AADA Featured Rider

“Bonnie Halka”

My husband and I own a farm in Central New Jersey. I have competed in dressage for 10 years (I turned 60 last year!) and my husband competes in Combined Driving Competitions. Our show schedules make our summers chaotic. He competes a pair of horses which is amazing to me because I have challenges asking one horse to do what I want. However, I now know that perfect rarely happens in dressage and I have learned to assess my progress by months and sometimes years. I am currently riding my KWPN gelding that I bought in Holland 2 years ago. I have worked with two special trainers who have influenced my riding the most and due to their expertise I placed fifth in the Region 8 Championships in 2017 at Intermediare I. I am very lucky because my husband and I appreciate each other’s passion for horses. He understands when I can’t go to dinner or cook because the vet is coming and I understand when he travels on weekends to train. We have common goals and each year we both look forward to cheering each other on, seeing friends and having fun with horses.