Our inaugural show was a success! We held our first WDAA and USEF Lite approved show at the Bit and Spur Saddle Club grounds in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on June 15th and 16th. Friday move in day brought some strong storms with heavy rain, but both show days were beautiful. We unveiled our gorgeous new tower dressage letters that were purchased with grant money awarded to us from the Wisconsin Horse Council; this is the first step towards getting our own portable dressage arena. We were so excited to welcome Judge Lynn Palm to our corner of country. Ms. Palm had our competitors leaving the ring feeling happy and accomplished with her knowledgable and thoughtful feedback. There were 95 entries throughout both days of showing. Also, it was exciting to have spectators who stopped by the office to ask more about western dressage as it was new to them. In addition, two of our weekend volunteers seeing western dressage for the first time, Larry and Char Ericksen, were so excited about this sport that they gave WDAWI a very nice monetary donation to continue our efforts at completing our portable arena. Highland Photography by Darcie was there capturing everyone's precious show moments. Pony Tales Refuge and Rehab was on the grounds to man the food shack and spread awareness of their dedication to rescuing horses and orphaned foals from neglect, abuse and slaughter, and emphasis on critical care. In fact, one young competitor showed a Pony Tales rescue horse. Our local sponsors Nicole Smith, Authorized Hay Chix Hay Net dealer, and Jolynn Rusin, Upward Owl custom tumbler/cup designer, provided prizes for our competitors, and SmartPak and Fleet Farm were corporate sponsors providing gift cards for prizes. Also, on Saturday evening, local trainer and clinician Jennifer Bull, owner of LongShot Farm, hosted a barn potluck and kicked the event off with some delicious Italian beef sandwiches and other tasty goodies. A special thank you to Jennifer's mom, Barb, for preparing all those goodies while Jennifer coached her clients. Members and volunteers filled in the remainder of the menu, and we ate well and enjoyed wonderful conversation. A heartfelt thank you goes out to our super special volunteers, Kathy, Stuart, Beth, JoAnn, Char, Larry, Laycee and Trevor, for giving up their weekend to help out. We are especially grateful for their time. We are so thankful for all of our sponsors, volunteers, and competitors for making our kick-off show a special event. We look forward to getting future events scheduled and continuing to grow the sport of western dressage.
P.S. Show results are currently posted on the show results page!
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