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C H R O N O F H O R S E . C O M JA N UA R Y/ F E B R UA R Y 2 018 57 she finds judging a bit nerve-wracking. "I love the education that comes with it because we are always having continuing education and always working on developing the eye and how to say things, and that has been huge for my coaching ability," she says. "I think especially because I was so self-taught, the judging really gave me that other side and developed my eye. I still love [to go to judges' courses], and I do it every chance I get. "But I don't enjoy the stress that comes with it. I really had to look deep in my heart," she adds, and pats her chest, "and consider, 'How far do I want to go with the judging?' I decided, for me, it's very stressful at the really, really top—when you are talking about selecting teams and things like that. I judged the trials for the World Games last time, and that was very stressful for me. I had all my friends there, and they are all trying for the team, and that really made me think, 'I don't want to make that my main thing.' " In addition, Charlotte has acted as a selector for the developing dressage program as well as for the last couple of Olympic Games and World Equestrian Games, which she calls a "big honor and a big responsibility." Despite the occasional stresses, when asked why she's devoted her life to dressage, she answers without hesitation. "I love animals more than anything," Charlotte says. "I love developing a horse into being the best he can be under the best of circumstances. I love the opportunity of influencing riders to do things the right way, the kind way, the fair way, and being really good horsemen, really looking out for the horse's best interests." It's also why the Humane Society of the United States awarded her their Horse Hero Award in 2016, an accolade that perhaps means more to her than any other. "I think it's very important to always stand up for the horses," she says. "Don't be afraid if you see something happening that is not right. Do not hesitate. And this goes not only for horses but for all animals." 42 Horses In 37 Years One thing Charlotte recently decided to take off her very full plate is future serious competition. at doesn't mean you'll never find her going down centerline again, but it's no longer a priority. "Like I said, competition was never my first passion," she says. "I love making horses, and now, at this stage in my life, my favorite part is taking a horse from Prix St. Georges to Grand Prix. at's my favorite thing, and if I do it for somebody else to compete, that's great." Charlotte currently has three horses she's training, all of whom are at least schooling Grand Prix: Chanel, a mare she bought at 5 in Denmark; Westpoint CB, a gelding she's had since he was 6 months old; and Hamilton, a horse she bought as a 2-year-old. As she heads to Wellington, Florida, for the winter season, Charlotte has leased those horses to up-and-coming riders in California, underscoring her statement that it need not be she who competes them. "I've competed 42 horses over the past 37 years," she says. "Is that crazy or what?" She gets up from the table and returns from her office carrying several large plaques. On each, sent to her by the California Dressage Society, are small mounted plates with the name of each horse, the year and the level they competed. "I can see for the rest of my life just trying to help as many riders as I possibly can, and in doing that, also helping a lot of horses have better lives by having better riders and horsemanship," she says as she runs her finger over the engraved letters. "I have to say I'm at a place in my life where I feel really, really incredibly happy with where I am because I really love everything I'm doing now. I don't do one thing I don't really love to do. "I try to follow the path put in front of me," she continues. "I try never to fight. I don't go looking for big opportunities, but if they are there, I always go with them. I try never to go against the flow." And if sometimes that path appears impassable, as it was at the 1992 Barcelona Games, she perseveres and cheerfully follows it anyway, even if it means backing down the length of an arena. Charlotte Bredahl's husband Joel Baker (left, pictured with Bredahl and their foster son Tyler Tibben in 2009) has bred his own polo ponies for decades and competed for the U.S. ski team. In addition to their shared horse passion, the two are always up for a game of tennis on the lighted court at their home. "We both love it, and there's so much strategy involved in the doubles," says Bredahl. "You get a lot of exercise and a lot of laughing. That is kind of the thing we do the most together." PHOTO COURTESY CHARLOTTE BREDAHL

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