Madeleine Dammers Austin Erdman
Madeleine was educated in the U.S
and The Netherlands. Her
sympathetic, intelligent and systematic approach to the development of the horse
and rider has been a successful recipe for many years.
She has
trained numerous horses to Grand Prix. Her horses have
won many USDF Horse of the Year awards, including first place. While dressage
is her own competitive venue, she coaches students from all disciplines in an effort to
enable them to bring out the best in themselves and their horses. She has students
who have received USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medals.
She has had students
long-listed for the Olympics (eventing and dressage) and
the Pan Am games (dressage). Her daughter, Elisabeth, who holds the
unique/difficult distinction of being a rider coached entirely by her mother,
competed very successfully at the NAYRC in 2002, 2003 and 2004, when she was the
individual silver medalist. Elisabeth is considered to be one of the most
talented rising dressage stars in the country. In 2006 and 2007, Elisabeth rode the
home bred Olivier to the Brentina Cup Championship at the USET Foundation
National Dressage Championship. They have had a very
successful inaugural year in international Grand Prix competition.
The University of Vermont Equestrian
Team, which Madeleine has coached for many years, is one of the most successful
in the country. High placings for the team at the national level confirm their
status . Individual riders have won some of the highest honors in
collegiate comepetition: Amanda Starbuck won the Miller's open flat and fences
classes. John Pigott won the Cacchione Cup, open fences and was second in the open flat. John also successfully competed in
international student competitions in Germany and the US. In 2004, he
represented the US at the World Championship in Japan. Many other UVM
riders have had individual successes at the national level. Madeleine has imported numerous
horses from Holland during the last twenty-five years who have had
extremely successful careers in several disciplines. The Dutch Warmblood breeding program at Imajica
has produced numerous national champions and NA/WPN Top Ten horses.
Of course, her own Olivier, an international competitor, is the culmination of this
program.
Cross-training plays a
large part in the development of Imajica's horses; all the dressage horses learn to jump and all
of the jumpers
are schooled in basic dressage.
Madeleine's specialties include:
Finding the right horse for
every client.
Training horses through Grand Prix
Developing JR/YR, amateur and professional riders
Teaching clinics
Importing horses from Europe
Breeding Dutch Warmblood horses.
Madeleine's
husband is the sculptor,
Richard
Erdman. 
Madeleine has one daughter,
Elisabeth
Austin
