DRESSAGE ON ISLAND TIME
The dressage court is the same size no matter where you put it in the world,” Bermuda’s National Dressage Coach Angela Halloran-Smith said to me as we sat in front of a window overlooking Harrington Sound. “That’s huge for us here in Bermuda.” The blue December sky competed in vibrancy with the sparkling saltwater below it. In the distance, anchored boats gently bobbed in the waves against a backdrop of hills dotted with brightly-colored homes.
Imagining Isabell Werth heading down centerline in Aachen, Germany, or Laura Graves leading a lap of honor at Wellington’s Palm Beach International Equestrian Center is easy, but envisioning a dressage scene on a tiny island in the Atlantic, known for beach resorts and golfing, is more difficult. However, dedicated dressage riders will always find a way to make the sport happen. And that’s why Bermuda made for such an interesting dressage destination—it’s a great study of a small-but-mighty community bringing big opportunities to local equestrians and, in turn, spring-boarding those riders into new possibilities off the island, like the North American Youth Championships and beyond.
The Journey Begins
My short two-hour ride from Boston Logan Airport to Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport felt more like a trip in a seasonal time machine rather than a plane flight. I boarded the aircraft in snowy New England, headed into the clouds for a few hours and then
