Wellington, FL – From opening the doors at her Diamante Farms to host dinner for youth riders and their families and trainers during the Florida International Youth Dressage Championships, to opening her heart to embrace the efforts of the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, Florida dressage champion and community volunteer Devon Kane knows how to pay it forward. Kane was among the dedicated equestrians behind the 27th annual ‘Pioneering New Frontiers’ Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center’s Dinner and Auction, February 7, at The Pavilion at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. The 2014 event offered live and silent auctions that raised over $600,000.
Vinceremos, in Latin, means “to overcome” or “to conquer,” and as a rider and mother, she has recognized how vital services like the riding center are for families, where differently-abled children and adults can find success through equine partners.
Kane also invests her time to support the future of dressage through programs like the Florida International Youth Dressage Championships. She has been the Chairwoman of the Young Professional Committee for 5 years, on top of her participation with Vinceremos and competing at the FEI level.
Because, when it comes to success, Kane is living the dream of every little girl who has ever loved horses by competing her own self-trained partner, Destiny, at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. Together, at one of the most important dressage series in the world, they have been consistently winning or pinning in their FEI classes with scores of 65% or better.
Kane and the Danish-bred (Diamond Hit x Rubenstein) gelding have been on a winning streak since January with a victorious (70.139%) Grand Prix debut in front of ‘I’ judge Lilo Fore at the Wellington Classic Dressage Autumn Challenge. A day later, their FEI Test of Choice, again in front of judge Fore, earned an even higher score (70.957%) than before.
“To score in the 70s, twice, in front of Lilo Fore, in our Grand Prix debut, was great,” said Kane.
By the third week of the AGDF, they were at it again, winning their FEI Grand Prix Special with a score of better than 67%.
Kane also donated her time and equestrian energy to the Challenge of the Americas, where she was a rider on Team International. Three teams of FEI level riders competed during the Challenge, performing musical freestyles to help raise money for Play for PINK, which is dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer.
Balancing her community volunteerism with her competitive career actually began two years ago, when Kane went to Germany to work with Hubertus Schmidt to help transform the horse she was then calling a “dragon” into the mount who would be her Destiny. “I have a better relationship than ever with Destiny now,” she says of her equine friend. “He knows he’s super special.”
For Diamante Farm’s gem of a horse and rider, the season ahead is one of remaining active in their dressage community while hoping to represent it at the upcoming U.S. National Championships.
Diamante Farms of Wellington, FL offers dressage training, board, sales and clinics for riders and horses of all levels. Visit DiamanteFarms.com or call 210-240-1614.
