Sisters riders participate in show

Deb Frigulti warms up for competition. photo by Jim Cornelius

Several riders from the Sisters area participated in the season closing show staged by the Oregon Dressage Society's Central Oregon Chapter.

This show was held at Stonepony Dressage Centre in Redmond on Sunday, September 28.

Dressage is the execution of a series of complex movements by the horse in response to barely perceptible "cues" from the hands, legs and seat of the rider.

Twenty-eight horses were entered in 14 classes.

The Sisters area entrants included Alexa and Danielle Orr, Emily Flodin, Karen O'Neal and Debra Frigulti.

Alexa Orr took top honors in Training Level Test 2; O'Neal was tops in the Second Level category.

Riders compete at a variety of levels.

"To me it's more a personal satisfaction," said Frigulti, a first-year competitor.

"You ride your test and what's fun is it's just you and your horse."

Frigulti noted that her scores on Sunday were not great compared to other riders -- but they were much improved over her scores earlier this season.

That progress is what it's all about for her.

She said that dressage benefits all kinds of riders.

"Some folks do it just because it improves the relationship of the rider and the horse," she said.