Double Date WF
‘Dolly’ is a 7 year old Oldenburg mare owned by Black Diamond Partners LLC. She has competed through novice level eventing and 1.10m jumpers. She is the most beautiful horse in the barn and she knows it!
Musquito
‘Buzz’ is a 6 year old KWPN gelding owned by Black Diamond Partners LLC. He is our newest addition and we are very excited for his future.
Ozzie
Ozzie is a 7 year old KWPN gelding owned by Black Diamond Partners LLC. He has competed tin eventing and jumpers with a highlight being winning the T3D at Rebecca Farms in 2022. We think he wants to enjoy a new career and he has been prepping for his hunter ring debut so watch out for him in the hunters in 2023.
Meet The Team
Marissa Nielsen — Owner/Head Trainer
Marissa Nielsen established her own full-time training and sales business, Black Diamond Equestrian in 2005.
Marissa is a United States Pony Club ‘A’ graduate, USHJA certified trainer and is USEA ECP Level III Certified. In addition, she has earned her USDF Bronze Medal, and has competed at FEI 4*-L level of Eventing and Grand Prix show jumping.
After much success as a young rider, she spent time in England as a working student at Aston le Walls and then went to work for top show jumper Jay Halim.
Marissa returned to the States and went to work for International and World Cup show jumpers Helen McNaught and Duncan McFarlane. During the next five years, she competed in the jumpers and earned many top placings in derbies, speed classes, gambler’s choice, and mini prix. After gaining experience in the show jumping world, she decided to focus her energy back on Eventing.
Since making the switch back to Eventing Marissa has taken horses from Beginner Novice through CCI4*-L.
Marissa is a big believer in continued education and she consistently rides with her long time coach John Michael Durr. She also clinics regularly with Phillip Dutton for Eventing, Butch Thomas for show jumping and Rachel Wade for dressage.
Marissa is looking forward to an exciting future with the promising horses in her program.
Meet the horses:
Achievements through the years:
2016: Marissa did two CCI2*-L and two CCI2*-S’s before taking the rest of the season off to have her first child who was born in October of 2016
2017: Top placings at Intermediate level.
2018: 3rd place finish in the CCI3*-L at Rebecca Farms in July 2018 and moved up to Advanced at Twin Rivers.
Students had multiple wins including the Area VI Jr Novice Championship and Area VI Jr novice reserve champion of the year.
2019: Marissa has her second child; once back earned a 3rd place at Twin Rivers Advanced and 7th at Twin Rivers CCI4*-S in the fall finishing with the CCI4*-L at Galway Downs.
Students had many highlights including a Jr rider winning the open T3D at Rebecca Farms and were Jr Training rider of the year for both Area VI and the USEA national leaderboard as well as 3rd place USEA training horse of the year.
2020: Highlights were Black Diamond Partners LLC’s young horse Valereux winning most of his events and finishing out as Area VI novice horse of the year as well as 9th in the country USEA leaderboard before being sold. Four-year-old Boundless had great scores in the YEH classes and novice level before being sold.
2021: Big changes and highlights include: The sale of longtime partner Vinetta M was a big change but she is doing well in her new career as a top show jumper. 2021 also was the first year that Marissa was supported by the owners and partners at Black Diamond Partners LLC. We bought 3 exciting new horses, Global Absolute who was 3rd in the CCI2*L in April at Twin Rivers, and was top 10 at the CCI2*S at Aspen Farms and at Rebecca Farms CCI2*L and moved up to Intermediate level at the end of the season. Students did very well with top placings in the CCI2*L at April Twin and November Galway. Students finished top at NAYC team championships at Galway and also ended up Area VI preliminary young rider champion.
2022: Ozzie wins the T3D at Rebecca Farms. Dolly had a few top finishes in novice. Students finish with great placings in the CCI2*L at Rebecca Farms as well as in other divisions.