Rebecca Ridgon-Blake has been riding for the past 44 years and competing for 41, receiving her Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals on a horse she trained by the age of 22. She has started over 100 horses, trained more than 60 through Third Level, over 40 through Prix St George, and 12 through Grand Prix, with 9 of the 12 Grand Prix horses personally trained from three and four-year-olds. She has trained with her mentor, Christine Traurig, for over 20 years, as well as extensively with Guenter Seidel, Ulf Moller, Steffen Peters, Conrad Schumacher, her husband David Blake, and her mother, Arlene Rigdon.

To date, Rebecca has competed at the USEF Festival of Champions in the Intermediare I division twice, receiving Reserve Champion in 2019 and Third in 2021. She has been invited to compete at the Young Horse Championships at the Festival of Champions in the four through six-year-old division, as well as the Developing Prix St George and Developing Grand Prix every year for the past seven years, receiving honors from fifth overall through Reserve Champion, while competing two to three horses every year. In 2023, she was ranked #1 in the US FEI 6-year-old division with MSJ For VIP’s qualifying her to compete at the prestigious World Breeding Championships where she finished 23rd in the World. In 2024, Rebecca was again ranked #1 in the 7-year-old division with MSJ For VIP’s in the US and invited to represent the US at World Breeding Championships where she placed 14th in the Big Final. She is the first US rider to compete at WBC with the same horse two years in a row.

For the past several years, she has been on the Young Horse Emerging list with USEF as well as the Developing list, and she has received numerous invites to train in the Young Horse, Developing, and High-Performance training program sessions. She has coached numerous students who have gone on to receive their Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals. As well as ran an extensive breeding program at Freedom Hill Stables training three of her foals to Grand Prix, and continues a small breeding program today. She also was a USEF ‘r’ judge (with her ‘R’ hours done) as well as completing the requirements to become a Sport Horse Judge, however as training and coaching is her passion, it has prioritized her time, and she gave up those licenses.

She has always aspired not only to be the most patient, tenacious, correct rider and trainer she can be, but also to further her career beyond National limits and push beyond International walls. She strives to earn recognition and respect in this sport globally.