I have been involved with horses my entire life, working with a variety of breeds including Quarter Horses, American Saddlebreds, and Tennessee Walking Horses. This diverse experience has given me a deep appreciation for the unique qualities of each breed, and in particular, a lasting admiration for the natural talent, beauty, and versatility of the Tennessee Walking Horse.
Over the years, I have been actively involved in all facets of the breed, showing in multiple divisions and gaining a well-rounded understanding of the standards, presentation, and performance expected in the show ring. My judging experience includes serving at the National Show, as well as at the Michigan Celebration and Indiana Celebration.
My approach to judging is rooted in honesty— evaluating each entry with fairness, integrity, and a focus on rewarding the true qualities that exemplify the breed.
Dressage
Sarah began her career in dressage riding, training and instructing, with a one-year internship at Forrest Hill Farm, a prestigious dressage facility in Lafayette, Indiana. In the summer of 2000 she showed one of Forrest Hill’ s young warmbloods, a young mare named Camilla, at training level, and placed fifth in the Regional championships at Paxton Farms. The following winter Sarah purchased this warmblood mare with the hope of training her to Grand Prix.
The next step for Sarah was to intern with Kim and Yvonne Barteau at their facility in Gilberts, Il for three summers while attending college at Purdue University. This internship program provided the opportunity to increase skills in the care and training of show horses, and again, starting youngsters. After graduating from Purdue University with a Management degree, in 2004 Sarah moved to Winnemucca, Nevada and began training and teaching at Avanti Farms Sarah continued to train and show Camilla, earning her Silver and the eventually her Gold medal in 2012. Sarah and Camilla competed at Grand Prix for 2 years and competed in a CDI competition. program enhanced Sarah’ s teaching skills, increased her knowledge of both horse and rider biomechanics and provided valuable insight to understanding the perspective of a dressage judge. Currently Sarah is training and showing Camilla’ s son Micah who is sired by Royal Prince. Micah showed Grand Prix the last 2 show seasons and he as reserve champion in both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix freestyle. In 2025 Sarah completed the r judging program and has enjoyed getting more experience as a dressage judge. Sarah enjoys teaching adults and children of all levels, with a focus on helping each student achieve their riding goals. Sarah loves working with all types of horses and specializes in optimizing each horse’ s strengths and improving their natural movement.
In 2008 Sarah was awarded a scholarship to participate in the USDF“ L” judges program. This 9
NWHA National Show Program | September 2026