Dressage in the Rockies Profile
Shannon Dahmer Knows How to Have Fun
By Diana Hunt for HorsesDaily.com

Shannon Dahmer, 31, of Rifle Colorado may be best known for her free-spirited freestyle demonstrations. Her first off-beat Grand Prix Freestyle perhaps eight years ago was painting her Oldenberg Bingo like a zebra (it took her two hours) and Dahmer wore a sort of “Me Jane” African costume. The crowd loved it.

“I like to have fun,” explained the flamboyant Dahmer. “I’m competitive, but even though everyone’s so serious we do have fun. When I go to a horse show it’s kind of my vacation, that’s how I look at it, and I get to see all my friends on the Front Range (of Colorado).”

Dahmer has a musical background which she draws upon when she is creating the freestyle choreography. “I’ve danced all my life. I love music, I love to dance—jazz, ballet, whatever. I was a pom pom girl and a cheerleader, so I have that influence,” she laughed. “I figure if I’m doing a freestyle, I want it to be something that makes me smile and have a good time.”