The Dressage Foundation (TDF) has announced that Christian Simonson is the recipient of its 2025 Patsy Albers Award. The $2,500 award, first awarded in 2013 in special remembrance of Patsy, provides financial support for continuing education and training to an FEI-level rider.

Photo by Susan J Stickle

Christian Simonson (FL) and Indian Rock, a 2013 Dutch Warmblood owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center, won the USEF FEI Grand Prix Dressage National Championship at the 2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions, earning TDF’s Patsy Albers Award as the highest-placing Grand Prix rider who previously represented the U.S. at the North American Youth Championship (NAYC).

Christian said, “It is an honor to receive this award in memory of an incredible horsewoman.”

Patsy Albers, one of the nation's best-known figures at dressage shows across the country, passed away in October 2012. She was a longtime supporter and Chef d'Equipe of the North American Youth Championship Region 1 team and was very involved at the prestigious Dressage at Devon, where she served for many years as the FEI Event Director. Patsy’s expertise also extended into management, officiating, and volunteering, for which she was honored multiple times.

Thanks to generous donors throughout the years, the Patsy Albers Award was expanded to also include Dressage at Devon in 2023 and the Del Mar National Horse Show in 2024.

For more information about the Patsy Albers Award or The Dressage Foundation, please contact The Dressage Foundation at (402) 434-8585, by email at info@dressagefoundation.org, or visit www.dressagefoundation.org.

The Dressage Foundation

The Dressage Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, tax-exempt, donor-driven organization that is dedicated to educating, supporting, and advancing the sport of dressage. The organization solicits contributions, appropriately allocates the donations, and awards grants to dressage riders, judges, instructors, breeders, high-performance teams, nonprofit equestrian organizations, and more. Join Us in Making a Difference: Your support matters. By donating to TDF, you become part of a movement that elevates dressage, fosters dreams, and celebrates the bond between rider and horse. Together, we can create a lasting impact. For more information, please visit www.dressagefoundation.org.