US Equestrian appointed Michel Assouline Head of Para-Equestrian Coach Development and High Performance Consultant in May of 2017. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge about para-equestrian dressage and dressage trainer/coach development and in 2019 launched the USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage Coaches Program.

Assouline continues to work closely with the US Equestrian/USPEA Para Centers of Excellence on seminars and coaching sessions. His work with the Centers of Excellence (COE) directly ties in with the aim to grow and develop para-equestrian dressage in the U.S. Prior to joining US Equestrian, he spent nearly 12 years as head coach to the multi-medal winning British para-equestrian dressage program where he led the Great Britain athletes to four silver and seven gold medals at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, a record-breaking result for Great Britain para dressage athletes. As such, Michel was awarded the Mussabini Medal, a sports award recognizing British coaches, and was inducted into the UK Coaching Hall of Fame.

Rebecca Hart got involved with the Paralympic movement in 1998 at a regional competition in Atlanta, Ga. It was at that competition that Hart decided she wanted to aim for international competition. Hart purchased her first horse and began to train for national and international competition. Over the years, Hart has represented the U.S. at several international events, including five consecutive Paralympic Games. Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games led to her best team finish yet, as a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team aboard El Corona Texel.

Following a series of standout accomplishments with Schroeter's Romani, Hart retired the Danish Warmblood mare and teamed up with El Corona Texel in September 2017. They quickly garnered 11 Grade III first-place finishes out of 13 opportunities, which helped them earn a spot on the U.S. Para Dressage Team presented by Deloitte for the WEG Tryon 2018.

Hart and El Corona Texel were selected to represent the Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival 1 CPEDI3* in Wellington, Fla., in January of 2020. The duo was also named to represent the team at the Tryon CPEDI3* hosted in Tryon, N.C. in October 2020, where they also were crowned the national champions of the 2020 Adequan/USEF Para Dressage National Championship.

In 2021, Hart and Fortune 500 earned a Perrigo CPEDI3* team win and finished first in the Grade III Individual Test at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival 3. Hart partnered with El Corona Texel to collect another Perrigo CPEDI3* team win at the AGDF 9. At the Perrigo Tryon Summer Dressage CPEDI3*, Hart won the team competition and each of the Grade III classes, riding El Corona Texel and Fortune 500.

In 2022, Hart was a member of the Adequan U.S. Para Dressage Team that traveled to Herning, Denmark for the 2022 FEI Para Dressage World Championships where she helped the team earn bronze with El Corona Texel. The duo also secured an individual bronze in Herning, marking their third fourth championship medal together. 

In 2024, Hart debuted a new horse in her quest to make her fifth straight Paralympic Games, this time aboard Floratina. The pair have proved to be one of the top combinations in Grade III competition, earning tremendous scores since the start of their partnership in 2023. Hart and Floratina will represent the U.S. Paralympic Equestrian Team at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games this summer. 

Rebecca is the daughter of Sue Dobson and Terry Hart. She has one sister, Katie, and one brother, Jordan. In her free time, Hart enjoys kayaking, sailing, camping and rock climbing, and giving back to the Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia Foundation by bringing awareness about HSP and working with the children dealing with HSP.

Fiona Howard’s riding career began in Great Britain. She was born and raised in England with her American mother and British father. She began riding when she was three and learned jumping, eventing, polocrosse, and polo in Pony Club. A family friend’s reining horses piqued her interest, and she shifted her riding focus when she had the opportunity to qualify for the FEI European Reining Championships for Juniors and Young Riders. 

As part of the British Junior Reining Team, Howard was 14 and the youngest rider in the competition when she earned a bronze medal at the 2013 FEI European Reining Championships for Juniors and Young Riders. She competed again as a junior in the FEI European Reining Championships for Juniors and Young Riders in 2016.

Howard immigrated to the U.S. in 2016 and rode in her first Para Dressage tests in 2021 at schooling shows. Now coached by Paralympian and 2022 FEI Para Dressage World Championship medalist Kate Shoemaker, Howard returned to the FEI arena as a Grade II para dressage athlete in 2022 at the Perrigo CPEDI3* at the Tryon Summer Dressage with De Nouvelle Vie; the pair placed second in the Grade II Individual, Team, and Freestyle tests.

Howard began her partnership with Jagger in the fall of 2022. Howard and Jagger were members of the Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team and the top combination at Perrigo CPEDI3* at Tryon Fall Dressage 3.

In 2023, Howard and Jagger earned second-place fininshes in the Grade II test at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival Week 3 CPEDI3*. 

Howard debuted with several new mounts in 2024 on her journey to hopeful team selection for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. With Diamond Dunes, Howard impressed in both the U.S. and Europe, earning victories across the board in Grade II competition. The duo have steadily continued to improve their marks, which currently sit above the 74% mark in all tests, earning them a spot on their first Paralympic Team for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 

 

With multiple top finishes in CPEDI3* competition in 2018, Kate Shoemaker was named to her first FEI World Equestrian Games™ U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team with Solitaer 40 for Tryon 2018.

Shoemaker was selected to the Adequan U.S. Para Dressage Team for the 2020 AGDF 1 CPEDI3* in Wellington, Fla., aboard Solitaer 40 and was also selected to participate on the team at the Tryon CPEDI3* in Tryon, N.C., aboard Gaborencio in October. Her additional accomplishments include being a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics aboard her horse, Solitaer 40.

In 2021, Shoemaker won every outing in the first half of the year. With Solitaer 40, Shoemaker swept the Grade IV classes and helped earn two Perrigo CPEDI3* team wins at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival during weeks three and nine. At the Perrigo Tryon Summer Dressage CPEDI3*, Shoemaker and Solitaer 40 again won the team competition and each of the Grade IV classes. The pair made their Paralympic debut in 2021, as they were selected to represent the U.S. Paralympic Equestrian Team for Tokyo 2020, helping the team to earn the program's first Paralympic bronze medal. 

Shoemaker has become a staple for the U.S. Dressage Program since 2018, helping the team continue their success and earn medals on the international stage. Aboard her own Quiana, Shoemaker helped the team collect bronze at the 2022 FEI Para Dressage World Championships, where the pair also earned an individual silver. 

In 2024, Shoemaker debuted a new mount in Vianne, with whom she will compete at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The duo have been one of the strongest combinations in the world in Grade III competitions, never finishing outside of the top three in their partnership so far. 

Roxanne "Roxie" Trunnell is a Paralympic individual gold medalist for Grade I and as part of the bronze medal-winning U.S. Para Dressage Team from Tokyo 2020. She is a three-time Paralympian (Paris 2024, Tokyo 2020, and Rio de Janeiro 2016) and three-time FEI World Equestrian Games™ U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team member (Herning 2022, Tryon 2018. and Normandy 2014). At the WEG Tryon 2018 she and Dolton won the bronze medal in the FEI Grade I Freestyle. Trunnell was ranked No. 1 in the world for 26 months in 2020 through 2022, per the FEI Para Dressage World Indiviudal Ranking, and has broken Paralympic records, including receiving numerous scores over the 80% mark over the past two years aboard Dolton. 

Horses have always been a part of Roxanne “Roxie” Trunnell’s life. As a competitor in able-bodied dressage, Trunnell aspired to be an Olympian. She earned a United States Dressage Federation (USDF) bronze medal and was close to obtaining her silver medal until contracting a virus in 2009 that caused swelling in her brain that changed her life forever. The virus put her in a coma and resulted in her requiring a wheelchair. However, she refused to let this stifle her dreams. Trunnell elicited the help of her family and friends to get her back in the saddle. After a long recovery, Trunnell slowly began to ride again and completed her Masters in Psychology with a focus in Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. Striving to compete, Trunnell thought para-equestrian dressage was the perfect avenue. In November of 2012, she was classified Grade 1a, and by May 2013, she rode in her first CPEDI at the Golden State Dressage Show in Rancho Murrieta, Calif. Since 2013, she has delivered top-three placings consistently, contributing to U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team success.

In 2021, Trunnell won at every outing in the first half of the year. She and Dolton swept the Grade I classes and helped earn two Perrigo CPEDI3* team wins at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival during weeks three and nine. At the Perrigo Tryon Summer Dressage CPEDI3*, Trunnell and Dolton again won the team competition and each of the Grade I classes, including a world record score of 89.522% for an FEI Para Dressage Freestyle Test.

Trunnell marked a successful 2022 season aboard Lehua Custer's Fortunato H20, with whom she represented the Adequan U.S. Para Dressage Team at the 2022 FEI Para Dressage World Championships in Herning, Denmark, helping the team to earn team bronze with their performances in Grade I competition. 

Trunnell added a new mount to her string in 2023 with Fan Tastico H and the pair have seen tremendous success. In their first shows of 2024, the pair was consisently scoring above the 75% mark from the judges and were ultimately ranked as the top U.S. para dressage combination heading into team selection for the Paris 2024 Paralmypic Games. The duo came close to breaking the 80% in their most recent Para Grand Prix Freestyle and will look to make their mark on Paris, with their selection to the U.S. Paralympic Equestrian Team for this summer's competition.