Esther Mortimer was born in Ontario and holds a Guatemalan and Canadian citizenship. Her father, Ralph Mortimer, a dressage teacher, likes to tell the story of Christilot Boylen, who he credits with clairvoyant powers, in 1969 predicting that Ralph would go to Central America "to preach the gospel of dressage."
When Esther was 11, the family moved to Guatemala where dressage was in its infancy. Ralph "preached", clinicians such as Hilda Gurney and Axel Steiner visited and Esther rode. Unfortunately Esther had a riding accident that shattered her pelvis and landed her in the hospital for three months. Back in the saddle, she competed in Young Riders.
Through her father, Esther at 16 became a protégé of Cindy Ishoy who offered her free room and instruction for six months, this friendship has continued over the years. In 1997, Esther returned to Guatemala and continued to train. In 2000 Esther competed at Blainville and placed second in I1, as a result she became the rider and trainer for Cassandro. This Holsteiner stallion was trained to PSG -I1 by Esther with whom she won many Championships with. Cassandro and Esther successfully competed for Guatemala in the 2003 Pan American Games, ranking the highest scoring rider for her country. The future looks brights for Esther as she continues her quest to make the Guatamalan dressage team for 2007 with her new mount, Key West, a 7 year old German Trakehner gelding.
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