Born 1972 in New York, Christine began riding at the age of 8. She trained and later worked at the "Parkview Riding Stable" in Long Island, NY. At age 13 Christine started showing "English", competing at "Jumpers" and qualifying for Metal Mac Clay. When she turned 18 her family moved to Orlando, FL, where she started breezing race horses and then later moved on, riding for Mark Miller at his world famous horse show "Arabian Nights".
She stayed with the show for 6 years and underwent through training in:
For 5 years she also trained Trapeze and Web with Gayner Johnson and Performed for Disney, as well as at the Sarasota Circus Festival.
In 1997 Christine got hired in Germany at Europe's biggest Travelling horse show, "Der Zauberwald" which had been created by Franz Althoff and Guenther Froehlich, who had founded the FPS (Friesian Horse Society) in Germany in 1997 and was the first importer of Friesians to Germany, and at the same time, introducing them into dressage competition.
Having already a lot of experience working with Arabians, Quarter Horses and the Warmblodd breeds used for jumping and dressage, Christine was now challenged to tran and perform Baroque breeds like Friesians and Andalusians. She intensified her Dressage studies with great German trainers like Sabine Schut-Kery, Stephanie Meyer-Bliss, Thorsten Huesken, Britta Rasche, Frtz Kruemmel and Dutch Friesian specialist Cor DeJong.
Christine had now developed the abilities to train horses for competition, as well as alternative movements for exhibitions such as the Spanish walk, bowing, the lay down, the sit position, rearing on command, high trot and liberty.
In 2003 Christine also started to ride with the Spanish "Garrocha", an almost 13 ft. long lance that is used to herd the fighting bulls and requires the highest level of communication between horse and rider.
After 8 years of performing and traning in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, Christine returned to the USA in Feb. 2005 to open her own boarding, training and exhibition facility "Paradise Farms" in Clermont, Florida.
In the Summer of 2006 "Arabian Nights" offered Christine the position of Headtrainer and for the next 2 1/2 years she was in charge of the training of all horses and riders involved in one of the biggest shows in the world. In addition she constantly developed new acts and routines for the show while she kept performing in it. According to Hannah Miller and her father Mark Miller who run and own "Arabian Nights", Christine mastered this exceptional challenge outstandingly. She stays in close contact wth the show, training horses and personnel, and performing at special events.
Currently Christine, who is now the mother of two beautiful children, daughter Shawn and son Aaron, and her husband, Tobias Drentwett continue to run "Paradise Farms", which Christine uses as her homebase from where she keeps venturing out into the world of horses.
Christine's contact info: 352-536-4871, ridegeisho@hotmail.com