US Equestrian appointed Michel Assouline Head of Para-Equestrian Coach Development and High Performance Consultant in May of 2017. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge about para-equestrian dressage and dressage trainer/coach development and in 2019 launched the USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage Coaches Program.

Assouline continues to work closely with the US Equestrian/USPEA Para Centers of Excellence on seminars and coaching sessions. His work with the Centers of Excellence (COE) directly ties in with the aim to grow and develop para-equestrian dressage in the U.S. Prior to joining US Equestrian, he spent nearly 12 years as head coach to the multi-medal winning British para-equestrian dressage program where he led the Great Britain athletes to four silver and seven gold medals at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, a record-breaking result for Great Britain para dressage athletes. As such, Michel was awarded the Mussabini Medal, a sports award recognizing British coaches, and was inducted into the UK Coaching Hall of Fame.

Beatrice de Lavalette was a member of the U.S. Para Dressage Team for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with her horse, Clarc.

De Lavalette made her Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team debut at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) 3 CPEDI3* in January 2020. She posted scores in the 70s with Duna, the 2008 KWPN mare she owns with Elizabeth and Nicolas de Lavalette, to place second in the Grade II Freestyle and help win the team competition.

In the winter 2020/2021 season, de Lavalette made her debut with Clarc. The pair scored a 76.061 in the FEI Para Test of Choice at the Wellington Season Kickoff in January and went on to sweep the Grade II CPEDI3* at AGDF 3. De Lavalette and Clarc helped the Adequan U.S. Para Dressage Team take home a win at the AGDF 9 Perrigo CPEDI3*, finishing first in the Grade II Individual and Freestyle Tests and second in the GradeII Team Test. The pair traveled to the München-Riem CPEDI3* in Germany and finished second in the Grade II Team Test and third in the Grade II Individual and Freestyle Tests. At the Perrigo Tryon Summer Dressage CPEDI3*, de Lavalette and Clarc swept the Grade II tests.

In the summer of 2022, De Lavalette won first-place in the Grade II Individual and Freestyle CPEDI3* with her new horse, Sixth Sense, at Tryon Summer Dressage CPEDI.

De Lavalette lost both of her lower legs in the 2016 bombing at the Brussels Airport in which more than 30 people were killed and 300 injured. She started riding again five months after the attack, returning to the saddle with Delegada X (“DeeDee”), the 2002 PRE mare who has been her equine partner since January 2014. De Lavalette shares her incredible story as a motivational speaker. In January 2019, she was a featured speaker at the Equestrian Businesswomen Summit in West Palm Beach, Fla. She is a student at the University of San Diego and trains with Shayna Simon Dressage.

Rebecca Hart got involved with the Paralympic movement in 1998 at a regional competition in Atlanta, Ga. It was at that competition that Hart decided she wanted to aim for international competition. Hart purchased her first horse and began to train for national and international competition. Over the years, Hart has represented the U.S. at several international events, including five consecutive Paralympic Games. Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games led to her best team finish yet, as a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team aboard El Corona Texel.

Following a series of standout accomplishments with Schroeter's Romani, Hart retired the Danish Warmblood mare and teamed up with El Corona Texel in September 2017. They quickly garnered 11 Grade III first-place finishes out of 13 opportunities, which helped them earn a spot on the U.S. Para Dressage Team presented by Deloitte for the WEG Tryon 2018.

Hart and El Corona Texel were selected to represent the Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival 1 CPEDI3* in Wellington, Fla., in January of 2020. The duo was also named to represent the team at the Tryon CPEDI3* hosted in Tryon, N.C. in October 2020, where they also were crowned the national champions of the 2020 Adequan/USEF Para Dressage National Championship.

In 2022, Hart was a member of the Adequan U.S. Para Dressage Team that traveled to Herning, Denmark for the 2022 FEI Para Dressage World Championships where she helped the team earn bronze with El Corona Texel. The duo also secured an individual bronze in Herning, marking their third fourth championship medal together. 

In 2024, Hart debuted a new horse in her quest to make her fifth straight Paralympic Games, this time aboard Floratina (Flora), a 2008 Hanoverian mare (Fidertanz 2 x Rubin Royal OLD) owned by Chloe Gasiorowski and Rowan O’Reilly.  

Hart and Flora represented the U.S. Para Dressage Team at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, where they swept Grade III competition and brought home a historic medal haul of one team gold medal and two individual gold medals. Hart’s stellar performance throughout the week helped the team bring home gold with a total score of 235.567% and came home with a personal best score of 77.900% in the Individual Championship Test – Grade III and a new personal best of 83.534% in the Grade III FEI Grand Prix Freestyle. 

As a newly minted Paralympic gold medalist, Hart helped the U.S. Para Dressage Team secure their third consecutive victory of the 2025 season at the TerraNova CPEDI3* with longtime partner El Corona Texel. 

Hart and Paralympic mount, Floratina, made their first FEI and international appearance since 2024 at the 2026 Hagen CPEDI3* representing the U.S. Dressage Team on their quest for selection to the 2026 FEI Para Dressage World Championships Aachen. The pair helped the U.S. Para Dressage Team top the podium on a final team total of 446.804, besting ten other international teams.  

Rebecca is the daughter of Sue Dobson and Terry Hart. She has one sister, Katie, and one brother, Jordan. In her free time, Hart enjoys kayaking, sailing, camping and rock climbing, and giving back to the Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia Foundation by bringing awareness about HSP and working with the children dealing with HSP.

Fiona Howard’s riding career began in Great Britain where she was born and raised in England with her American mother and British father. She began riding when she was three and learned jumping, eventing, polocrosse, and polo in Pony Club. A family friend’s reining horses piqued her interest, and she shifted her riding focus when she had the opportunity to qualify for the FEI European Reining Championships for Juniors and Young Riders.  

As part of the British Junior Reining Team, Howard was 14 and the youngest rider in the competition when she earned a bronze medal at the 2013 FEI European Reining Championships for Juniors and Young Riders. She competed again as a junior in the FEI European Reining Championships for Juniors and Young Riders in 2016. 

Howard immigrated to the U.S. in 2016 and began her para dressage career. Howard returned to the FEI arena as a Grade II para dressage athlete in 2022 at the Perrigo CPEDI3* at the Tryon Summer Dressage with De Nouvelle Vie; the pair placed second in the Grade II Individual, Team, and Freestyle tests.  

Howard debuted with several new mounts in 2024. With Diamond Dunes, Howard impressed in both the U.S. and Europe, earning victories across the board in Grade II competition, earning them a spot on their first Paralympic Team for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.  

The duo had an incredibly successful Games, where they helped the U.S. Para Dressage Team earn their first ever Paralympic gold medal in team competition. Their impressive scores helped the team to a final combined score of 235.567; a historical win and the highest Paralympic team score ever recorded in the para-equestrian discipline. The pair also topped the podium in Grade II competition in both the FEI Grand Prix Para Test A Grade II and the FEI Grand Prix Para Freestyle Grade II, earning personal best marks in each of their performances. 

Howard and Dunes continued their success in 2025. They represented the U.S. Para Dressage Team at the CPEDI3* during AGDF 9, securing a team win and breaking the current world record in the FEI Grand Prix Para Freestyle Grade II with a score of 83.267%. In February, Howard was announced as World #1 in the FEI Para Dressage World Rankings.    

In 2026, after battling through health challenges and surgeries, Howard made her competition debut at AGDF 9 CPEDI3* in March, riding teammate Kate Shoemaker's mare Vianne for the first time. The debut produced three Grade II world records in three starts – 78.85% in the Grand Prix A Test, 80.444% in the Grand Prix B Test (with all three judges awarding 80% or higher), and 84.934% in the Freestyle, a winning margin of more than 18 percentage points – anchoring the U.S. team to a gold-medal finish over Canada. 

Ahead of the 2026 FEI Para Dressage World Championships in Aachen, Howard and her Paris 2024 mount, Diamond Dunes, competed together at the Hagen CPEDI3*. As members of the U.S. Para Dressage Team, she and Diamond Dunes helped secure team gold, contributing to a final team score of 458.894. The pair also notched a personal best together in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test B II, earning an 80.833% and finishing atop the class.

Cynthia “Cindy” Screnci is Grade V para-equestrian athlete. Screnci transitioned from the jumper ring to the para-dressage ring following a broken ankle from a riding accident and bone infection complication called osteomyelitis. At the 2020 Adequan®/USEF Para Dressage National Championship, Screnci was the Adequan®/USEF Grade V Para-Dressage National Champion with Eragon VF and received the Lloyd Landkamer Memorial Sportsmanship Award. 

Screnci represented the United States at the first CPEDI3* of the 2025 competition year in Wellington, Fla., where she and For Memory 4 produced solid tests to help the team to victory. The duo went on to compete again in Wellington, Fla., in the CPEDI3* at AGDF 9. They delivered their best ride yet, clinching a personal best of 75.683% in the FEI Grade V Grand Prix Freestyle. Their impressive scores aided the team in their second, consectutive win of 2025.