Emmy Sobieski started riding early and got her first horse when she was 11. She and Joker tried out Western, Gymkhana, hunters, jumpers, dressage and eventing. In 1982, she decided to focus on dressage. A few years and a few horses later, Emmy borrowed her trainer Laurie Falvo’s horse. Unguarded After only 6 weeks together, Emmy and Unguarded were part of the 1986 Region 7 Gold Medal Team for Young Riders. During college and for several years after college, Emmy worked full-time as a dressage trainer. Emmy continued competing various client horses at FEI levels during this time. Then, with the encouragement of her trainer, Dietrich vonHopffgarten, Emmy decided to pursue a career in finance. This career allowed her to sponsor herself. While her career developed, she rode younger horses through fourth level for most of the 1990s. Then in 2001 she purchased Ali Baba. In 2003, Emmy purchased Robinson.
In the spring of 2003, following placing 37th in the Pan American Games trials, Emmy and Ali Baba went to Germany to train with Hans Rueben for 2 months. This training prepared Emmy for her successful Grand Prix debut when she returned to the US in late May.
For 2003 (with Ali Baba) and 2004 (with PF Robinson), Emmy was the USDF Adult Amateur Grand Prix Champion. For both 2003 and 2004, Emmy was also the Adult Amateur High Score at Grand Prix at Dressage at Devon with Ali Baba.
Prior to her summer in Germany, Emmy was ranked 27th in the trials for the 2004 US Olympic Team.
In the summer of 2004, Emmy joined her trainer in Hubertus Schmidt’s barn in Germany for 3 months. During that time, she was granted permission by the USET to show in Germany. In 2004 she and PF Robinson placed 9th in the Grand Prix at Hagen, Germany and 17th in the Grand Prix at CDI***Lingen, Germany.
Emmy and PF Robinson were 7th in the Grand Prix at the 2005 Palm Beach Derby CDI*** and 9th in the 2005 US at the US Grand Prix Freestyle Championships in Los Angeles. Emmy and PF Robinson were ranked 10th in the US going into the 2006 US Grand Prix Freestyle Championships in Wellington, Florida, but were unable to participate in the finals due to the untimely death of another of Emmy’s horses.
Twice a year since 2007, Emmy travels to Germany and rides for 3-4 weeks per year as a working rider in Hubertus Schmidt’s barn as well as in Hans Rueben’s barn. Hubertus Schmidt placed 4th individual at 2004 Athens Olympics. At these barns in Germany, Emmy rides and trains horses from 4 year olds to Grand Prix. She has been used at both these barns as a rider in sales videos of horses for sale, as well as to show sales horses to clients of these trainers.
Born and raised in California, Emmy holds a B.A. in Economics from UCSD, an MBA from USC with a concentration in finance, and also holds a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) designation.
