WESTERN DRESSAGE 2 Weekends, 2 Amazing Shows

from ESDCTA Collective Remarks - May 2023

Horse Treats

Hello Friends!

By, Joann Sarni

Like most of you, springtime signals longer days to ride and lots of shedding! We also look at our club’s calendar and start circling shows that we plan to attend. For us Western Dressage riders we most likely had two dates circled off: April 8 for the SLM Rated WDAA/USDF/AQHA rated show judged by Ida Norris and April 15 for The Horse Park of NJ WDAA/AQHA rated show and clinic with Lynn Newton.

SLM Western Dressage Show

After a week of heavy storms, the weather for the SLM show was clear, crisp, and beautiful. The footing in the outdoor ring was perfect as shiny horses with flowing manes and riders in colorful outfits trotted up centerline in front of Judge Ida Norris. There were riders from Intro level to 5th level competing in the very first WDAA rated show in New Jersey. It was nice to meet people and finally put faces to names. I was super excited to enter this show because it was my first time riding in a live WDAA rated show instead of doing it virtually. It was nice getting the scores real-time instead of waiting two weeks for an email to come with the scores and comments from the judge.

It was a good day. I placed first in my test with a score of 65% and in the Horsemanship pattern with a 67%. Instead of trophies, SLM gave out wine glasses which I used later that day for a nice evening glass of wine to celebrate.

I want to thank Stephanie Mason, Stephanie Warner, Ellen Brindle-Clark, and the SLM team for an amazing day!

The Horse Park of New Jersey Show and Clinic: Next up was the WDAA/AQHA rated show at the Horse Park. The weather was the total opposite from the previous week at SLM. The morning was hot and muggy with the threat of thunderstorms that rolled in during the afternoon. The show was held in the indoor arena which protected us from the heavy afternoon rain during the clinic. There were 30 rides total from Intro Level to First Level for the morning show followed by the clinic with Lynn Newton in the afternoon.

I was happy to see a few new Western Dressage riders who wanted to try something different with their horses. They came from various backgrounds such as reining, hunter, and ranch riding. All were hooked after their rides and already looking forward to the next show.

Blondie and I had two really good rides, scoring a 71% in Intro Test 3 and a 69% in Intro Test 4 that earned us a few more points towards our WD Register of Merit (ROM). Lynn Newton gave a fantastic clinic! She evaluated each team as they rode their test, scoring each movement and explaining the score. She would have the rider work on a movement that needed attention and explained how to execute the movement for a better score.

Lynn is a part of the WDAA Education Committee and is a USEF licensed WD registered (large R) judge. We were all very impressed by her fun teaching style and her knowledge of the sport. We would love to have her come back for another clinic in the future so stay tuned!