New England Dressage Association (NEDA) was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in Massachusetts in 1972, but its origins go back several years before that to the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico City. Several equestriennes had the chance to watch the dressage competition there and returned to New England determined to learn more about the sport. Pamela Fitzwilliams and Priscilla Endicott were soon joined by Marjorie Kittredge, Betty Ellis and Mary Lou Cabot in hosting informal clinics, practicing test rides and putting on small shows at the lower levels. They got connected to a handful of riders with training in dressage who assisted, such as Tom Poulin and Jack Burton, an Olympic eventer. When they formed NEDA in 1972, there were about 40 members. The first top level show was held in conjunction with the famed Ledyard Farm Horse Trials on the North Shore of Boston, with crowds, most of whom were viewing dressage for the first time. The show’s single Grand Prix competitor was John Winnett from Tuxedo Park New York, who had trained in France. |
NEDA’s early leaders quickly recognized that dressage was an art as well as a sport, whose basics were to be learned over many years, and turned to European trainers who had been steeped in the sport for generations. NEDA began to host high-level trainers from Europe to work with aspiring NEDA members. Early clinicians included Nuno Oliveira from Portugal, HLM Van Schaik of Holland, Hans Moeller and Verner Platzer of the Spanish Riding School in Austria, Robert Hall from England, Karl Mikolka from Austria, Rosemary Springer from Germany, and Jean Saint Fort Paillard from France. The enthusiasm of both the instructors and the participants led to longer clinics (several weeks usually) with Col. Hans Wikne from Sweden and then Walter Christensen from Germany.
NEDA’s early experiences with competition, where there were few competitors, and the competitions tacked onto another type of competition, evolved as well. NEDA hosts two recognized dressage shows and two schooling shows each year. They have each outgrown themselves several times over, with the Spring show moving to a two-day show in 2007 and the Fall Festival of Dressage now a CDI*** World Cup Qualifier and more, run in conjunction with the Region 8 USDF Championships and Breed Show Championships. The Fall Festival, run by the incomparable Beth Jenkins, attracted international competitors at the capacious HITS facility in Saugerties New York, pretty much the only venue in New England that could accommodate a show of this size.
Have we made a difference in the growth and understanding of dressage in the region and in the country? You bet we have. You can see it in this history, and you can see it in the roster of national and international competitors and trainers that our region has spawned. They include Sue Blinks, Dorothy Morkis, Carol Lavell, Lendon Gray, Michael Poulin, Pierre St. Jacques, Pamela Goodrich, Susan Jaccoma, Larry Poulin, George Williams, Karl Mikolka, Shannon Dueck, Arlene "Tuny” Full Page, Ellen Dixon Miller, Bruce Miller, Michael Barisone, Tom Noone, Kathy Connelly, Sally Swift, Cindy Sydnor, Jane Savoie, Karen Stives, Meg Plum, Denny Emerson, Mary Howard, Karen Lende O’Connor and many, many others. And NEDA will continue to nurture the future stars of dressage with its active combination of education, competition, and support for the art and sport of dressage.