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Member Input, Discussions and Contributions

CAMDA Members, this is the place to make your contributions, have discussions, and give your ideas and input to the board and other club members and about issues that affect our club and it's activities.

If you have something to contribute, such as an article, a book review or clinic review that you've written, or a must-see photo, please submit it for publication. Member contributions are shown below. Please check back often. Contributions will remain on this page for approximately 30 days, so be sure to check in often.

Member Contributions

Member Linda Elliott Shares Dressage Article; February 2006

The following is an excerpt from member Linda Elliott's dressage article entitled "Dressage Babel".

"With Oscar time approaching, we are drawn into the glitz, glamour, drama and excitement of the announcements for the top awards. Although not acknowledged as a competition, seasoned performers glitter like Venus anticipating receiving the nods for excellence, while waiting in the wings are Children of Men vying for the same top spots in the roster. Sound like a sport we all know and love? Notice the similarities in both dramatic and musical genres? Admit it, aren’t we all closet Dreamgirls, visualizing ourselves accepting the gold, while astride our polished, braided and bejeweled mounts, accompanied by “Long Live The Queen” amid a standing ovation?  If the catalogs are any indication, this is a sought-after role. Savvy marketers realize Ovation comes in a form other than standing; they have brilliantly named their products to strike a chord with our inner diva.  Why else are horse trailers equipped with dressing rooms?

It’s the bling, Dahling. Yes, The Devil Wears Prada, but Anky wears Petrie, and Cavallo, and Eurostar, and so shouldn’t we? Is it really the quality of the boot that makes our leg longer and more effective on the horse? Or is it more about the tiny gold “p” at the top of the bootleg? Does it really matter, if just wearing those expensive Schumachers boost our confidence? And who can resist the appeal of the aristocratic, white-gloved figure clothed in topcoat and sporting elegant top hat? If you have any doubt about the “bling” attraction, browse through your dressage magazine, and inserted throughout those articles about self-carriage emerges the not-so-subliminal theme which speaks to the budding tiara-wearers among its readers. To perform at your best, they say, the proper logos and sheepskin saddle pads and cooling polos are essential props. In fact, entire cottage industries have flourished by selling customized jewel browbands. Is there any doubt these entrepreneurs know their audience? Are we guilty of scanning the magazines for authoritative articles supporting the theory that a chandelier in the indoor helps horses to focus? Do we revel in our role of The Illusionist while performing solo in the hallowed theatre of sand? "

Click here to download the entire article: Dressage Babel