Back in the U.S., Page started her 2002 season at Clarcona Park in Orlando. They scored 68% in the Grand Prix and 69% in the Special. Then Claire was sidelined with an injury. "We took her out of show mode until this last show in Wellington. It was a qualifier and a CDI. Mentally for her it was not a problem. In the Grand Prix, we used a relaxed approach, half-power, and had a couple of mistakes," said Page of their 7th place finish. But the following day, they came back to the ring to win the Special, scoring 66.120% from the panel of ‘O’ judges.

"Last year and this year Oded Shimoni was a tremendous help. He is relentless in his theory that the horse should relax and understand and be free. He’s right," said Page. "I’m finding that the best feeling is ‘less is more’. The more I say ‘you do your thing’, for example in the pirouette, she proves again and again that she can, without my supporting and interfering. I’m a take charge person, so that’s different for me, for sure. But that communication between us gets better."

Page’s immediate goal is to qualify for Gladstone and do well enough to place in the top six so that she can earn another grant to train in Germany and show another season. "The judges need to know you can do it consistently."

Page has been a professional three-day event trainer and for the past 10 years, exclusively a dressage trainer. She has "a ton of friends" she has helped train and now that "the right horse came into my life, I have the support and enthusiasm of the dressage community." She also credits her home team with helping her achieve success – her husband Dave, who is "a saint and totally supportive" and her groom, Craig Bernstein, who looked her up in Germany and asked for a job. "He’s family now."

Does she feel she can make the team for Athens 2004? "Totally! Absolutely!" she said. "Claire will be 12 years old. She will have been a Grand Prix horse for three years. There is no reason she couldn’t be an anchor on the team if I do my job right. She’s ready, and so am I."

Mary Hilton for DressageDaily.com