Never Too Old: The Story of Debbie Kurth

Some people find horses as children. Debbie Kurth found them at 26, and she was told right away that she’d started too late.

“Too old,” they said. She would never be any good.

She proved everyone wrong and went on to earn her bronze and silver medals in dressage. Debbie also earned a degree in computer engineering, worked as a Walt Disney Imagineer, and holds three patents.

Starting From Scratch (and Broke)

Debbie came to riding after finishing college, where she had worked full time while attending classes. Money was tight, so she found a creative solution: she worked at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center’s Traditional Equitation School in exchange for free riding lessons. “I was broke!” she laughs.

Her first big break came from her trainer, Lars Holmberg, who did something she still calls amazing. He borrowed a horse for her to ride. In return, she helped out in the barn and kept her full-time job at the Walt Disney Company. For a full year he put her on a lunge line and gave her lessons. He cared more about her potential than her ability to pay.

Debbie says when Ulf Wadeborn arrived in this country and became her primary trainer. “He didn’t see my age.“ He just saw my drive.” He took her from pre-training level all the way to intermediate, and she says she will always be grateful.

The Horses of a Lifetime

Two horses defined Debbie’s riding career.

Juliet, a Dutch Warmblood mare, was one Debbie trained herself starting at age four. Together they earned Debbie’s bronze medal.

Rainman, her “heart horse,” was a Swedish Warmblood gelding she unexpectedly found while visiting Sweden. He had been the reserve on the Swedish World Cup team and was a Grand Prix-trained son of Bellini. Rainman carried Debbie through one of the hardest times in her life, and on him she earned her silver medal. She had hoped to work toward gold when an unexpected health issue interrupted her plans. She has since fully recovered.

Rainman lived to the wonderful age of 29, until a double twist in his intestines took him. “I miss him terribly,” Debbie says. Both horses passed during the pandemic, and she is horseless for now.

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  bay horse and female rider in english tack

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  chestnut horse and female rider trotting

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  chestnut horse and female rider cantering

Engineer, Musician, Inventor

Riding is only part of her story. Debbie is a degreed computer engineer and musician, a Walt Disney Imagineer, and holder of three patents. During the pandemic, she patented, wrote, and designed the software for virtual horse sport, bringing together her two worlds. Her businesses are Multimedia Designs LLC (MultimediaDesignsllc.com) and VirtualHorseSport.com.

She’s quick to point out that this is her career, not her horse life, but it’s clear the two have a way of finding each other.

Love, Community, and What’s Next

Debbie has been married to her partner Don Kravits since 1992. In the dressage community, she treasures her chapter. “The people in our chapter are wonderful,” she says, and she and Gina Von der Burg had become terrific friends. She also appreciates the chapter’s willingness to hold online shows that keep costs under control, something she knows matters to riders on a budget.

As for the year ahead, Debbie is really looking forward to getting back to riding. We are rooting for her to find her next steady mount.

The Real Accomplishment

Asked about her greatest recent accomplishment, Debbie didn’t point to a medal. “As I get older, I realize the biggest accomplishment is the relationship with my horses rather than the achievements.”

Her formula for success is simple: work very, very hard, and find the people who focus on possibility rather than payment. And if anyone tells you you’re too old to start something, Debbie Kurth is proof that they’re wrong.