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In tagging the name "March Magic" to our start-up dressage show at North Carolina's new Eastern Ag Center, we did not realize the significance that name would earn.
When we found out we were going to test the waters for the new AHSA disabled dressage rules, Sandy Auckland and I were skeptical about how a disabled rider would interact with management, stabling, warmup, and the general busy atmosphere of a three-ring AHSA recognized dressage show. Little did we know that our disabled entry would be deaf, mute, blind, and paralyzed.
Katya, 39, has been deaf since birth. She has multiple sclerosis, and became totally blind nearly two years ago. Complications of MS has left her mute, and partially paralyzed. How could this person possibly ride a dressage test? She uses a wheelchair, signs, and "hears" by tactile communication. (With her right hand near the speaker's mouth, she feels breath and lip movement) Did I mention that she is Romanian? And that English is her seventh language?
Her dream, to ride in an AHSA dressage show, was made possible by Miracle Meadows Therapeutic Riding Center, Jeramie West, trainer. Patricia Hooten loaned her horse Banner Road, and Katya rode him for only a few weeks before the show. Stabling and entry fees were personally sponsored by Bo Belton and Sandy Leggett.
Rings were open for schooling Friday, and Katya mounted up after the crowd thinned, about 7 p.m. We watched as she practiced a series of movements, stopped, and
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held down her right hand for her trainer's instructions. She has no use of her left hand. Her clenched fist is pryed open and the rein secured at a suitable length. Somehow, she manages to keep contact soft and even.
The arena dimensions, letters, and figures were all perfectly memorized. As a former Russian figure skater, her spatial orientation is extraordinary. Because she uses no adaptive equipment, no AHSA dispensation letter was attached to her entry form. All she needed was a mounting block, and the facility staff willingly constructed blocks for each ring.
Katya rode deep corners, round circles, and square halts. She has a light seat and a quiet elegance. She does not possess the strength required to really connect Banner, but she makes up for it with accuracy, poise, and balance.
Competition day dawned bright and warm, and Katya attracted as many spectators as the FEI ring. Channel 7 news sent a camera to tape the final segment of a feature story. She rode training test 4 and first level test 1 both days, earning scores ranging from 56% to 60% with consistent placings around the middle of the class. The trainer sidewalked Katya around the ring, squeezing her arm at every letter. When the bell rung, she lined her up on centerline at A and turned her loose.
A rule interpretation challenge arose when Katya forgot her test. She drew a blank, stopped, and the trainer came into the ring to communicate the next few movements. She reoriented herself, and got back on track. This was a tough call, but
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the judge ruled an error of course, not unauthorized assistance. The theory being: An able bodied rider could have a test read. A foreign rider can have a test read in another language, with permission of show management. In this case, show management gave permission for the test to be "read" in another language: tactile.
There were no complaints from riders about Katya being "in the way" in warmup. We informed the trainer that if they had problems and needed separate warmup, all we had to offer was a round pen.
"It came off so much easier than I had anticipated," said West. "Thanks to all the competitors that worked around us in the warmup ring, what a wonderful group of people! How much she has changed my outlook on life, I will never be able to measure. Surely this is the purest example of making the days count instead of counting the days..."
Katya's inspiring performance attracted media attention and cheering spectators. In pioneering the new AHSA disabled dressage rules, Katya's dream came true. She wrote a poem to her trainer, and made a handmade quilt for Hooten, with a big heart in the middle and the words "March Magic, March 24-25 2001". Her participation was nothing less than profoundly positive to skeptical show managers. She helped put the magic in March Magic.
Reprinted with permission of Sue Smithson.
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