Wellington, FL (February 17, 2015) – Grand Prix dressage rider Devon Kane hit the ground galloping upon her return to Wellington, Florida, after a summer of training in Europe—and she doesn’t plan to slow down any time soon. Her life is a whirlwind of dressage activity, and she seems to handle her roles as competitor, trainer, philanthropist, and community activist with ease.
Directly after returning from Europe during the summer of 2014, Devon Kane earned the title of U.S. Dressage Finals Grand Prix Champion on November 7 in Lexington, Kentucky. She then achieved first place and her personal best of 76.8 percent in the Grand Prix Freestyle at the opening show of the 2015 winter show season in Wellington.
Friday the 13th of February marked another important date on energetic Devon’s calendar— as an active member of her community, she assisted with putting on the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center’s Annual Auction and Dinner. Devon has served as the Chairperson of the Young Professional Committee for the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center— which serves children and adults with developmental, physical and psychological disabilities— for five years. As Chairperson, Devon has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to benefit the riders at Vinceremos. This year marked the organization’s 28th Annual Auction and Dinner. Devon and the Young Professional Committee created a “Buck Off,” in which teams competed on a mechanical bull, and a “Poker Shoot Out” tournament to raise funds for the charity at the Vinceremos Auction and Dinner. Devon Kane’s mother Terri Kane is also dedicated to benefitting the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, and is a member of the organization’s Host Committee.
The Kanes’ devotion to their community extends to other philanthropic areas, including The Challenge of the Americas, which benefits the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Play For P.I.N.K. The annual Wellington event features teams of high-performance riders facing off in quadrilles to raises funds for breast cancer research. Devon Kane has been a participating rider in the quadrilles for several years, and Terri Kane is a member of the host committee for the event.
Devon will also be a rider at the Fourth Annual Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) Sport Horse Auction at 7 p.m. on February 17 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington. The WEF Sport Horse Auction will feature the next generation of premium sport horses presented in a rare opportunity to view an array of exceptional horses in one setting.
At the end of February, Diamante Farms— along with Michael and Sarah Davis and Kim Boyer— will once again host the USEF Youth Dressage Program at Diamante’s beautiful ten-acre, over twenty-stall estate. The February 25-26 program will feature a ‘ride-a-test’ to help the young participants improve their riding skills. Devon was herself a young competitor, and, in 2007, became a NAJYRC Individual Gold Medalist and a Team Bronze Medalist.
In between supporting her dressage community at these events, Devon will continue her successful winter season in the show ring by competing in the Grand Prix at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival series with several horses, including her own Destiny, a twelve-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Diamond Hit-Midt-West Regina, Rubenstein). The Kanes are permanent Wellington residents, and proudly sponsor the 2015 Adequan Global Dressage Festival.
As head trainer at Diamante Farms, Devon is busy helping others achieve success and working toward her own dressage goals. Diamante Farms boasts an indoor and outdoor arena with world-class footing and houses twenty-one horses, half of which are currently competing. The facility offers top-quality training, clinics, boarding, and sales, and Devon is dedicated to achieving the best performance possible in her horses. For more information about Diamante Farms, visit www.DiamanteFarms.com or call 561-307-2831.
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Photo 1: Devon Kane, Chairperson of the Young Professional Committee for the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, speaks at the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center’s Annual Auction and Dinner (Photo courtesy of JRPR— no photo credit necessary)
Photo 2: From left to right— Terri Kane, Kim Boyer, Devon Kane, Michael Davis, Bebe Davis, and Sarah Davis at the 2014 Youth Dressage Championship dinner held at Diamante Farms. The group will also host the 2015 USEF Youth Dressage Program. (Photo courtesy of JRPR—no photo credit necessary)
