My commitment to equestrian sport began early and has shaped every chapter of my professional life. As a junior rider, I earned the reserve national championship title in the Junior Division at the 2001 U.S. National Championships held at Dressage at Devon in Pennsylvania. Motivated by that early success, I relocated to Wellington, Florida to immerse myself in the most competitive dressage environment in the country and to train with Olympic Bronze Medalist Michelle Gibson. The experience fueled a deeper drive to refine my skills and exposed me to the highest standards of international sport.

In 2004, I brought my two competition horses from Wellington to Germany to train and compete at the world renowned Gestüt Grönwohldhof under German European Gold Medalist Karin Rehbein, celebrated for her partnership with the 'Stallion of The Century' Donnerhall. This period was pivotal; it shaped the principles and methodology that continue to guide my training philosophy today.

Upon returning to the United States in 2006, I committed full-time to developing as an international competitor while training under Olympic Bronze Medalist and former World No. 2, Lisa Wilcox. I declared professional status and entered the international Grand Prix division with the stallion HRH Fantasma, competing in World Cup qualifiers including the CDI Palm Beach Dressage Derby and CDI-W Dressage at Devon. During this time, I secured multiple top-ten international placings, achieved an eighth-place national ranking, and earned my United States Dressage Federation Gold Medal, recognizing competitive success at the highest level.

Concurrently, I developed and imported two young stallions who went on to earn national titles at the Young Horse National Championships. Lullaby and I became the reserve horse-and-rider combination selected to represent the United States at the FEI Young Horse Championships in Verden, Germany (2006).

My program reached a national milestone in 2008 when my stallion Starlight won the Grand Championship at Dressage at Devon. I became the youngest exhibitor in the event’s history to capture this title; the record still stands. The following year, I exported my stallion Lullaby to Europe, where he and I completed his first Grand Prix on European soil as the first horse I had developed from a young prospect to the top of the sport.

After returning to the United States from Switzerland, I based my program in Wellington, Florida with the support of HRH Holdings Inc., who provided a five-year sponsorship to promote, train, and campaign their imported horses. In 2010, I earned a bronze medal at the Young Horse National Championships with Sakrementer, a horse I discovered in Europe at the Oldenburg Elite Auction (Vechta, Germany), imported, and developed on behalf of HRH Holdings. In 2011, I became the High Score Circuit Champion of the inaugural Global Dressage Festival in Wellington with an 80 percent.

During this period, I also served as private trainer to Deborah Gregg-Howe, owner of HRH Holdings Inc. - who only began riding two years prior. Under my instruction, Deborah earned a USDF Bronze Medal and achieved a national 'Horse of the Year' title.

I began working as a sponsored rider and private trainer for Equine Imports LLC and rider-owner Dawn Sears-Bernado. I facilitated the acquisition of two internationally successful stallions: Rubinero, from the historic Gestüt Vorwerk in Cappeln, Germany (developed by my long time friend and trainer, Olympian Lisa Wilcox) and the Grand Prix stallion Desperado.

2014 - 2015, I remained undefeated in the FEI division in Wellington with Rubinero, winning multiple championships. Under my coaching, Dawn became the regional champion at the FEI Intermediate level and earned an Oldenburg 'Horse of the Year' title.

In 2020, I accepted the role of Managing Director and Chief Trainer of Journey’s End Farm in Glenmoore, Pennsylvania—one of the Northeast’s largest equestrian centers, a fifty-stall facility set on eighty rolling acres in Chester County hunt country. My focus centered on developing both adult amateurs and junior riders. In 2023, I campaigned Ronja, owned by Lynn Seeburger, completing an undefeated Fourth Level season that culminated in an invitation to Dressage at Devon, where I tied for second place with USET rider Benjamin Ebeling on a horse owned by Governor Mitt Romney. That same year, I was honored as the French Creek Dressage Association Trainer of the Year.

Across my career, I have produced young horses through the Grand Prix level, guided students to a combined total of six USDF Bronze Medals, five Silver Medals and one Gold Medal, and maintained long-standing relationships with every sponsor I have represented—something I consider one of the greatest measures of my professional integrity.

When Journey’s End Farm prepared to sell and subdivide its property in late 2024, I sold the syndicated horse I had been developing and stepped away briefly to pursue my second passion: international travel. After a year of exploring the world and building a travel-writing career, I am ready to return to the discipline that has defined my life: the pursuit of excellence in dressage.

I am a USDF Bronze, Silver (with Distinction), and Gold Medalist, and I have served as a clinician for organizations ranging from the national Pony Club to Ivy League institution Brown University.

Rick Silvia with HRH Fantasma - winning the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle Dressage at The Park | Lexington, Kentucky 2007

As a final note, I founded Dressage Under the Stars, later licensed to Partners for a Cure, to raise funds for cancer research organizations. The event became a highlight of the Palm Beach winter season and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Throughout its history, its judging panels included celebrated figures such as Olympic Gold Medalist Anky van Grunsven, German team rider Michael Klimke, bestselling author Tami Hoag, Olympic eventing rider Karen O’Connor, Dutch team trainer Sjef Janssen, and Olympian Jane Savoie.

In 2025, I was honored by Dressage at Devon during its fiftieth-anniversary celebration as one of the Legends of Dressage at Devon, a distinction recognizing riders whose careers have left a lasting impact on the venue. Given my long history of competitive success on its grounds—from my Junior reserve national championship in 2001 to Grand Prix accomplishments later in my career—this recognition remains one of the most meaningful milestones of my professional life.