches me from 7 until 9 pm every night. I go home by about 9:45 and then I usually work from 9:45 until 11 at night.”

Emmy credits cell phones and wireless computers for making her schedule possible. “When I’m driving to the barn or back from the barn or on the train, I work that whole time. My husband, Brad, drives me so I’m on conference calls. I’m able to use all my commute time as work time. I average 80 to 90 hours per week of work and I’m still able to ride two hours a day because I figured out how to work in the car.”

In her last outing, the Zada Enterprises LLC WEF Dressage Classic CDI***, Emmy placed fifth in the I-I, earning 63.917% aboard Ali Baba 92.

Mary Hilton for DressageDaily.com