The Midwest Horse Fair has announced that legendary saddleseat equestrian Gayle Lampe will be returning as this year’s Saddleseat Equitation Clinician.

A national and international leader in equestrian science, Lampe is a Professor Emeritus of Equestrian Science at acclaimed equestrian college William Woods University, in Fulton, Missouri, where she served as the saddleseat program director for 41 years. She was instrumental in the creation of the William Woods Equestrian Studies Department, the country’s first four-year academic degree program in equestrian science. She is a beloved member of the saddleseat community, and is considered one of the industry’s most respected judges.

Lampe holds United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) certified judges’ cards in nine equestrian disciplines, and has judged hundreds of competitions in 43 states, as well as Australia, Canada, Great Britain, and South Africa. She has conducted clinics in 26 states and four countries, and has shown numerous Saddlebreds, Morgans, and Arabians.

She has received nearly one hundred equestrian awards, including the 2003 Ladies Five-Gaited World Grand Championship on her horse, Callaway’s Born to Win. She has trained several William Woods horses to world and national championships, and, in 1996, she coached the United States saddle seat equitation team to a gold medal in team and individual competition at the first-ever Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup.

Outside of the show ring, she is the author of the popular book Riding for Success, Both In and Out of the Show Ring. She was also the recent recipient of the Missouri Horse Shows Association Horseperson of the Year Award for her dedication and devotion to the Equestrian Sport, as well as the most recent inductee into the Hall of Fame for Chapter 5 of the United Professional Horseman’s Association (UPHA).

Find more information on Gayle’s accomplishments here