Growing up in the Westminster-based Hoofbeat 4-H Saddle Club and attending weekly horse shows at the Carroll County Agriculture Center helped shape 58-year-old Heidi Seipp Berry’s future.
That future has become this current reality: In November 2018, this equestrian earned the status of FEI 3-Star dressage judge in a grueling three-day test held in Stuttgart, Germany, reaping the rewards of seeds sown long ago.
You might think Berry started off as one of those horse-crazy kids. But she said it took her a while to catch the bug. It began when she started helping her friend, Cindy Geiman Zimmerman, clean stalls in exchange for being led around on her horse.
“My dad had ridden as a kid, but it wasn’t until then that I was bitten by the bug,” she said.
Berry’s dad, Earl Seipp, said her bond with horses only grew from there. When she was 11 or 12 years old he got her a first horse.
“She was big and sturdy — big enough for me to ride, but gentle enough for a beginner,” Seipp said of the mare. “I paid $300 for her from some people up in Silver Run. I taught [Heidi] about grooming and taking care of your tack. Then, a friend of mine said to get her lessons.”
Berry said that first horse was named Big Mama, a large part-Percheron who was perfect for a long-legged rider.
Around that time, Berry joined Zimmerman, who was already renting a defunct cattle pasture on Old New Windsor Road. They split the $11 monthly cost to keep their horses there. Berry didn’t have a trailer, so she rode her horse through the streets of Westminster to meet her friend, Andie Hockensmith (a current Westminster resident) at weekend clinics their 4-H Club held at the Ag Center.
“We always had good times at the Hoofbeat clinics,” Hockensmith said. “I think she was on the horse judging team, and on the Horse Bowl Team with me at state fair."
Berry said that by then she had moved on to her second horse, Secret’s Gal, an unbroken 3-year old Thoroughbred/Appaloosa cross she bought for $350. According to Berry, it was around that time that 4-H leaders Bob and Hank Shirley brought in a dressage ring and a dressage judge. She credits them with teaching her so much.
“None of us had a clue what dressage was, but we learned our pattern and went in. Gal and I won [the dressage championship at county fair] that year,” Berry said. “We got a bowl with our name on it.”
Hockensmith said Berry was a natural.
“I probably had a natural instinct for it,” Berry said. “I innately loved and understood dressage. I loved the power and majesty, the suppleness and magic of a top-level horse.”
Berry’s family moved to a home with six acres on Uniontown Road. She had been taking riding lessons at Ships Quarters, but then, Colonel Donald Thackeray, (a six-time Olympic judge and the only person at that time to hold FEI "O" judge status in four Olympic sports: dressage, driving, show jumping, and three-day events) brought in international dressage rider Greta Boylston to ride for him, and she began giving lessons to Berry.
“Greta was very instrumental in helping me develop and grow in dressage,” Berry recalled.
Boylston, now a Taneytown resident, said Berry had a tremendous interest in dressage and a horse with ability.
“She really stood out because she was a very thinking rider, and very athletic,” Boylston said. “And that has held true in her life. She’s put a lot of time and effort into this. It takes a lot of dedication and time to become an accomplished rider.”
Berry was driven.
“We didn’t have a lot of money and I didn’t have a trailer, but that sort of thing toughens you up and I am glad I learned in that way,” she said. “I bought my first trailer when I was 17 years old. Then one day my cousin drove up the driveway, beeping the horn on his old Chevy Impala. He said, ‘God told me to give you this car,’ and that is how I got a car to pull my horse trailer. Andy and I were going to events. We would sleep in barns because we couldn’t afford hotels.”
In 1984 Berry earned the title of Learner Judge, allowing her to officiate at local schooling shows. Over the years, she proceeded through the r and R certification programs with the United States Equestrian Federation, and then in 2013, she received her Senior — S — license certifying her to judge at the top levels of any National dressage show in the USA and Dominican Republic. But she wanted more, so in November 2018 she traveled to Stuttgart, Germany.
Berry had to meet a long list of stringent requirements in the years prior to that grueling FEI 3-Star dressage test in Germany. She needed approval by her national federation; references from 25 licensed judges; and several apprenticeships with top-level international judges at international shows.
In Germany, the exam was led by top-level dressage judges: Dieter Schule (Germany) and Ghislain Fourage (The Netherlands). Berry joined 13 other candidates from Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Portugal, India and the United States. While watching preselected video clips with complex movements and factors, each candidate had to judge out loud, giving a score and the reasoning behind it.
On the second day they traveled to a 15,000-seat arena in Stuttgart where the candidates judged 15 Grand Prix (top level) dressage rides privately and independently. Later that same day, a one-hour written test included essay questions and critical analyses of still photos.
On the third day, there were more Grand Prix dressage tests, shared evaluations and critiques by examiners. In the afternoon, they attended a Grand Prix Musical Freestyle competition with some of the best horses and riders in the world. The examination ended with a high-pressure 20-minute private interrogation session with two examiners.
“Even if everything had gone smoothly in the first three days, a poor performance in the interrogation could mean failure,” Berry said.
After the session ended there was silence. Finally, Berry nervously asked, “Did I pass?”
The examiners answered, “Yes, yes, fine, good.” She was so happy she asked if she could give each a hug.
As a FEI 3-Star dressage judge, Berry has already judged a Pan Am Games Qualifier in Lima, Peru. She said she looks forward to many more. In the meantime, she and her husband reside on their 15-acre facility, Kinsman Farm (www.Kinsmanfarm.com), where she trains horses and instructs students. She said she loves judging, learning more about theory, rules and standards, techniques, and biomechanics. And she still rides.
Berry has two American Warmbloods of Hanoverian descent (Beste Guess and Fabulest), both from the line of Beste Gold. Beste Guess made it to the Prix St. George, and Berry hopes the two will make it to the Grand Prix.
“It is not surprising to me that she has gone this far,” Berry’s dad said. “My daughter was always zeroed in on her riding, so focused.”
“I love to ride, and I love the training process,” Berry said. “I love to see the horses get stronger and better and I cannot even think about not riding. Dressage is about perseverance, patience, and the beauty of the sport.”
Lois Szymanski has been a correspondent for the Carroll County Times for over 25 years. She is the author of 29 books for children including novels and picture books. She lives in Westminster with her husband and their two miniature horses, Georgie McLittle and Princess Hazel.