The Glory of owning an Olympic Star
Ad Astra Collective
The Team
Rebecca Rigdon-Blake - Trainer
Ms. Ridgon-Blake is a resident trainer together with her husband at Ad Astra Stables in Encinitas, California. She has earned National and Regional wins with multiple invitations to National Young Horse Championships, National Intermediare Championships at Gladstone, and World Young Horse Championships in Hermlo on a mare she started. She has bred, raised and trained seven horses to Grand Prix. She was in the top 10 breeders of Dressage horses within the United States Dressage Federation for 5 years, was an auction rider for the Holsteiner Verband while living and training in Germany, and is a former USEF judge. She has had success as a Young Horse Championship competitor and is currently on the USEF High Performance Rider list. She has a successful selling and training program and teaches clinics nationwide.
David Blake - Trainer
Mr. Blake is a resident trainer together with his wife at Ad Astra Stables in Encinitas, California. He has earned his USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals on a horse he trained and has had multiple invitations to FEI Young Horse Championships resulting in two wins, one of which took him to the World Young Horse Championships at Verden in 2007. He has had multiple National and Regional wins and received a grant to compete in Europe on his current Grand Prix horse at Hickstead, Muenster, and Lingen. He has trained several horses from young horses to Grand Prix and is currently on the USEF High Performance Rider list. He has established a successful training and selling program and teaches clinics nationwide.
Guenther Seidel
Mr. Seidel is an American Equestrian born in Germany. Competing for the US, he won medals in team dressage at the Summer Olympics and competed and placed in four World Championships, as well as seven World Cup Finals. The United States Equestrian Team (USET) awarded him the Whitney Stone Cup as the individual who achieved a distinguished record in multiple International competitions, while also serving as an ambassador for the USET and equestrian sports. Mr. Seidel is well recognized globally and is very active in the dressage community, training and giving clinics across the US. He also serves on the USEF Dressage Eligible Athlete Committee.
Arlene Rigdon - Grand Prix Rider
Arlene Rigdon has been an USEF ‘S’ Dressage Judge for over 40 years, a USEF ‘R’ Sport Horse Judge since 1990, and head judge for the American Holsteiner Horse Association for over 40 years. She has an exceptional eye for young horse stock evaluation, conformation and movement while taking into consideration the horse’s rideability. She herself was a Grand Prix rider that was long listed with USET through the 70’s and short listed for the 1980 Olympics prior to the US boycott. Arlene is the owner of Freedom Hill Farms in Olathe, Kansas.
Egbert Kraak - Grand Prix Rider
Egbert Kraak is a world-class Grand Prix rider based in The Netherlands. He has an exceptional track record of finding, training, schooling and selling numerous top young horses that have gone on to become international super stars with their riders. He is a longtime friend of more than 20 years to Guenter Seidel. As the owner of Craecken Stables in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Egbert has created a highly reputable international name for sourcing top quality horses.