April 27, 2006 – Wellesley, Ontario – Dressage athlete Gillian Duke returned to Canada on April 27 after spending six years working and training in Germany.

Duke of Wellesley, ON, represented Canada at the 2000 North American Young Riders' Championship held in Parker, Colorado, riding Pacifica. She was then accepted to the International Academy for Equestrian Studies in Warendorf, Germany, where she spent one year training in the Olympic equestrian sport of dressage in a nation renowned for its training methods.

To finish the program, which earned her a National Trainer's 'A' Certification (recognized in Canada as Coaching Level 3 - Dressage), Duke completed a two-month internship at Stallion Station Pape, owned by Ingo and Susan Pape. That internship led to a full-time position where her job consisted of working with the breeding farm's young stallions as well as showing them in competitions.

"My job was to break and train the young horses, as well as to school the older horses," she explains, noting that she rode six to eight horses in a typical day. "Stallion Station Pape is a breeding farm, so the focus is on developing the young horses. Of the 70 horses at the farm, there were seven breeding stallions, all of whom were ridden, as well as approximately 25 other horses that needed to be worked. My job was to ride the horses and show them until they were sold."

Working with such high quality animals gave Duke an opportunity to once again represent Canada in international competition, this time at the World Breeding Championships for Young Horses. In 2004, Duke rode Florianus 2 by Florestan in the Six-Year-Old Division and last year competed with the handsome chestnut Hannoverian stallion, Riverside 15 by Regazzoni, in the Five-Year-Old Division. She also showed Riverside 15 in the renowned Bundeschampionat, the German Championships. Both horses are active breeding stallions that stand at Stallion Station Pape.

"The best thing about my time spent in Germany was the opportunity to ride super, well-bred horses, and to also have been supported along the way," says Duke in recognition of Ingo and Susan Pape's generosity. "Having that type of support made me want to work hard and put a lot into it, working long hours and sleeping short nights. But when horses are your passion, you are motivated to keep looking for the next step and striving for success."

As the 26-year-old prepared to leave Germany, she noted, "The entire time in Germany was a learning experience, and being able to go to the shows and ride alongside Olympic champions and watching them work was an incredible opportunity."

Even though she is sad to leave behind her German friends, both human and equine, Duke will have a big reminder of her time spent in Germany in the form of a flashy four-year-old chestnut gelding named Lenny!

"Lenny was given to me as a foal by a breeder that lives down the road from us," explained Duke of how she came to own the tall Hannoverian sired by Londonderry. "He was very generous, giving me my choice of foals in celebration of the first stallion presentation I was involved with at our farm."

Duke plans to take some time to settle back into life in Canada. She is especially looking forward to reconnecting with her family, noting that being apart from them at holidays and birthdays was the biggest drawback to living and training in Germany.

"I don't have any concrete plans yet, but my biggest goal is to get back in the competition ring to see what I can accomplish, and also to use my experience to offer a little bit of help to Canada," says Duke, who taught clinics in both Germany and Sweden. "I really enjoy teaching and coaching. As much as I enjoy riding myself, I also enjoy seeing someone else have success in the saddle."

Germany's loss is Canada's gain as the dressage community happily welcomes Duke home.