Dressage Judge in Aiken, SC | Valerie Swygert | Ride-A-Test & Horse Sales
About Valerie
Specializing in dressage, with a foundation in eventing and hunt seat, Valerie is known for making the invisible visible. Her explanations bring clarity to rider biomechanics—exact positioning for each movement—and to the precise application and timing of the aids.
In her Ride-a-Test clinics, riders learn not just what to do, but how to communicate effectively with their horses—creating understanding that leads to happier horses, more confident riders, and ultimately, better scores.
Valerie’s judging career began in 2000 as a recognized South Carolina GMO judge, where she quickly became known for her fairness, honesty, kindness, and, when appropriate, her sense of humor. Drawing from her multi-discipline background, she has also judged local hunter and open shows, though it was clear early on that her true passion lay in dressage judging.
Committed to continued education, Valerie pursued the demanding USDF “L” program, completing extensive hours of observing and scribing before passing the rigorous three-day examination in 2008 with distinction—a designation earned by only a small percentage of candidates and qualifying her to continue on to the USEF program. She was accepted into the USEF “r” program in 2011 and, after completing the required apprenticing and another intensive examination in Lexington, Virginia, earned her USEF “r” rating in 2014.
Throughout her licensing journey, Valerie worked closely with many highly respected national and international judges, including Lilo Fore, Axel Steiner, Natalie Lamping, Beverly Rogers, Marilyn Heath, William Solyntjes, and Thom Poulin. Their mentorship, combined with years of riding in clinics with accomplished trainers such as Amy McElroy, Jennifer Baumert, JJ Tate, Bo Jena, Henk Von Bergen, Karen Lipp, Amanda Persons, and Gunnar Ostergaard, has shaped her thoughtful and well-rounded perspective.
Valerie is a familiar presence at show venues throughout Aiken and the Southeast, regularly officiating at facilities such as Stable View, The Vista, Middleton, Mullet Hall, Full Gallop, Paradise Farm, Appletree, Jumping Branch Farm, Sporting Days, Wills Park, the Georgia International Horse Park, FENCE/Tryon, and the South Carolina Horse Park, among others.
Her work has also taken her well beyond the region, judging horse trials and dressage competitions in Kentucky, Texas, Utah, and internationally in the Cayman Islands, Guadalajara, Mexico, and Bermuda.
Wherever your venue is located, Valerie is willing to travel—bringing a consistent, experienced, and respected presence to every show she judges.
A Foundation Built Through Experience
Valerie’s understanding of horses was shaped long before the judge’s booth.
She began riding at a gaited barn in Alabama, then continued her education in Aiken, South Carolina, where she was among the first boarders at what would become Hopeland Farms. From early experiences across disciplines—gaited horses, hunt seat, eventing, and dressage—she developed a broad, practical understanding of how different horses move, think, and respond.
While competing on the College of Charleston equestrian team, Valerie and her teammates qualified for Nationals each year, earning Reserve National Champion honors, with Valerie placing fourth individually in her division. It was during this time that her interest in eventing and dressage began to take hold.
Her early professional years included riding and training with prominent eventing programs, followed by a transition into full-time dressage—where she found both her focus and her standard. Over time, she built a successful training and sales program, working with a wide range of breeds and developing an eye for matching horse and rider based on temperament, ability, and long-term potential.
Valerie has competed through the FEI levels, earning her USDF Bronze and Silver medals, and has trained with respected clinicians including Bo Jena, Axel Steiner, Henk van Bergen, Gunnar Ostergaard, JJ Tate, and Jennifer Baumert.
A recipient of the GDCTA scholarship, she also trained in Spain at Epona, culminating in lessons with Olympian Rafael Soto.
These experiences—across disciplines, competition, teaching, and sales—inform the way Valerie evaluates horses and riders today. Her perspective is not theoretical. It is built over decades of riding, training, judging, and placing horses in situations where they succeed.
Special Horses
Ridden & Sold by Valerie
Step A Side (who was sold and went on to earn a 9th place nationally in the junior hunter division with a student of Don Stewart's), my first Regional Championships. GDCTA Champion and SCDCTA Champion awards at first and second levels.
Norman Swygert's mare California (who was sold to a student of Gunner Ostergaard's), a $3500 Thoroughbred I took to her first competitions and earned a Regional Championship placing in the Open division. I leased her back as a broodmare after I sold her, resulting in a lovely Starlight (Sandro Hit) filly, who was first premium at her Oldenburg inspection as a weanling.
Simpatia - First Place ranking in First Level Freestyle for Region 3, and 11th for the national rankings (sold to a student who is active in Lendon Gray's junior dressage program).
Lynda Bragg’s Vulcan deserves special mention, as he is a Missouri Fox Trotter/Quarter Horse cross who held his own in the Open Division, going to Regionals and earning a median score of 66.4 for the year at training level. He overcame a past history of abuse and I am especially proud of our achievements together.
Persona Grata, my first Dutch import, with whom I earned my last scores for the Bronze medal and got started on my Silver, while competing at Region 3 championships and earning SCDCTA championships.
Una Voce- a Gribaldi mare I picked out in Holland before Totilas hit the international scene. This mare had never competed before coming to the USA, and she hit the ground running. She repeatedly earned Overall High Score awards at many shows, winning multiple blue ribbons, along with SCDCTA and GDCTA championships, Performance Horse Registry National and Zone Championships, and USEF rankings, and a KWPN national 6th place. She received the second highest IBOP score in North America at the keuring. I also bred her to Wynton (by Jazz), resulting in a spectacular filly I co-own with Michelle Folden (selected as first premium at her keuring as a weanling). Regretfully I had to do my L program testing at the Regional Championships we qualified for, so I was unable to add this to her resume.
Re Versa- I competed her in November, 25 days after her arrival in the United States, earning scores over 70% at third level, and competed again in December. These two shows gave us scores high enough to earn year end championships. She now belongs to a lovely junior rider.
Import Re Versa (1998 KWPN “Regina”) was sold to a young rider and continues to teach riders today!
Personality, imported in 2009 as a sales horse, but quickly weaseled her way into my heart. She has not been the most successful competition horse, and has been plagued with a multitude of health problems (a now-resolved s.i. lameness, incurable immune-mediated keratitis which causes blurry vision in one eye, allergies to most hay, a displacing palate causing oxygen depravation!) but she has taught me so much and always tries her best despite her limitations. We have earned many year-end cumulative awards including: SCDCTA and GDCTA Championships and Fourth Level, Prix St. Georges, and Intermediare, along with a Reserve Champion at Regional Championships with a freestyle (one I put together in August, qualified in two shows in September, and contested in October), and PHR National and Zone Championships and Reserve Championships. She was one of six horses selected to be bred to Moorland’s Totilas before he was sold to Germany!
Personality “Ali” retired here with us and gave me two beautiful fillies before enjoying her final few years as a beloved pasture puff.
Weva Rose, now called Veva Rose, I imported in 2011 and sold immediately to my very, very dear friend Laurie Hutchinson, as a third level mare. Within one year, Laurie qualified for the developing horse Grand Prix championships at Lamplight. Sadly, Laurie died unexpectedly in 2014 and has left a huge gaping hole in the world, which can never be filled. I know she and Fletcher are pulling pranks and inducing laughter all over Heaven.
F. Hallelujah, a gorgeous dark liver chestnut, born late 2018 (by a Florestan son bred by Andrea Sieg) as a baby, currently doing the hunter scene.
