During our General Membership meeting, we will be seeking nominations for the open board positions for 2026 for President, Secretary, and Member-at-Large. Our current ballot is Nikki Horton for President, Sandy Wagner for Membership Chair (replacing Nikki) for the 2nd year of the term), Christine Malpartida for Secretary, and Member-at-Large. The board would love to recruite a driver for the Member-at-Large position to help us better serve our driving membership. Postions will serve two year terms.
Our speaker topic is Western Equitation with Rebecca Algar.
Rebecca Algar is an International trainer, competitor and clinician who is based in Florida, USA.
Rebecca has unique qualifications in the equine world. Starting in the UK as a 3-day event rider, she was awarded a scholarship to ride dressage in Germany under Gerhard Bock ( past Olympic coach). As a result of this, she became fascinated by classical dressage and won a two year scholarship to study in Spain.
On returning to UK, Rebecca was approached to buy, ride and train American Quarter Horses for an Australian client residing in England. Although having never ridden Western before, Rebecca was soon full time into the rapidly growing Western and Quarter Horse business in Europe, which resulted in her ultimately buying a ranch in Texas and moving to the USA.
Although riding western, and specifically training cutting horses for 20+ years, Rebecca never forgot her roots, and several years ago broke into the US Dressage world, with good success.
Becoming interested in Working Equitation in the USA, she has given clinics in USA, Canada, UK, Germany and France She is an "S" judge with USAWE, the governing body for Working Equitation here in the USA,( one of only four at this level) and has won her Gold Medal in the sport on a horse bred and trained by her. She was also a judge for dressage in the UK., and was an AQHA and APHA judge for over 13 years.
She is the former coach to Leslie Law, ( Olympic Gold Medalist, 3-day Event) and multiple European and World Champions, as well as Gold Medalists in the UK Young Riders Dressage Team.
Rebecca has won 4 World Championships, 2 Reserve World Championships, and 19 European Championship titles. She was a gold medalist ( Individual and Team)member of the winning World Nations Cup team for Great Britain.She has represented the USA on 3 occasions in International competition, since moving there in 1995. In 2012, her horses won United States Equestrian Federation Horse of the Year Titles In several categories.
In 2013, Rebecca was awarded the prestigious Professional Horsewoman of the Year award.
Rebecca has judged or been technical delete at numerous prestigious Working Equitation shows in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Based in Dunnellon,Florida, twenty minutes from the World Equestrian Center, Rebecca is now judging, coaching and giving clinics in dressage and working equitation nationwide.