Sisters rider wins dressage honors

Horse trainer Lea McFarland-Bushnell of Sisters took top honors in three equestrian categories last month, competing at the Oregon State Championship and the Northwest and Regional Dressage Shows.

McFarland-Bushnell rode Simon, a 12 year-old Friesian gelding owned by Knapp Friesians in Sisters in her competitions.

On the first day of the two-day show at Devonwood, near Sherwood, she and Simon won the Oregon State Championship in Third Level Dressage. The next day they added the Musical Freestyle Championship for all levels with a number that featured romping surf music by the Ventures.

Two weeks later at Emerald Downs near Auburn, Washington, they captured top honors again in the Musical Freestyle, earning the Region 6 American Bankers Insurance Group/United States Dressage Federation Championship.

Judi Knapp, manager of the Knapp Friesians, is especially pleased with this year's results.

"Many people in the dressage world don't believe that the Friesian horse is suited to compete successfully at the higher levels of dressage," she said. "Lea and Simon are proving that they can. It's a real plus for the breed."

McFarland-Bushnell began riding at age 12 in the Bend area and began dressage training during high school. After graduation, she trained in Germany with Egon von Neindorff, then with Hermann Friedlaender in California. She has been a dressage trainer for 25 years.

Friesian horses were first introduced to America in 1974 from Holland. An ancient breed, they were used in battle by knights during the Middle Ages. The population was decimated during the World Wars, with only three breeding stallions remaining, but through careful breeding and custodianship the breed has rebounded.

Friesians have been featured in the movies, "The Mask of Zorro," "LadyHawke," and Disney's "Tall Tales."

Dressage is a French word meaning schooling or training. Based upon the three natural gaits - walk, trot, and canter - it is a systematic gymnastic training of the horse. Developed in the 17th and 18th centuries in the royal courts of Europe, it has evolved from a military science into a discipline now accessible to all horses and riders.