Allison Dechant was raised in the mountain resort town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where as a small child she began riding at Thorpe Mountain Morgans. Thorpe Mountain was a small breeding farm specializing in Morgan driving horses. By the age of 12 Allison had competed successfully on Morgans in hunt seat, jumpers, western pleasure, and carriage driving.
Due to an injury to her first horse “Rosie” when Allison was a teenager, she was introduced to world of dressage, and has never looked back.
“It’s addicting. Just when you feel you really understand a concept, you realize the things you thought you knew before could be so much better. If you sign up to learn dressage, prepare for a lifetime search for knowledge”
At the age of 18 Allison began her first working student position for Grant Schniedman, immersing herself in the sport completely. Allison also spent a year as a working student for Jill Cantor Lee, where she was introduced to dressage competition at the national level. Later Allison worked as assistant trainer for Michelle Lauber at Legacy Hill Farms, a large sales barn in Castle Rock, Colorado. Here she rode up to 15 horses a day, solidifying much of her knowledge.
Allison has traveled to Germany several times to purchase horses for clients in the US and has had the opportunity to travel to the barns of many of the worlds best dressage riders. In the US she trained extensively with Jurgen Hoffmann, and has also worked with Lars Peterson, Jan Ebeling, Jos Severiens, and Ulla Salzgeber. She is currently clinicing regularly with Danish Olympian Bent Jensen.