A tribute to Dorothy Knocke Maxfield was held March 14 in the trophy room at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation stable in Gladstone.
A much-admired instructor who was also a dressage and eventing official, Dorothy died Feb. 17 in Mobile, Ala., of natural causes. She was 76.
Dorothy Knocke Maxfield. (Photo by Marie Cobb)
The daughter of U.S. Dressage Federation president and Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association founder Lazelle Knocke, Dorothy grew up on the family farm, Hobby Horse Hill, in Readington. A graduate “A” Pony Clubber, Dorothy was a professional horsewoman for more than half a century. She started out as an eventer, spending a year with the U.S. Three-Day team from 1963 to 1964 before focusing on dressage.
A U.S. Dressage Federation gold medalist, Dorothy earned her “R” U.S. Equestrian Federation Dressage judge’s license and “r” Eventing license, as well as a USEF Technical Delegate’s license for both dressage and eventing. She also held an FEI Dressage steward’s license.
A lifetime member of the U.S. Pony Club, Dorothy was dedicated to teaching young riders, accompanying generations of them to Pony Club Nationals over the years. She was awarded USPC Jubilee Legend recognition in 2005.
She was also the organizer of recognized shows at Hobby Horse Hill and involved with the Amwell Valley Event.
Dorothy committed her life to training horses and students at all levels, her most important legacy. She was able to take complex and complicated concepts, breaking them down into smaller, understandable pieces and then teaching the rider to communicate those concepts to their horse.
Former student Amy Nemeth recalled that Dorothy, her first dressage instructor, “was tough as nails, but instilled in me what it took to be successful. She taught me more lessons then just riding. She may not even have known that. I thought I was special because she let me shine her boots and clean her tack! She was an integral part of my dressage riding and training; the first instructor to get me to stop hanging on my left rein, which she so eloquently did with yarn on that side.”
Mary Alice Edwards remembers taking her first lesson with Dorothy 25 years ago in Lafayette, Louisiana.
“I had been a `rider’ since I was 12 years old, but soon found out I knew nothing about dressage. The first thing she asked me was “What is the distance between each letter in the dressage arena?” Well, of course I did not know; I thought, `Who knows those things?’
“So began my journey of learning dressage. She was so dedicated to her students and their horses, making sure we were going on the right path of knowledge. She became a good friend and a wonderful mentor. Every time I ride, I hear her words of wisdom in my head.”
Dorothy is survived by her daughter, Deborah Kuschel (Gunnar), her identical twin sister, Diane Kohout, and her younger sister, Martha Hoffarth (Anton).
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the United States Pony Club Inc., 4041 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511 ATTN: in memory of Dorothy Maxfield. A donation also can be made online at https://www.ponyclub.org/secure/Forms/MakeAGift.aspx. In the note section, please include “in memory of Dorothy Maxfield.”