Family lore claims that Peggy McGaw started pointing to horses, whether real or the coin operated type, before her first birthday. Her parents finally gave in and started her on riding lessons for her 13th birthday and a year later purchased her first horse for her.

While in college and at the start of her corporate career, Peggy was an opportunistic equestrian. By working for free in exchange for lessons, she rode a wide variety of breeds in many disciplines ranging from western to jumpers, as well as driving teams of Belgians for hayrides. Fifteen years ago, time and finances finally permitted her to focus on dressage, her equine sport of choice. Since then she has been fortunate to work with several notable FEI level trainers and clinicians in the Pacific Northwest and California.

While riding in a Trilogy saddle in 2005, Peggy realized for the first time how a saddle properly fitted to the rider, as well as the horse, is an invaluable tool in achieving the harmony of balance and freedom of movement so important in dressage. In 2007, her enthusiasm for the Trilogy saddle allowed her to leave the corporate world behind when she became the Performance Saddlery representative for Northern California and Northern Nevada. The on-going training Peggy has received from Performance Saddlery on saddle fitting, combined with her years of experience working with horses, has created an appreciation for the bio-mechanics of the dressage horse and how a properly fitting saddle can help maximize its performance at each level of the training pyramid.

Peggy is a life member of CDS and is a member of the board of her local CDS chapter. She is currently down to two horses of her own; her retired FEI horse that still thinks he should be in the show ring and a young home bred that she is bringing along with the help of selected clinicians.