“THE WORLD’S BEST RIDERS are here to compete in Las Vegas,” says Karin Reid Offield, President of Offield Farms, Presenting Sponsor of the FEI World Cup Dressage Finals. “This is our sport’s chance to showcase the best the sport has to offer under the big tent, in the spectator friendly venue of the Thomas & Mack Center.”

At its best, dressage demonstrates the moving and profound connection between horse and rider. As the pair appears to dance with lightness and grace, it is as if there is a sharing of one mind and one spirit. With the FEI World Cup Dressage Finals being held in Las Vegas, there is an unprecedented opportunity to capitalize on this love of horses and create new fans for the sport.

In Europe, the sport of dressage is not only a popular activity, but also draws thousands of spectators, which in turn attracts corporate sponsors, thereby ensuring television coverage. With the anticipated success of this weekend’s festivities, we expect that North America is well on its way to the same type of broadened appeal.

Art Appreciation

“Dressage is a sport of details. There will always be those insiders who live and breathe for each and every detail,” Offield continues. These are the judges, riders, teachers, master trainers and super fans. These are the keepers of the knowledge who ensure the continuation of great art with the horse. But there are also those who appreciate dressage simply for how it makes them feel. “You don’t have to understand how the rider asks the horse to piaffe or even know what piaffe is to appreciate the beauty of dressage,” Offield says. >

Grass Roots

Part of the popularity of international figure skating is that nearly everyone has tried to ice skate. The result is that people understand how hard this endeavor truly is to master. In the same way, programs that encourage people to touch horses and even ride them are instrumental in developing new fans for equestrian sports.




“Many of us realize that for people to understand and appreciate the horse sports, they must come into close contact with horses,” Offield explains.

Offield has been a lifelong horsewoman. During her childhood in Aspen, Colorado, instead of ski racing like her friends, she rode horses. From jumping to trail riding, horses became something that she loved, and wanted to share with others.

With that in mind, Offield co-founded El Rojo Grande Ranch in 1992 in Sedona, Arizona as a place where people could have the opportunity to ride and learn about horses. With programs as diverse as riding lessons and trail rides to dressage demonstrations and art exhibits, El Rojo Grande Ranch offered something for everyone in the community. “Our programs really encouraged participation. Children and adults just light up when they are around horses,” says Offield. “Once people interact with horses, they become fans for life.”

A four-time USDF Regional FEI-level Champion, Offield continued this fan building when she moved to Harbor Springs, Michigan. There she invites the community to participate in dressage exhibitions that are part entertainment and part education.

The Biggest Audience

Offield’s love of horses has always been something that she has wanted to bring to the biggest audience--television. In the 1980’s she documented American show jumping with her production company, Equestrian Reels. “For equestrian sports to grow, they must be mainstreamed on television,” she says.

Six time Olympian, and a big believer in the sport’s potential as a spectator event, Robert Dover says “It’s now a matter of trying to get dressage on TV for the public to take a hold of and say ‘this is a lot of fun to watch.’” This can be done with key events like the FEI World Cup Dressage Finals, which will be featured on Outdoor Life (OLN).

This television coverage almost did not happen. “We’re very appreciative of the support that we have received from Offield Farms,” said Pat Christenson, President of Las Vegas Events, Inc., producer of the dual FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas. “Their sponsorship has made the difference in our being able to have the Dressage Final televised. Dressage fans in America owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude.”

“Our goal is to serve as a catalyst for the advancement and promotion of the sport of dressage - to draw other potential sponsors, fans, competitors, judges and dedicated dressage lovers into our web site (www.OffieldFarms.com) to share their creativity and ideas with our promotional experts,” Offield says.

Many individuals and organizations have worked tirelessly for years to increase the public’s awareness of dressage. Offield hopes to add her voice to this chorus by creating synergistic partnerships with those who have been so dedicated to the success of the sport.

Bob Hughes of Carr-Hughes Productions has also been instrumental in ringing equestrian sports to television, including this year’s World Cup Final and the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, which has been featured on OLN, ESPN

Ask for More

By Karin Reid Offield, President, Offield Farms

ASK FOR MORE. As riders who have been pushed and prodded to excel by any number of trainers over the years, including my own trainer of eight years, Michael Etherly, demanding the most of ourselves, and by extension, our stallions, mares and geldings — we know instinctively what those words mean. Whether at the pinnacle of our sport, or, as in my own case, driven by the dream to get there, those three simple words are what Dressage, and in many respects, life itself, is all about. The relentless pursuit of the unattainable … perfection … flawless … 100%.

As any of the competitors here in Las Vegas for the FEI World Cup Dressage Final will attest, asking for more of your horse is really about demanding more of yourself … pushing yourself to your own personal limits in order to convey the clearest possible message to your horse in an unspoken language that few can appreciate, and fewer still can attain. Asking for more is not about taking, its about giving … giving ALL of yourself — to your training, to your horse and to your passion to achieve that illusive harmonious connection required to win at the highest levels of our sport.

As you view dressage, your eye sees an elegant rider atop a majestic mount. If you squint a little, and use a little imagination, the two beings become one. They speak to one another in the same unspoken language. The Language Of Dressage is conveyed through the rider’s position, the amount and the type of pressures exerted along the thighs, knees, calves, and heels, through the hands, through the rider’s own rhythm in the saddle, and through the unseen two-way communication channel that has been developed through constant repetition and positive reinforcement … always while asking for more.


and NBC. Hughes has been involved
in nearly every type of sports broadcast from skiing and cycling to luge and bobsledding and believes that with the advent of the freestyle it is very likely that additional dressage programming will find a home on television. “To have acceptance at a network level, i.e. NBC, ABC, CBS, you have to have the ability to attract a broad audience,” he says.

The Next Generation

While Offield and other dressage aficionados work to raise the public
profile of the sport, a number of exciting programs help younger dressage enthusiasts in their quest for knowledge and a broader base of experience. These younger riders are not only the next generation of athletes, but also the next fans.

One such program is Lendon Gray’s Youth Dressage Festival, now in its seventh year. “This program came from watching our highest level outh,” says the event’s founder and lympian Lendon Gray. “We were developing very specialized riders, but not eveloping [horsemen.]” The Youth Dressage Festival seeks to develop not just riding skills, but also to teach riding theory and proper horse care and stable management skills. The program emphasizes well-rounded
riding as well as fun, which helps reate
fans for life.

It has grown from an annual show with three components, a written exam, traditional dressage test and a group equitation class, to a year round event with lectures, demonstrations and other educational programs. Gray hopes that other regions will adopt this format, which can be used at all levels of shows. All roceeds of Lendon Gray’s Youth Dressage Festival support education scholarships. Log on to www.dressage4kids.com for more information.

The Dressage Foundation is another organization whose mission is funding and education. “Karin has been a major supporter of the work of the Dressage Foundation for several years,” says John Boomer, its President and CEO. “If there’s any truer measure of people than by what they do, it is what they give. Her gifts have helped advance several projects, including the Advanced Young Rider Program (previously organized in conjunction with the USDF) and the book The View From C.
These projects have a lasting impact on
the industry.”

The Advanced Young Rider Olympic Dreams program allows riders ages 16-21 the opportunity to enhance their understanding of dressage through a European tour. The young riders observe, discuss and absorb the European training system. Last year’s tour included trips to CHIO Aachen, Klaus Balkenhol’s training center and the European Young Riders Championship.

The entire experience was filmed and is available on DVD. Those that are interested
should contact John Boomer at www.DressageFoundation.org.

Equally significant, the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) has created its own impressive awards program, Learner Judges curriculum and also helps to organize and run the North American Young
Riders Championships. “The USDF’s primary mission is education,” says USDF President, Sam Barish. Log on to www.usdf.org for information.

As dressage has evolved into one of the fastest growing equestrian sports in the United States, the opportunities for capturing a wider American audience are at an all time high. With its sponsorship of the FEI World Cup Dressage Finals, Offield Farms hopes to motivate lovers of dressage to become stakeholders in its success.“This is a very exciting time for our sport,” Offield says.

The world has come to our shores to compete for one of the sport’s most coveted prizes, the title of Dressage World Cup Champion. The stage is set, the cameras are rolling (including a live satellite feed to Europe), and the international
equestrian press is in full attendance to capture every heart-stopping moment …
It’s show time!


For more information and to get involved, visit www.OffieldFarms.com.

ISABELLE LEIBLER (AGE 9)