Gunnar Ostergaard
Orion Dressage partners with International Grand Prix trainer, Gunnar Ostergaard, to present a monthly clinic series running annually from April through December. Orion has had a close working relationship with Gunnar since it’s beginning in 2001.
2010 Gunnar Ostergaard Clinic Series
Please check back for 211 dates!
About Gunnar Ostergaard
Born in Denmark, Gunnar Østergaard had a love for horses and dressage at an early age. By seventeen he realized that that his passion would become his profession. He applied for and was accepted into the apprentice program at the stable of Karl Diel in North Germany. Interestingly, he and Herbert Rehbain, many time German champion, were in the program together. Gunnar did his finishing exam after three years and subsequently became a trainer at the same stable. Three years later he moved to Southern Germany where he was a private trainer at another dressage stable. 1969 found Gunnar back home in Denmark where he spent time as the head trainer at a riding school north of Copenhagen. Although he trained both dressage and jumping horses, dressage continued to be his first love. At this point in Gunnar’s life, the legendary trainer, Gunnar Andersen took a personal interest in him, providing Gunnar the opportunity to train at his barn, riding the most talented horses and learning the finer skills of high level dressage. The rigorous training paid off as Gunnar won many dressage competitions and was National Danish Professional Champion in 1975. Gunnar was able to immigrate to the US settling in Plattsburg, NY in 1976.
Besides training dressage riders and horses he also helped some top Olympic jumping riders with their dressage work as well as working with the US three day team in dressage. Gunnar Østergaard’s quiet and humble demeanor belies an impressive list of achievements. He has trained over twenty-five successful horses and/or riders to Grand Prix, won many national championships for himself and his students, competed successfully in Europe and had several Grand Prix wins at Devon and at the United States Equestrian Team’s (USET) Festival of Champions. He also served on the USET’s Planning and Selection Committee in the 1980s and early 1990s. Gunnar’s own dressage training center, Deerwood Farm was first established in Quakertown, PA in 1979. Today Gunnar operates out of Deerwood Farm South in Ocala, Florida.
