​Early life 

 

Lyndon Rife grew up in Arlington, Texas.  He started out by riding western on back yard ponies and horses that he trained himself.  He rode in the Arlington Fourth of July Parade, the Forth Worth Stock Show parade, and the Mansfield Rodeo Grand Entry.  He even tried bull riding before deciding that horses were the better choice!  In his senior year of high school Lyndon moved to Michigan and he was accepted to Michigan State University for pre-veterniary studies.  To fund his education he first graduated from horse shoeing school but after two years of attempting to balance work and study he became a full time farrier.  His work as a farrier exposed him to many types of horses and training and he steadily became more interested in the art of training than the science of shoeing as a career.  He trained his own  half Arabian in Western to state championships and began training for others.  Realizing he needed time for training he took a job at Greenfield Village  to provide him with more consistent hours so that he would have the time to ride.  He was a farrier for the carriage horses of Greenfield Village and also helped to repair and restore carriages.  

​Discovering Dressage



It was during his time at Greenfield Village that Lyndon discovered dressage and began studying with USDF Hall of Fame inductee Chuck Grant.  The work with Chuck was interesting and fun.  They trained horses to do dressage and all of the circus tricks such as bowing, rearing, spanish walk and trot, and more.  He rode in many exhibitions and parades,  and participated in his first dressage competitions.   After witnessing dressage performances by the late Bodo Hagen and receiving encouragement from US Olympian and judge Hilda Gurney to train more seriously, Lyndon dedicated himself to the pursuit of excellence in dressage.  He sold his circus trained horses, including one to a student of Dorita Konyot (aunt of Olympian Tina Konyot), and took a job at Tempel Farm in Illinois to study Classical Dressage.  After studying at Tempel Farm he opened his own training business based in Michigan.  Over the years he trained many horses and students successfully and kept learning all along the way.  In 1994 he relocated to Texas to be closer to his family and started his training business in the Dallas Fort Worth area.

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A Life in Dressage



      Lyndon has competed with success in his own region, earning the regional championship or reserve championship at every single level through Grand Prix and he has also enjoyed national success including wins on the Florida circuit and USDF Horse of the Year Championships.  He has earned his USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals and has helped his many student riders in the junior, amateur, and professional ranks earn medals of their own. He has always competed horses of his own training and has mainly had horses that have needed a second chance to find success.  He has trained horses of all types, backgrounds, and abilities.

      Lyndon has been dedicated to continuing his education and has pursued opportunities to organize and participate in clinics with US and European Olympic riders and trainers.  These include US Olympians Robert Dover, Michelle Gibson, Jane Savoie, Jan Ebeling, and Steffen Peters, and European Olympic riders and coaches Ulla Salzgeber, Heike Kemmer, Kalman De Jurenak,the Baron Hans Von Bilxen Finecke, and Rudolf Zeilinger. He has made every effort to sponsor educational events, such as clinics with several of the above international champions, so other professional, amateur, and junior riders from the region would have the opportunity to expand their knowledge.  
     Lyndon has always sought to serve the growth and improvement of dressage and has organized several dressage competitions over the years to further this effort.  His greatest achievement was the development of the Texas Dressage Classic competition.  He organized this competition for nine years and founded the $10,000 Texas Freestyle Classic competition (seven years).  This competition awarded over $100,000 in cash prizes to competitors over the years and he has since turned it over to the Texas Rose Horse Park to manage and further develop.  He has also hosted recognized and schooling competitions in addition to the Texas Dressage Classic. 


     Lyndon has recently opened his new training center with his wife Julie Madriguera in Pilot Point, Texas.   He offers quality care and training for dressage enthusiasts of all levels.  He offers daily training, lessons, camps and intensives, and has already sponsored clinics with top personalities such as German Olympian Heike Kemmer and two symposiums with with US Olympian Steffen Peters since opening the new  stable.  He has clients from across the region and is a valuable sounding board and trusted coach for many professionals.  He was awarded the USDF Region 9 Horse Person of the Year Award with a unanimous vote in 2009.