DressageDaily: Tom Noone and Fresco to Compete at 2002 WEG USET Selection Trials

Tuesday, May 28, 2001

Tom Noone and Fresco to Compete
at 2002 WEG USET Selection Trials

Making the coveted top twelve list of America's best horse and rider combinations are Tom Noone riding Fresco, a 13 year-old Westfalian gelding, owned by Francine Weiner-Gavostes. Noone was the top placing U.S. rider at the 2000 United States Dressage League Finals held during the Washington International Horse Show, in 2000. In 2001 he and Fresco qualified to represent the United States in the 2001 FEI World Cup Finals in Aarhus, Denmark.

Noone has been riding since he was three years old, nearly as long as he has been walking on his own two feet. He has a lifelong list of dressage accomplishments, both national and regional, from training level to Grand Prix, on several different mounts. To date Tom has brought 10 horses up the ranks to Grand Prix. He competed two of them, Freestyle and Fresco, himself.

As a young rider he rode Heidedichter, an eight-year-old who seemed to have a lot of talent. It took two years to get him comfortable and relaxed enough to show, and even then he was still difficult, but Tom says it was an incredible education. At ages 16 and 17, he spent his summers in Germany working with Johann Hinnemann, without his horse. After high school he took Heidedichter to Germany with him and spent over a year working with Hinnemann.

The trials of life have not escaped Noone, such as the loss of his Olympic prospect in a trailer accident when an oncoming driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed head-on into Tom's rig. Heidedichter was also on board and was injured. While, Heidedichter never again competed, through loving care and careful work he was provided a quality life for all he had given Tom. Through every trial and tribulation, Noone keeps his eye on his goal. With the support of his family, most notably his Mom, Judith Noone, Dressage Show organizer, and Tom's manger and also "eyes on the ground", he has persevered to become one of our most respected trainers and competitors.

Based at Mary and Leo Costello's Long Meadow Farm in Scituate, MA, he has an average of 17 horses in training, riding 10-12 horses a day as well as teaching lessons.