Karin and Hexagon’s Louisville
prevent “greet and meet” sessions in the stabling areas. “We try to give the stallions a sense of privacy,” Karin says, “but with good ventilation. I try to avoid the problems by protecting the horses.”   Since stallions are social animals, it is important for them to be treated like other horses, but Karin recommends that whenever working with stallions you must be very attentive. She says, “You have to be smarter, quicker and a step ahead of them. This reduces the risk of accidents. I try to never take my eyes off of theirs.”   To help Tiamo and Louisville focus on their competitive seasons, Karin has their semen collected and frozen prior to the horse shows. “I pull enough straws of frozen semen to last throughout the season,” she says. “This allows fewer interruptions and allows them to concentrate on their competitive careers.”   Karin’s first dressage stallion was the dark bay Alla’ Czar, by Zeus.
 
“He was a wonderful horse and my first real dressage horse,” Karin recalls. “He is an amazing animal, as are his offspring.” Alla’ Czar has since gone on to become a famous sire of American hunters, including the incomparable Osczar, the first horse to receive a 100—the perfect score in the hunter ring.    Producing athletes, regardless of discipline, is the goal at Offield Farms. Karin says, “We are a small operation, seeking to produce good horses, one at a time. Each season I hope that we can breed to a handful of superior mares and that the results are quality babies that are enjoyable to work with.”    While working with stallions has its own set of challenges and the accompanying solutions, there are the rewards. She says, “The superiority of stallions is not a myth. Their power is staggering. When you have a stallion’s attention and focus, there is nothing more magnificent. I am very lucky to ride and stand both Tiamo and Hexagon’s Louisville.”
Karin Reid Offield’s commitment to horses has been a lifelong pursuit. “While everyone else was ski racing, I was showing horses,” the Aspen native says. Whether it was competing at Indoors as a jumper rider, or trail riding in Arizona, horses have always been a part of Karin’s life, and she has always wanted to share that joy with others.
   Karin had her first large-scale opportunity to make that goal a reality when she co-founded the El Rojo Grande Ranch in Sedona, Arizona in 1992. As a place where the community could ride and learn about horses, El Rojo Grande Ranch was second to none. “The programs were as diverse as art exhibits, stagecoach rides, dressage exhibitions, a dude string and riding lessons,” she says. “I really wanted to make horses accessible to more people and create fans for life.”
   This desire to bring new people into the sport is as important to Karin as her own competitive goals. For years she has been quietly involved with education projects at The Dressage Foundation, including its Advanced Young Rider Program and the book, The View From C. In 2005, her profile expanded when
she sponsored the FEI World Cup Dressage Finals in Las Vegas to ensure that the event was televised. “In order to create new fans, our horse sports must be televised,” she states insistently.
  Karin feels so strongly about television’s importance in promoting dressage that she became the Executive Producer of America’s Next Equestrian Star: Dressage, a television show conceived by six-time Olympian Robert Dover. The documentary style show will showcase the challenges of rising to the top in the Olympic sport of dressage. Six
lucky contestants were chosen from more than FOUR HUNDRED young riders who auditioned for the chance to become Robert Dover’s Second Assistant Trainer, as well as receive a variety of other prizes and the chance to train for a future Olympics. The New York-based-television production company Brave St. Productions, which has produced shows for numerous networks, including VH1 and Comedy Central, is developing the show. “This show will demonstrate the commitment and passion that equestrian athletes have,” she says. “Hopefully, the audience will come away with a newfound love for our sport and the people and horses that make it happen. By looking behind the scenes people will discover that horses are for everyone. I also hope this will open the doors for more corporate sponsorship.”
Those interested in sharing their ideas for promoting dressage should visit www.OffieldFarms.com. America’s Next Equestrian Star begins filming March. Log on to www.americandressagestar.com to follow the progression.