Debbie competed with her great Hanoverian mare, Brentina, at two Olympic Games, Hong Kong and Athens (individual 4th in a bronze medal winning team), two WEGs, Aachen and Jerez (again individual 4th in a bronze medal winning team) and two World Cup Finals, Las Vegas and Göteborg, where they became the first Americans to win the title.

But none of it might have happened if Debbie hadn’t had a crashing fall warming up a pre-Green hunter…

Let’s back track.

As a 12 year old, Debbie knew that her parents could not afford to buy her a pony. Her dad had been disabled with a heart attack, and her mother became a secretary in her 40s, but earned barely enough to support the family.

(For this information, I am indebted to Debbie’s splendid book, Riding Through, written with the assistance of Nancy Jaffer)

Her father said they could afford to buy a pony, but not to keep it – so Debbie did a deal with a local barn, she would muck stalls and clean up after the dogs in the stable yard, to pay for accommodation. A $400 Welsh Pony Stallion was purchased and gelded, and Debbie was on her way.

At the age of 14, Debbie moved her pony to the stall of Bob McDonald, married with a four-year-old daughter. Debbie had out grown the pony and with Bob’s help started turning over horses.

“Bob, who has a great eye for potential equine talent, would find me prospects that looked as if they were on their last legs – skinny and unattractive, with long, unkempt coats and tangled manes. More than anything, I loved turning those horses into swans. I would groom them forever and do everything I could to make them look good, filling them with nutritious feed, alfalfa and molasses. Even today, some of the most fun moments I have involve spending that kind of time with my horses – bathing, clipping and just hanging out with them.”

(from Riding Through)

Debbie was competing successfully in Hunter classes when she had another lucky break. Bob McDonald had been teaching Jane, the daughter of Peggy and Parry Thomas, Hanoverian fans and large-scale sponsors of American riders, and when Jane went to college, Debbie took the ride on her horses.

Debbie finished High School and became Bob’s assistant trainer. Bob’s wife left, and Debbie became the new Mrs McDonald. Life continued, turning over jumpers and hunters, until Debbie had her crash and lost her jumping nerve. But she still wanted to ride, and dressage was the alternative, and to complete the fairy tale, Peggy and Parry Thomas had this tall, chestnut mare… Brentina.

Nowadays, Debbie is in high demand as a coach, and trained the top three placegetters in the Grand Prix at the 2017 US Championships.