Our second inductee into the USDF Hall of Fame this year is Karl Mikolka, in recognition of his contributions to the development and promotion of classical dressage in the U.S. Read more
He trained many Lipizzan Stallions to Grand Prix and in Airs Above the Ground, and introduced thousands of spectators to dressage at the Tempel Lipizzan summer performances. He taught many successful students throughout the U.S. and wrote several pioneering articles on dressage. Mikolka started riding as a teenager at the racetrack in Vienna, Austria and entered the Spanish Riding School at the age of 19. He remained there for 14 years and achieved the rank of oberbereiter, or chief rider, before he left in 1968. Mikolka then moved to Brazil with his former wife, Cindy (now Cindy Sydnor), to develop the first Brazilian Olympic Dressage Team. In 1972, Mikolka fulfilled a childhood dream by relocating to the United States. He was one of the first European instructors and trainers who arrived in the U.S. and brought the principles of European training to the isolated pocket of dressage interest. He soon established the Massachusetts Dressage Academy in an attempt to provide a systematic educational dressage curriculum. He is a founding member of USDF and attended the first organizational meeting in February 1973 in Lincoln, Nebraska. In the mid 1970s, he became an AHSA Dressage Judge and served on the judging panel of several Olympic Selection Trials at Gladstone, New Jersey. Mikolka moved to Wadsworth, Illinois in 1980 where he became a trainer at Tempel Farms, home of more than 400 Lippizan stallions. Owners' Tempel and Esther Smith had a vision of creating another Spanish Riding School in the U.S. Mikolka trained and rode Lippizans for the Tempel Lipizzan summer performances, training them to Grand Prix and in Airs Above the Ground. He introduced thousands of spectators to classical dressage at these performances.
Mikolka has been a successful trainer, coach, and instructor to many hundreds of students throughout the U.S., including well-known riders Belinda Nairn-Wertman, Carole Grant-Olford, Cindy Sydnor, and George Williams. His ability to communicate difficult technical principles has won him the respect of students around the country. Mikolka continues to disseminate his teachings through his web site, Karl's Korner, and in articles such as, Selection and use of the Spur (1994), To Bend or not to Bend (1996), The DoubleBridle: Considerations and Applications (1996), Baucher's Methods (1997), A Few Thoughts on the Use of Draw Reins (1998), and The Keys to a Straight Back (1998).
Mikolka left Tempel Farms in 1996 and relocated with his wife Lynn to Gloucester, Massachusetts. He continues to teach clinics throughout the U.S.
Mikolka has made outstanding contributions to the development of dressage in the U.S. by teaching the technical aspects of the sport to American riders, providing them with the foundation they need to be competitive internationally. His impact on dressage in the U.S. has been profound in the areas of teaching, training, writing, and judging.
We are honored to induct Karl Mikolka into the USDF Hall of Fame.
Samuel J. Barish
USDF President
Karl Mikolka, in recognition of his contributions to the development and promotion of classical dressage in the U.S. He trained many Lipizzan stallions to Grand Prix and in airs above the ground and introduced thousands of spectators to dressage at the Tempel Lipizzan Summer Performances. He taught many successful students throughout the U.S. and wrote several pioneering articles on dressage.