LAST Tuesday evening’s Annual General Meeting of Dressage Ireland proved a landmark occasion for Gisela Holstein, a former chair of the organisation, as she stepped down from the board after 30 years.

One of the founding members of DI, Gisela was first appointed as a committee member at the inaugural meeting of the then-titled Irish Dressage Society in 1989 and has embodied the principles of dressage in all aspects of her life.

Gisela is renowned for her passion for dressage and her unwavering dedication to the principles of correct training and riding. As an author and illustrator, her drawings of horses have brought the FEI scales of training and the principles of dressage to life on paper.

As an FEI List 1 judge, and a Horse Sport Ireland Level 3 dressage coach, Gisela made a huge contribution to the development of Irish dressage and the HSI coaching programme over the years.

As an FEI International judge, Gisela has travelled all over the world to judge and promote dressage. She has always worked to develop horses and riders along the correct path by perfecting and building upon the basics and keeping the horse and the understanding of the essence of the horse at the centre of everything.