Young rider and NWV Chapter member, Whitney Bard, has been elected to a 2-year term as the Region 6 representative to the USDF Youth Executive Board and will serve as the voice of the region’s Junior and Young riders at the USDF National Convention this December in L.A.!

ODS members,

I’m writing this month to elicit your help. I’ve learned of a situation in my immediate area where dressage is endangered.

The Oregon State University Horse Center has a long tradition with dressage and English riding disciplines. Many of us remember the first director of the OSU facility, Paul Rutland, an ex-cavalry officer. Following Paul’s retirement, Kevin Kohler, an eventer, was the director and the two subsequent directors are familiar names to ODS members: Linda Coates-Markle and Cynthia Lamb. I rode my first dressage test at OSU, and participated in clinics by Kevin Freeman, Jeff Campf, and others. The OSU facility has been host to 4-H dressage judge trainings, “L’ judge programs, and recognized regional Arabian dressage, numerous schooling shows for both dressage and hunter/jumpers.

The Oregon State University Dressage Team has been operating out of the OSU Horse Center since the mid-1980’s. Linda Coates-Markle started the team when she was director of the Horse Center. Sandy Bryce was her assistant in the early years and became a volunteer team coach as Linda pursued her doctorate degree. The team membership has always been open to any student of any skill level or income level. Membership has fluctuated between 12 and 20 members over the last 10 years. Students who did not have their own horse were able to lease an OSU school horse or “catch ride” a school horse for their team dressage lessons

Over the last 5 years, different management has transformed the Horse Center and changed its focus toward academic classes and raising foals and away from riding classes. Faculty/staff classes, student coaching classes, and the popular children’s program were the first to go, followed by school horse leasing. The remaining riding program at the Horse Center is focused on reining and cow horse classes. Riding teams of other disciplines, including dressage, hunter/jumpers, and eventing, were pressured to leave the Horse Center, but the Dressage Team stayed on after receiving a verbal agreement from the Animal Science Department chairman that they could use the Horse Center facility.

This spring, after the students left for the summer, the Animal Science Department ruled that the recreational riding teams could no longer use school horses. This will also affect the other remaining team at the Horse Center, the intercollegiate IHSAA. Students now must find horses and facilities elsewhere in the community.

Facility Directors and managers come and go, and their expertise usually impacts the emphasis of the OSU horse program. Under the previous directors, the OSU Horse Center presented a well- rounded, multi-discipline approach to horsemanship. The center was a home for several student teams and offered a variety of options for students and the community. This is certainly not the case now.

I feel it is important that dressage should be represented at OSU. Sandy Bryce, the current volunteer coach of the OSU dressage team, has these suggestions for ODS if you share this sentiment:

1. Write a letter (or email) addressed to Dr. James Males, Department Chair for Animal Science, (James.Males@oregonstate.edu) and Dr. Christian Rammerstorfer, Horse Center faculty, (Christan.Rammerstorfer@oregonstate.edu) saying you would like dressage to be represented as supported discipline and team sport. Mention if you have attended the team-sponsored schooling shows at OSU, clinics or other dressage oriented events at OSU. Send letters through Sandy so that they can be documented and saved in more than one location (the OSU Recreational Sports Department is also interested in the future of the equestrian teams). Mailing address: c/o Sandy Bryce, 2045 SW 45th St., Corvallis, Oregon 97333. Please copy her on any email correspondence for the same reason at: brycepad@exchangenet.net.

2. If you board your horse at a Corvallis stable with indoor riding arena and you don’t ride as much as you would like, you might consider part leasing your horse to an OSU dressage team student. Twice a week riding at $80-85 per month with rider providing stall care on riding days is a payment plan that students can goviding stall care on riding days is a payment plan that students can generally afford. OR consider allowing your horse to be used for supervised lessons on practice nights for a catch ride fee of $10-$15 per hour (Lessons are normally 20 minutes to 1/2 hour long depending on how many riders intend to ride at practice time, meaning a horse could be used for 1 rider for1/2 hour or 2 to fill the hour). If you are interested in this option write to the email address listed in #1 above.

I hope you will take the time to send a letter or an email if the management and policies at the OSU Horse Center concern you. Thanks,

John