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Todd Flettrich
Todd Flettrich, a Grand Prix dressage rider and trainer is based in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and Wellington, Florida, where he operates his training and showing business. An accomplished competitor and USET member, Todd represented the USA at the World Equestrian Games and at the prestigious CHIO in Aachen, Germany. Todd has also earned his United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Silver and Gold Medals. He is also a graduate of the USDF `L` (Learner) Judge Program.
Todd of Wellington, Florida, and the Danish Warmblood gelding (Rambo x Jubel x Rampal) have competed at Grand Prix CDIs since September, 2009, and were on the United States team at the 2010 World Equestrian Games that secured a place in the Olympics in London this summer. "It`s more Otto then me," Todd said of the horse owned by Cherry Knoll Farm. "I can take risks. Before the WEG we were still getting to know each other. Now I`m willing to take a chance. I coulnd not have done it before. He`s become my horse." Todd encourages Otto`s arrogance and confidence. Todd trains with Wellington based, Oded Shimoni and occasionally with Herbertus Schmidt of Germany.
A veteran competitor and trainer at the FEI levels, Flettrich was a four-time participant in the North American Young Riders Championships (NAYRC). Flettrich won the Individual Gold Medal and helped his Region 1 squad win the Team Silver Medal at the NAYRC. As a trainer, Flettrich annually brought students to compete in the NAYRC from 1988 through 2005, and served as Region 1 Coach and Chef d`Equipe through 1994. During Flettrich`s stint as Region 1 coach, Lea Anne Neal won the Individual Gold and his student Catherine Malone won the Individual Gold
A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Flettrich began riding at age 12, initially aboard trail horses and Quarter horses at neighboring farms. At age 14, dressage rider Sue Malone Casey hired him for weekend work, which led to a position as a working student. "I loved horses and Sue Malone Casey was a very good teacher and very enthusiastic about dressage," noted Flettrich. "As a teenager, I dabbled in Western, eventing, and hunters and jumpers, but from the beginning, I was dressage – and that was because of her. I rode her dressage horses and soon lost interest in the other disciplines."
During high school, Flettrich worked for the English Riding Shop and took lessons from owner Vicky McGowan. He reached Fourth Level working with Diana Christenson and her Andalusian, Argentino. Flettrich spent summers as a working student for Gwen Stockebrand in California in 1986 and for Casey at her new farm in Atlanta in 1987. After graduating high school in 1988, Flettrich went to train with Jessica Ransehousen in Pennsylvania. Riding mounts owned by Ransehousen`s clients, Flettrich qualified for NAYRC four consecutive years, 1988-1991. He also won the Young Rider championship at Dressage at Devon in Pennsylvania twice.
At age 22, Flettrich began competing in the Open FEI ranks with three Prix St. Georges horses. He took charge of training three youngsters aged two, three and four years old and formed a syndicate to buy Alex, a former jumper, that he showed in the small tour. Success in the ring brought media attention and Flettrich appeared in many publications including on the cover of the legendary magazine Dressage & CT. From 1993 to 1999, Flettrich concentrated on training and coaching and bringing young horses along. Continuing his education, in 1999 Flettrich spent the summer riding with Kathy Connelly in Massachusetts, and in 2000 he took four horses to train with Steffen Peters and Christine Traurig in California.
In 1999, with a string of three young FEI horses he`d trained up the levels, Flettrich renewed his focus on competing. At Dressage at Devon in 1999, Flettrich placed first, second, and third at Fourth Level – he won with his own stallion Kinnaras; placed second with Iron Spring Farm`s Juventus; and took third with Infinity. An experienced in-hand handler, Flettrich also won the stallion championship in the Devon Breed Show in 1999 with Juventus. In 2002 at Devon, Flettrich won the Prix St. Georges with Char An Ireland`s Notorious, another horse he`d trained to FEI. Flettrich made his Grand Prix debut in 2004 with three mounts – Jaguar, Kinnaras, and Notorious. In 2005, Flettrich got the ride on Amadeus, a seven-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding and competed him in Intermediaire I. He trained him to Grand Prix and Amadeus is now Flettrich`s primary Grand Prix mount. Highlighting Flettrich`s 2006 season was a double Grand Prix victory weekend at Dressage at the Park in New Jersey, when showed Amadeus and Donner, both owned by Cherry Knoll Farm, to first place.
In Germany with seven horses ranging from FEI Five-Year-Olds to Grand Prix, Flettrich is benefiting from training with Hubertus Schmidt. Flettrich rode Amadeus at the prestigious CDI3* in Verden, Germany, August 2-5, 2007, and notched a respectable 62.25% in a class of 65 topnotch horses. "It was a lot of fun," Flettrich said. "It was the horse`s first show in almost a year and I did it at Verden because I wanted to have help from Hubertus while I was over here. We had mistakes, but the horse looked very good."
"In addition to the Olympics, my goals are to continue having horses to bring along, to continue with my education, and to continue to bring other riders along, whether it`s Young Riders or adults, so that they can reach their riding goals," Flettrich said. "I`ve enjoyed bringing young people to the Young Rider Championships and adult amateurs to the Grand Prix level, and I want to continue to do that." Flettrich has also coached professionals including Silke Rembacz and Lauren Sammis. Sammis trained with Flettrich in Florida, which included the qualifiers for the 2007 Pan American Games Selection Trials. She ultimately was named to the U.S. team and earned a Team Gold Medal and Individual Silver Medal.
Flettrich described his training philosophy stating, "I like to train my horses and ride in a daily manner the same way that I would want to compete them. I don`t use methods that are not acceptable in the dressage ring. My job as a trainer is to bring the horse out to want to do it for me. It has to be a team effort. My objective is to make the job easier for the horse by finding that horse`s natural balance and self-carriage. I`ve always been impressed to see an animal move in such a powerful manner, with such grace and control. It requires a lot of self-control for the rider because part of the horse`s strength is its balance and self-control. Dressage is such a powerful, but yet graceful sport."
Todd of Wellington, Florida, and the Danish Warmblood gelding (Rambo x Jubel x Rampal) have competed at Grand Prix CDIs since September, 2009, and were on the United States team at the 2010 World Equestrian Games that secured a place in the Olympics in London this summer. "It`s more Otto then me," Todd said of the horse owned by Cherry Knoll Farm. "I can take risks. Before the WEG we were still getting to know each other. Now I`m willing to take a chance. I coulnd not have done it before. He`s become my horse." Todd encourages Otto`s arrogance and confidence. Todd trains with Wellington based, Oded Shimoni and occasionally with Herbertus Schmidt of Germany.
A veteran competitor and trainer at the FEI levels, Flettrich was a four-time participant in the North American Young Riders Championships (NAYRC). Flettrich won the Individual Gold Medal and helped his Region 1 squad win the Team Silver Medal at the NAYRC. As a trainer, Flettrich annually brought students to compete in the NAYRC from 1988 through 2005, and served as Region 1 Coach and Chef d`Equipe through 1994. During Flettrich`s stint as Region 1 coach, Lea Anne Neal won the Individual Gold and his student Catherine Malone won the Individual Gold
A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Flettrich began riding at age 12, initially aboard trail horses and Quarter horses at neighboring farms. At age 14, dressage rider Sue Malone Casey hired him for weekend work, which led to a position as a working student. "I loved horses and Sue Malone Casey was a very good teacher and very enthusiastic about dressage," noted Flettrich. "As a teenager, I dabbled in Western, eventing, and hunters and jumpers, but from the beginning, I was dressage – and that was because of her. I rode her dressage horses and soon lost interest in the other disciplines."
During high school, Flettrich worked for the English Riding Shop and took lessons from owner Vicky McGowan. He reached Fourth Level working with Diana Christenson and her Andalusian, Argentino. Flettrich spent summers as a working student for Gwen Stockebrand in California in 1986 and for Casey at her new farm in Atlanta in 1987. After graduating high school in 1988, Flettrich went to train with Jessica Ransehousen in Pennsylvania. Riding mounts owned by Ransehousen`s clients, Flettrich qualified for NAYRC four consecutive years, 1988-1991. He also won the Young Rider championship at Dressage at Devon in Pennsylvania twice.
At age 22, Flettrich began competing in the Open FEI ranks with three Prix St. Georges horses. He took charge of training three youngsters aged two, three and four years old and formed a syndicate to buy Alex, a former jumper, that he showed in the small tour. Success in the ring brought media attention and Flettrich appeared in many publications including on the cover of the legendary magazine Dressage & CT. From 1993 to 1999, Flettrich concentrated on training and coaching and bringing young horses along. Continuing his education, in 1999 Flettrich spent the summer riding with Kathy Connelly in Massachusetts, and in 2000 he took four horses to train with Steffen Peters and Christine Traurig in California.
In 1999, with a string of three young FEI horses he`d trained up the levels, Flettrich renewed his focus on competing. At Dressage at Devon in 1999, Flettrich placed first, second, and third at Fourth Level – he won with his own stallion Kinnaras; placed second with Iron Spring Farm`s Juventus; and took third with Infinity. An experienced in-hand handler, Flettrich also won the stallion championship in the Devon Breed Show in 1999 with Juventus. In 2002 at Devon, Flettrich won the Prix St. Georges with Char An Ireland`s Notorious, another horse he`d trained to FEI. Flettrich made his Grand Prix debut in 2004 with three mounts – Jaguar, Kinnaras, and Notorious. In 2005, Flettrich got the ride on Amadeus, a seven-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding and competed him in Intermediaire I. He trained him to Grand Prix and Amadeus is now Flettrich`s primary Grand Prix mount. Highlighting Flettrich`s 2006 season was a double Grand Prix victory weekend at Dressage at the Park in New Jersey, when showed Amadeus and Donner, both owned by Cherry Knoll Farm, to first place.
In Germany with seven horses ranging from FEI Five-Year-Olds to Grand Prix, Flettrich is benefiting from training with Hubertus Schmidt. Flettrich rode Amadeus at the prestigious CDI3* in Verden, Germany, August 2-5, 2007, and notched a respectable 62.25% in a class of 65 topnotch horses. "It was a lot of fun," Flettrich said. "It was the horse`s first show in almost a year and I did it at Verden because I wanted to have help from Hubertus while I was over here. We had mistakes, but the horse looked very good."
"In addition to the Olympics, my goals are to continue having horses to bring along, to continue with my education, and to continue to bring other riders along, whether it`s Young Riders or adults, so that they can reach their riding goals," Flettrich said. "I`ve enjoyed bringing young people to the Young Rider Championships and adult amateurs to the Grand Prix level, and I want to continue to do that." Flettrich has also coached professionals including Silke Rembacz and Lauren Sammis. Sammis trained with Flettrich in Florida, which included the qualifiers for the 2007 Pan American Games Selection Trials. She ultimately was named to the U.S. team and earned a Team Gold Medal and Individual Silver Medal.
Flettrich described his training philosophy stating, "I like to train my horses and ride in a daily manner the same way that I would want to compete them. I don`t use methods that are not acceptable in the dressage ring. My job as a trainer is to bring the horse out to want to do it for me. It has to be a team effort. My objective is to make the job easier for the horse by finding that horse`s natural balance and self-carriage. I`ve always been impressed to see an animal move in such a powerful manner, with such grace and control. It requires a lot of self-control for the rider because part of the horse`s strength is its balance and self-control. Dressage is such a powerful, but yet graceful sport."
