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.

Sydney Collier began riding at the age of 7 and instantly fell in love. A short time later, a routine vision screening led to a diagnosis of Wyburn-Mason Syndrome, a life-threatening condition that causes arteries and veins to grow together causing vascular malformations (AVMs) inside the brain. Collier's AVMs quickly began affecting her vision and the control of her left side. Over the course of eight years, Collier endured a series of experimental treatments. During a risky brain surgery in 2009, Collier suffered a massive stroke. Despite the setback, she was determined to get out of my wheelchair and return to the sport of riding. 

Collier represented the U.S. Para Dressage Team at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) Normandy 2014 with Victoria Dugan’s Hessen gelding Willi Wesley. Later that year, Collier was named the USEF Junior Equestrian of the Year and was recognized by the FEI with their Against All Odds Award. The award recognizes a rider who has persevered through extreme challenges, as Collier has with the effects of Wyburn-Mason syndrome.

Collier achieved her longtime goal of competing at the Paralympics in 2016 when she represented the U.S. in Rio de Janeiro, riding Western Rose.

Since June 2019, Collier has been competing with All In One, Going for Gold LLC’s 2009 Hanoverian gelding. The combination made their debut on the Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team at the 2019 Adequan/USEF Para Dressage National Championships and Tryon Fall 2 CPEDI3* where they placed third individually and were part of the team that won first place.

In 2020, Collier rode All In One to second-place finishes in the team, individual, and freestyle tests at the CPEDI3* at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) 3 in Wellington, Fla. The pair went on to win the Grade I division at the 2020 Adequan/USEF Para Dressage National Championships in Tryon, N.C.

Collier and All In One kicked off 2021 as part of the winning Adequan U.S. Para Dressage Team at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, where the pair posted scores in the 70s across the individual, team, and freestyle FEI Grade I Para Dressage tests. At the Perrigo Tryon Summer Dressage CPEDI3*, Collier and All In One helped win the team competition and again earned scores in the 70s in the Grade I classes.  

Cynthia “Cindy” Screnci is Grade V para-equestrian athlete. Screnci transitioned from the jumper ring to the para-dressage ring following a broken ankle from a riding accident and bone infection complication called osteomyelitis. At the 2020 Adequan®/USEF Para Dressage National Championship, Screnci was the Adequan®/USEF Grade V Para-Dressage National Champion with Eragon VF and received the Lloyd Landkamer Memorial Sportsmanship Award. 

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 IV 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.