Eric G. Dierks

Eric grew up in Gurnee, IL with his parents Klaus and Erika and his younger brother Kenneth. Eric has been riding as long as he remembers. Brought up with horses through his family, he remembers watching his Dad ride and manage a small private stable while he also carried on the profession as a ceramic tile contractor. "I admire my father's work ethic. He would work tirelessly during the day and have such patience working with his horses. It was the harmony that he had with his horses that got me hooked. Whether it was long lining, riding dressage or grooming, all of his horses, though nothing special, wanted to please him, and they all had the sense of well being around him." Eric then started getting endless lunge lessons from his Dad and taking part in the daily barn chores. "I give those early lunge lessons that seemed to go on forever the credit for how I sit today."

Competition never entered Eric's mind until joining the Fox River Valley Pony Club with his brother. It was then that he was introduced to eventing. Competing at local events, taking part in Pony Club ratings and rallies, Eric started getting a taste for competition. "Mom and Dad would invest in me taking lessons from some great instructors and horsemen such as John Winnet and Ralph Hill. Every Saturday morning, we trailered an hour to where my Pony Club was based, in Barrington Hills, to take lessons from Jurgen Roesch." At the age of 19, Eric competed at the North American Young Riders Championships. Though having a fall and retiring not too far from home, Eric learned the ups and downs of the horse world.

Ever since Eric had a driver's license, he drove to Pony Club camps, ratings and clinics to help teach. A great believer in the U.S. Pony Club, he received his graduate A in 1990. Having a small following of students convinced him he would like to do horses as a career. Though Mom and Dad encouraged Eric to go to college and get a real job, he knew in the back of his head that horses were his lifetime ambition. After graduating from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science, working in a full time job at the Department of Health and convincing his parents that he can make a living doing what he loved, he finally decided to do horses full time. Mom and Dad, in the mean time, invested in a larger farm that made the transition very easy to make. Today, both Klaus and Kenneth actively teach out of Stonehedge Farm, while Erika manages the business side of boarding and arranging clinics.

Today Eric actively competes horses that he has started himself. Though always looking for rides, he believes nobody's better to blame than yourself when something goes wrong with training. Eric has competed up to the four-star level in eventing and is also active in the Show Jumping and Dressage ring. Eric was also long listed for both the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Fontera, Spain on Eveready and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece on Stonehedge Heritage.

A level III certified instructor, he was one of the first wave of graduates from the USEA Instructor Certification Program and divides his time between teaching and training. He gives clinics throughout the U.S and also donates his time to the USEA outreach program, and the Young Rider Program. He served as team coach for the Area IV young riders team from 1997-1998, and 2002. He currently serves as their team selector. "I believe there are life long lessons learned in the horse world. From respect towards animals and people to learning to cope with success and failures, the equine world makes me a strong person with a never ending will to learn."