California Dressage Society
San Diego Chapter
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Lena Nordlof-Davis
Chapter Secretary
Lena, born and raised in Sweden, was lucky enough to live across the street from an amazing barn. Although the barn was quiet and cold in winter, in summer the horses came down from the riding school in the big city, and Lena was in heaven. She would do anything just to get near the beautiful animals--clean buckets, paint barns or clean stall--just to learn how to brush and feed them. As time went on, she acquired enough skills to actually groom and care for them in exchange for riding and free lessons from top riders.
The barn also hosted Falsterbö Week, one of the most important events in the northern European equestrian circuit. All the top dressage and jumper riders came to compete, and Lena was inspired watching riders like Kyra Kirklund and Ulla Hakanson dancing with their horses. Dressage became her passion.
Years later, Lena has a thriving business at Fairbanks Ranch in Rancho Santa Fe. With the help of one full-time groom and 2 assistant trainers, she manages about 20 horses in training, from young horses to FEI. Some are schoolmasters and are available for lessons. Many of her students compete, and she travels with them to shows both locally and out of town. Lena feels that being part of the CDS San Diego board, which helps put on these shows, is a wonderful way to contribute to the dressage community.
She competes actively at FEI Grand Prix herself, and she hopes to continue on her dressage journey towards perfection one baby step at a time while hopefully inspiring others to do the same.
She’ll never forget the amazing feeling she had as a child when she watched the horses come to town for the summer. You can look at life in many ways, she says. “For me, I am not riding horses, I am on the back of nature, seeking balance, and living my dream.”
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