Lendon Fentress Gray (born April 13, 1949), is an American

dressage Dressage ( or ; a French term, most commonly translated to mean "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrian sport defined b ...

champion, author, and former rider of

Seldom Seen Seldom Seen (1970–1996) was a Connemara/Thoroughbred cross that competed at the highest levels of dressage with his rider, Lendon Gray. He was a gray. American-bred Seldom Seen was trained and competed by the Olympic dressage rider Lendon G ...

. Gray was born in

Old Town, Maine Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,431 at the 2020 census. The city's developed area is chiefly located on the relatively large Marsh Island, though its boundaries extend beyond that. The island i ...

, and began riding horses and competing at a young age, originally in the Western and hunt seat schools of

equitation Equitation is the art or practice of horse riding or horsemanship. More specifically, equitation may refer to a rider's position while mounted, and encompasses a rider's ability to ride correctly and with effective aids. In horse show competitio ...

. She competed to national level at Pony Club rallies. She attended The Foxhollow School for Girls and then

Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar College is a private women's college in Sweet Briar, Virginia. It was established in 1901 by Indiana Fletcher Williams in memory of her deceased daughter, Daisy. The college formally opened its doors in 1906 and granted the B.A. deg ...

, where she trained in the forward seat riding system under

Paul D. Cronin Paul D. Cronin is an American equestrianism, horseman, riding instructor, and author. He studied under Vladimir Littauer for 30 years, and teaches Littauer's hunt seat, forward seat riding system. His book ''Schooling and Riding the Sport Horse'' ...

Olympics

In 1975, Gray began riding

, a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

/ Connemara

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

. The pair competed in FEI dressage tests to Grand Prix level between 1977 and 1987. On Seldom Seen and four other horses, Gray won five gold medals at

U.S. Olympic Festival The U.S. Olympic Festival was a junior multi-sport event held in the United States by the United States Olympic Committee in the years between the Olympic Games. It was started in 1978 as an American counterpart to the communist Spartakiad – a si ...

s. Gray qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but did not compete due to the U.S. Olympic Committee's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. She was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal instead.

Dressage

Gray represented the United States at the Dressage World Championships in 1978, and at the 1991

Dressage World Cup The FEI World Cup Dressage Final is an annual international dressage series involving the world's best dressage horses and riders. It has been held since 1985. The World Cup is run in the form of a CDI. History The history of the World Cup ...

in Paris. In 1980, Gray rode Beppo, a

Holsteiner The Holsteiner is a breed of horse originating in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany. It is thought to be the oldest of warmblood breeds, tracing back to the 13th century. Though the population is not large, Holsteiners are a do ...

gelding, for the American team at the Alternate Olympics dressage event at

Goodwood House Goodwood House is a country house and estate covering in Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex, England and is the seat of the Duke of Richmond. The house was built in about 1600 and is a Grade I listed building. Description The house and its ...

, in

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

, England. In 1988, she competed in dressage on Later On with the

United States Equestrian Team The United States Equestrian Team (USET) refers to the American national teams in Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines of horse sport. US Equestrian, the governing body of horse sport in the United States, selects, trains and funds the teams. The O ...

in the

1988 Olympics in Seoul The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

. Gray is a

United States Dressage Federation The United States Dressage Federation, or the USDF, is the national membership federation for the equestrian sport of dressage. Running under the United States Equestrian Federation, USEF, the Federation is committed to education, recognition of ach ...

instructor and clinician, as well as one of the founders of the non-profit Emerging Dressage Athlete Program for young riders. She was inducted to the USDF Hall of Fame in 2011.

Publications

*Gray, Lendon ''Lessons with Lendon: 25 Progressive Dressage Lessons Take You from Basic "Whoa and Go" to Your First Competition'' (Popular Training Series from Practical Horseman). Knight Equestrian Books, 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Lendon American dressage riders American female equestrians Olympic equestrians of the United States Congressional Gold Medal recipients Equestrians at the 1988 Summer Olympics 1949 births Living people Sweet Briar College alumni 21st-century American women