The Board of Directors of The Dressage Foundation announced that Courtney Dye of New Milford, Conn., has won the 2010 $25,000 Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize.

The purpose of the prize is to provide financial assistance for coaching and training to a talented, committed and qualified rider whose plan is to reach and excel at the elite, international standards of high performance dressage. Dye plans to use the funds to take two horses, Hampton Green Farm’s Grandioso and Maryanna Haymon’s Don Principe, to Europe for training.

“I established this fund at The Dressage Foundation as my way of ‘giving back’ to the sport that has been so good to me,” said Lavell. “I know that, for most riders, obtaining financial support becomes the ultimate hurdle. I’m so grateful to my family and loyal friends whose charitable gifts have helped me establish this fund, and in a dollar amount that will be able to award this $25,000 Annual Prize for many years into the future.”

“I am amazed that Carol Lavell came up with this idea of the Advanced Dressage Prize and that, together with The Dressage Foundation and a whole lot of work and team effort, made it a reality. We are incredibly lucky as a community of dressage riders to have access to such help, thanks to their efforts, and I could not be more honored to be chosen as a recipient. The prize is going to help tremendously in my training endeavors. I am so thankful to Carol Lavell, The Dressage Foundation, and everyone who made this prize possible,” said Dye.