Shirley Rector has a long and distinguished career in all aspects of dressage, including teaching, riding, training and judging. As a teacher, she has been the primary instructor for six successful FEI students. Three of these students have their gold medals and two have their silver. The other one is currently competing for a place on a Canadian Team. She has trained three Young Riders who made the Young Rider team winning the Team and Consolation Tests, and one Junior who is currently the number two Junior in the nation. These young riders have also competed successfully at Prix St. George and I1. She has trained the Region 5 Intermediare open champion and the adult amateur Prix St. George and Junior 1 champion. Currently her students are Region 5 training level champion. reserve at First level and Grand Prix champion. Her students recently won the USDF REgion 5 Third level and Fourth level adult amateur divisions and Junior third and fourth level.
As a trainer, she purchased Martell as a Prix St. George horse and with Jo Hinnemann, trained him to Grand Prix. In 1985 MArtell and Shirley were 13th nationally at I2 and 11th nationally at Grand Prix. they were invited to participate in several USET clinics. including the clinic given by Reiner Klimke in 1984.
Shirley purchased Future as a three year old who had been ridden only five times. She placed 10th in the USDF awards for II and Future was Westphalian Intermediare horse of the year. In 1990 and 1991 he was 3rd at the Prix St. George level for Westphalians and in 1992 he moved to second place at this level. In 1992 Shirley and Future won the USET trial in Indio and were given a place on the long list for the Pan American games and competed in the Los Angeles Olympic Festival.
As a rider, she has had many successes besides those on Future and Marten. She received her USDF gold medal in 1985, at a time when there were only thirty two people who had the gold medal. In 1987 she was the highest placed member of the gold medal team at the Houston Olympic Festival. She showed Anklang to a national championship at I2 and a place on the long list for the 1988 Olympics by winning the Grand Prix at both Devon and Pantano. She also won the Grand Prix Special at Devon. She was 7th nationally in the Horse of the Year awards at Grand Prix. In Europe she was Johann Hinnemann's first American student and trained extensively with him as well as other European trainers like with George Theodorescu, Udo Lange, and Christilot Boylen. She competed in four international shows in Europe and has many zone and Horse of the Year awards.
Shirley is an S-judge and was Bridle and Bit Magazine Horsewoman of the Year. She is an Advisory Board Member of Scottsdale Community College Equine Science Program, a Guest Lecturer at USCTA Adult Camp, Regional Coordinator of the Advanced Young Rider Program for two years and Vice President of Arizona Dressage Association
Shirley lives in Scottsdale and Flagstaff, Arizona.