90 • THE PLAID HORSE
10 things to know about Louise Serio: 1. She has a mule. 2. She is the oldest professional rider to be champion at Indoors. 3. She loves all things Star Wars. 4. She owned a reining horse and competed on it. 5. She trains Caroline Dance, 2016 EAP National Reserve Champion. 6. She has a granddaughter. 7. She has been Champion or Reserve Champion at the Devon Horse Show ten times. 8. She has ridden in three Grand Prix jumper classes. 9. She co-founded the AHJA which spawned the World Championship Hunter Rider series, USHJA Foundation, Horseman’s Assistance Fund, and Making a Dream Grant Program. 10. Four generations of her family have resided at Derbydown in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. PHOTOS AT RIGHT, COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM TOP: LOUISE AND CHRISSY SERIO AT BRANDYWINE VALLEY SUMMER SERIES, 2016; LOUISE AND CASTLE ROCK WON THE $50,000 WCHR PALM BEACH HUNTER SPECTACULAR IN 2010 & 2011; LOUISE COACHES YOUNG RIDERS CAROLINE DANCE AND SAM CAMP; & LOUISE AND CORVINE VDL AT BRANDYWINE VALLEY SUMMER SERIES. PHOTOS © RANDI MUSTER PHOTOGRAPHY, SPORTFOT, THE BOOK, AND DERBYDOWN.
And ride, she has. Serio has had arguably the longest, most successful hunter career in the history of the sport. Her roster of successful horses includes Red Panda, Gray Slipper, Irresistible, Harbor Bay, Catch a Spark, Rock Harbor, El Primero, and Castle Rock. Serio estimates that she has been Champion or Reserve Champion at the Devon Horse Show ten times in her career. In 2016, she was Champion at the Capital Challenge Horse Show, marking the latest big indoor win. Serio marvels at her good fortune. “I have had some seriously good horses. I watch old videos and think, ‘Wow, those were great horses by any standard.’” In addition to her riding accomplishments, Serio has been a pivotal influence in the life of many young professionals. Sandy Farrell spent some of her junior career at Derbydown, returning as a young professional to ride for Serio. Similarly, Amanda Lyerly had a long, illustrious junior career with Serio and has grown to become a top trainer and rider. Ashley Hotz, Kim Zindel-Busby, Chrissie Kear, Troy Hendricks, and Linda Carrothers are among other young professionals who have benefitted from time at Derbydown. Long days, hard work, high standards. Honesty, loyalty, solidarity – all are hallmarks of the Derbydown experience that forever imprint the fabric of those who work there. The riders of Derbydown have competed in the amateur, junior, pony, jumper, and equitation rings with decades of success in each. Most recently, Serio trained two noted junior riders in Grace Socha and Caroline Dance, both of whom were recruited by their top choice colleges as NCAA riders. Dance was a 2016 Emerging Athlete Program Finalist and qualified to participate in the George Morris Horsemastership Training session in Wellington, FL. Dance began riding with Serio as a young child and transitioned to local trainer Ellen Derrick. The young rider competed on a local level showing ponies and learning solid horsemanship skills. Four years ago, Dance returned to Derbydown on a children’s hunter horse. Under Serio’s tutelage, she moved to the Junior Hunter Division and was Champion at Junior Hunter Finals. Adding the jumper and equitation rings to her show schedule honed Dance’s equestrian skills, culminating in the opportunity to participate in EAP Finals. Serio praises her student. “She is talented, personable, polite and thoughtful. That goes a long way.” Sport is contest; contests produce winners. The list of winners of significant classes, Horse of the Year Awards, and championships over the last forty years is long and illustrious. The list of equestrians who have significantly contributed to the sport during the same time period is considerably shorter. Louise Serio has tipped the axis of the equestrian world. Her hand has been in the formation of momentous programs such as the World Championship Hunter Rider Program, the USEF International and National Hunter Derby, the USHJA Foundation and Making a Dream Program, and the Pre-Green Incentive Program. She has been sitting on at least one USEF or USHJA committee since the 1990’s. “I was head of the AHSA Hunter Committee for almost ten years a long time ago. The names of the organizations have changed over the years, but I have always been involved in that part of our world. I have put my time in with governance. It doesn’t matter who you are, you have to get involved to make a change.” As a professional who operates at the pinnacle of equestrian sport, Serio is cognizant of the need to cultivate the grass roots component of the constituency. A founding member of the USHJA Foundation, she was instrumental in creation of the Horseman’s Assistance Fund and Making a Dream Grant programs. The Making a Dream movement began when Serio was a member of the Hunter Team