James P. Rowe – Founder, Trainer and Instructor

How it all began......

Mr. Rowe trained horses in Dressage up to the Haute Ecole or "Airs Above the Ground", as well as many champion competition horses and students for well over 60 years.

 
Mr. Rowe started training horses as a young boy in Omaha, Nebraska. His family made a living breaking and training wild horses.   Mr. Rowe then left horses and joined the Navy and then the Army allowing him to travel to Europe and see other methods of training.

In the 1940's Jim worked in Europe, while serving in WW II. Returning to the states his desire to work with horses continued, he taught at a stable in the Detroit area for a short time while working as an insurance investigator. Jim was transferred to Lansing in the middle 1940's when he purchased his first piece of property creating the now well known “Rowe Ranch”. "Rowe Ranch" was a very successful western facility providing rental horses, training, boarding as well as parties and hay rides.

Having great success with western training he then decided that there had to be more to training horses beside the usual western pleasure, cutting and reining so common in those days. He remembered the wonderful training he witnessed in Europe during his tour in WWII and began to search for a trainer that knew those methods.    Mr. Rowe found and then began to train with the highly accomplished Classical Dressage trainer Dorita Konyot of the famous Konyot family. Working with Dorita for many winters in Florida and returning to his stable in Michigan in the summer, Jim became the Classical Dressage trainer he is today.

During this time in Mr. Rowe’s life he met his soon to be wife Sharon and in 1970 Jim and Sharon built a new facility in Okemos, MI where they taught dressage riders of all levels and horses of all breeds from training level to Grand Prix.

Mr. Rowe has left a legacy of educated students to carry on his dream of the “Dancing Horses”.   He was one of the best trainers in the USA and fought hard his entire life to maintain the classical standards of Dressage.

Mr. Rowe passed away in August of 2005 leaving the legacy of his knowledge and business to his wife Sharon and his daughter Tracy. His dream was for Tracy to continue to educate people in the art of true horsemanship, dressage and the love of the horse.

Sharon Rowe - Head Trainer and Instructor

Sharon Rowe's record speaks for itself. She is unmatchable in her record, and incomparable in her training methods. Sharon Rowe has a passion for correct dressage that shows in every horse that she works with. She has shown every breed of horse from Arabians to Warmbloods and a very large percentage of these become upper level dressage champions. Many ask "how does she do it? I don't see her move" Sharon's answer is always "It doesn't take force to train a dressage champion, it takes knowledge~you ride with your mind" And to watch her ride you would know what she means.

Sharon Rowe started her dressage training at eighteen years of age with her husband James. Soon after she began her training she developed a life long friendship with Dorita Konyot who became her inspiration and trainer. The combination of James and Dorita, was a perfect one and in that they created a champion in Sharon.

Today Sharon Rowe is still training Dressage champions in both horses and riders. She rides daily at her 30 plus stall training facility, working towards another Grand Prix champion on every horse she trains. She also teaches lessons, gives clinics and enjoys building this web page!

A few career highlights include:

• USDF Gold Medalist
• USDF Silver Medalist
• USDF Bronze Medalist

Crescendo

• 1st Place 1989 USDF GRAND PRIX Horse of the Year
• 5th Place 1989 Musical Freestyle Grand Prix USDF
• 3rd Place 1989 Intermediate II USDF Horse of the Year
• 8th Place 1987 USDF Grand Prix Horse of the Year
• 1st Place 1984 USDF 3rd Level Horse of the Year
• 14th Place 1983 Second Level Horse of the Year
• 9th Place 1983 First Level Horse of the Year

Kaiser's Realm

• 1981 Central States Region Prix St.
  George Dressage Champion USET
  
• 1984 USDF Grand Prix Horse of the Year 13th place all breeds
• 1984 Horse of the Year Grand Prix AQHA

Branco

• 1988 Horse of the Year First Level second place with 70%

Tracy Rowe McEwan - Trainer and Instructor

Tracy Rowe started riding dressage before she was really aware what she was doing. Riding piaffe and passage was something FUN and normal for a young girl to do in the world she was raised. Now 38 years old, Tracy's aspirations are much more serious. An accomplished FEI trainer, Tracy trains horses of all breeds and students of all levels.

Training daily for most of her life under her parents, Tracy has adopted the strengths of both. She has gained the knowledge to deal with horses who have had training problems in a correct and kind way. Bringing along horses that have been labeled undesireable and unable to do dressage is a passion of Tracy's. Tracy has developed the skill and tact to train all horses in the classical methods, encouraging them to be happy and willing to work towards the upper levels of dressage.

As an instructor, Tracy always makes sure that her students are having fun while learning and never fails to go well out of her way to make them feel comfortable in their efforts. Inspired by her parent's example, Tracy encourages riders to become the best they can be and reach any goals they desire while mantaining their happyness.

Tracy Rowe-McEwan's professional standards are very high, she aspires to be the best trainer she can be while maintaining her honesty and integrity. Tracy's training goals allow each horse to maintian its identity and happiness while adhering to the classical methods she learned from her parents and clinicians she works with.

Career Highlights and Education:

• 2000 USDF Reserve Champion Prix St. George half Lipizzan - Simbata
  
• 2000 sixth place Prix St.George MDA - Simbata
  
• USDF Silver Medal Rider Award
  
• 2003 Waterloo Dressage First Level Reserve Champion - London
  
• 2003 Karl Mikolka Clinic - Rhoquest
  
• 2004 USDF Adult Clinic Series with Mr. Walter Zettl - 3rd Level Rider on Rhoquest
• 2005 Clinic with Karl Mikolka
  
• 2005 ODS Downcenterline I and II, qualified Rhoquest the first time he had been shown 3rd level (and earning his AWS scores for becoming an approved breeding stallion).
• 2006 debuted Rhoquest at 4th level placing 1st and 2nd in all his classes
• 2007 Purchase of Lipizzan stallion Conversano Marina for FEI prospect
• 2007 Clinic with SRS rider Herbert Seiberl
• 2008 Clinic with Walter Zettl
• 2008 USDF Bronze Medal (already earned Silver)

Contact Us:
(517) 349-1123
e-mail Sharon or Tracy