The Dressage Foundation (TDF) announcer that its Board of Directors has established the Axel Steiner Fund, which will support TDF’s Riding School Fund.
As a USEF ‘S’ and FEI 5* (Emeritus) judge and teacher for over 40 years, Axel Steiner has been part of the growth of dressage in the United States and in many countries around the world. In recognition of his immense contributions to the sport, he was inducted into the United States Dressage Federation Hall of Fame in 2019.
In addition to Steiner’s longtime involvement in the sport as a top judge and teacher, he was also one of TDF’s early donors, helping establish the Edgar Hotz Judges Fund in 1998 to provide educational opportunities for U.S. dressage judges. His lasting influence on the sport of dressage continues to shape riders, judges, and instructors.
Now, in honor of Steiner’s contributions to the sport and to TDF, the Axel Steiner Fund will provide additional support to TDF’s Riding School Fund, enabling more grants to be awarded to riding schools and lesson programs. The application deadline for the inaugural Riding School Fund grants is October 5, 2026.
“We are thrilled that Axel Steiner's Fund will support TDF’s Riding School Fund and boost its impact,” said TDF’s President, Beth Baumert. “Axel has contributed his genius by teaching and judging at the highest level of our sport, and it is an honor to now celebrate his legacy at the foundation of the sport—the riding schools where dressage dreams begin.”
The Riding School Fund reflects TDF’s commitment to supporting the people, horses, and programs that help dressage thrive at every level. By investing in riding schools and their lesson programs, TDF hopes to help ensure that more riders have the opportunity to discover and pursue the sport.
A Note from Axel Steiner
What goes around comes around.
“I’m the product of three lesson barns, learning from many patient school horses. The first one was in Wiesbaden, Germany, where I started to ride as a 9-year-old and advanced to the equivalent of Third Level. Then I had the chance to ride at the school in Warendorf, grounded in basics, and moved up a level or two. The last school was the well-known school of Egon Von Neindorff for an education in the advanced levels. By that time, my brother Uwe (RIP) was already riding there. The school had many different types of school horses: Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, as well as classical Lipizzaners. That was in the 1950s. In all those years, I spent endless hours when I wasn’t riding sitting at ringside listening to the instructors.
"I had planned for several years to emigrate to the United States to join the US Air Force, and I made that happen in 1961. When I arrived in the States and started to meet horse people, I found that dressage was almost nonexistent in the US. As it became known that I had a solid dressage background, people started asking me to teach them, which started my dual career of Air Force and educating the horse community. But I also found that there were very few horses available who knew anything more than their riders did. This was a different situation than the riding schools of Germany, where lesson horses were available to school their riders, so I had the difficult task of teaching the riders to teach their horses. I was encouraged to become a judge: In 1968 I got my first license. As the military moved me around the country, I had the opportunity to meet people who were interested in dressage, including Lowell Boomer, who was the driving force of the creation of US Dressage Federation (USDF), then later founded The Dressage Foundation (TDF). I helped him with the technical aspects of dressage and became a founding member of USDF. Some years later I joined the “L” faculty and helped create a framework of how to teach judges their craft. I retired early from the Air Force as a Lt Colonel when the FEI appointed me as an “O” judge (now 5*). My judging career included officiating at many championships around the world, including the Olympics.
"None of that would have happened without the wonderful, patient school horses that I had the privilege to learn from. There are kids - and adults - out there who crave the opportunity to ride and be a part of our community. Where do they get that introduction? Lesson barns. School horses. I’ve been inspired by the example of Lendon Gray, and her years of dedication to giving kids opportunities to join our sport. Your donations to the TDF Riding School Fund will hopefully help with the economics of running lesson opportunities, and perhaps inspire the creation of new ones.”
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