S. Braely Gray Scholarship Recipient, August 2000

My name is Katherine Norkus and I was one of last year’s scholarship recipients. Let me begin by telling you about my background. Hunt seat equitation is my main discipline and the horse I own now was a big Eq. horse. Though, at my barn, Wayside, Ltd., run by Barbara Lindsay, you are encouraged to try new things, so a couple years ago I branched out into eventing. This is when I was first introduced to dressage and took an interest in the sport. I knew that to be able to have a good equitation round or even to be competitive in eventing you have to have your flatwork down. Dressage started to become more and more of an occurrence in my weekly routine and Janet Black began to work with me when she was in the area.

Last year was my first year with my horse, Oscar Nomination, and I tried a variety of activities with him. As usual I started off the year with hunter/equation shows which turned out to be very successful for Oscar and myself. For eventing we worked with Carol Kozlowski, and Mark Weissbecker in clinics for Beginner Novice, and at the Wilton Pony Club Horse Trials we placed first in Dressage, and first overall, at the Beginner Novice level. Janet Black took us to some local dressage shows and we did well (training level champion at Millbrook and won our classes at WFDA schooling show), and so I decided to enter the NE JR/YR Dressage Championship with him. I had participated in the championship the year before on my painted pony, Color Me Again, and I knew that it was a fun show and I went to it with an open mind. Although I had done well previously in the show, at that point I wasn’t sure of my horse’s dressage abilities, but I just wanted to go and enjoy my stay. That weekend in August 2000 had to be one of the most exhilarating times of my life. Oscar and I came in first in my training level division, age 13-14. On Saturday evening Amanda Gerdts and I were each presented with a scholarship to continue our dressage educations. I planned on using mine to help prepare for novice level events in the fall.

I was able to take two of the my scholarship lessons in the fall but soon my horse and I met a string of bad luck. Oscar coliced before one event, I became sick shortly before another, and one of our planned events was canceled. Nothing worked out as I had hoped.

Fortunately, I hadn’t used all my lessons as I had planned. By the spring Oscar and I were both healthy and I was wondering what we should plan for the spring and summer. I was looking at the Dressage4kids website one evening and I realized that I couldn’t do training level at the show again for two years, and so I had to move up to 1^st level. I would use my the rest of my scholarship money to help me reach my new goal.

I worked on dressage at my barn in the early spring and decided to save my scholarship lessons for the summer. By July I was participating in the JR/YR Clinics at Gleneden Dressage with Lendon Gray. During one lesson, Lendon suggested that I work with one of her working students, Alison End. Little did I know that this suggestion would be one of the best things that could have happened to my horse and me.

Alison is 20 and I’ve never had someone so young teach me before. I have to say it was very different then any dressage lesson I’ve had. I really understood what she was saying and before I knew it my dressage lesson was over! I was working so hard and having so much fun that my lesson seemed to just fly by. I was pleased with my improvement in only one lesson and I wanted to come back as soon as possible. When I asked Lendon about taking a lesson, she told me she liked what I had done that day, and that I should take another lesson with Alison. So, my scholarship money would be put towards lessons with Alison.

The problem with my horse is that he has the ability to do many things but he’s not always willing to do them for me. Or, he’s just going to make it very difficult for me. In my lessons with Alison, she would get on Oscar for the beginning part of my lesson and “teach” me while riding him. This really helped me visual our goals and I would always go home with lots of ways to make Oscar better. My scholarship money was quickly used up, but I still wanted to take more lessons, and that’s exactly what I did.  Every week I would go to the clinic on Tuesday and then later on in the week I would go over to Gleneden for a lesson with Alison.  One day my mom suggested that Alison should be my trainer for the Championship since we had been working so well together.  We made sure it was okay with everyone and soon it was settled, Alison would be my trainer.

The championship as always was so much fun.  We went to Ox Ridge on Friday to pick up my number and I remembered  how exciting the upcoming weekend would be.  I had my written test early on Saturday and my equitation later that day.  Sunday was my dressage test, and I was pleased with how it went.  At home our rides are always better, but I thought that my horse and I had accomplished a lot with the help of Alison.  
As the day passed by I ended up getting 9^th overall in my class,  a prize I was very happy to receive.  My team, Wayside, also came in first which was a pleasant surprise.  It was definitely one of the best weekends of my summer.

I know that dressage has influenced my life greatly this year.    For one, my riding seems to have more of a focus.  I go into every schooling with a “plan” in my mind as to what I want to work on that day.  My flatwork has greatly improved.  Dressage has helped my jumping too.  I feel that I am more put together when I jump now.  Whether I’m practicing for a show or just out for hack I ‘ve learned that my dressage is very important and I hope to continue on for many years.

I’d like to thank some people in particular.  The scholarship committee, of course, for helping me to further my riding education.  And to Lendon Gray for sponsoring the Tuesday clinics and for introducing Alison End to me.  The combination of working with both Lendon and Alison has greatly improved my riding even in just one summer.  Thanks!