Last September, Sharon Booth – our new western dressage coordinator for AWSSR – went to the WDAA World Championships in Oklahoma. Sharon went to promote AWSSR, hand out fliers and watch some great horses compete! Watch the slideshow below to see the excitement!

(Photos by Debbie Baker Photography)

Sharon goes back to the 1980s with the American Warmblood Society. She joined the society in 1985 when her first mare was approved for breeding. She was a member of the Board of Directors and served until the late 1990s – also being named the Texas State Director for AWS. 

In the early 70s, Booth was working on bringing back the true American Warmblood – the Calvary horses. Breeding Mustang/Thoroughbred crosses and adding in Arabian and Quarter horse blood, Booth had a very successful breeding program. Her champion stallion received many HOY awards in dressage and her other crosses were successful, not only in dressage, but in other disciplines. Sharon even formed her own therapy riding group with her broodmares with EMT personnel and others from the Goodfellow Airforce Base as leaders and volunteers. 

However, the years past and Sharon finds herself in the center of an emerging discipline once more – western dressage.

“The people are wonderful,” Sharon said of the competitors at the WDAA World Championships last September. “You go into every barn and you see all different breeds of horses. Everyone is helpful and so excited. It’s a competitive, laid back attitude.”

She was especially happy to find that the WDAA supports physically-challenged riders in the World Show.

She brought along her Thoroughbred mare to Oklahoma to experience the lights, sounds and visuals of a large, indoor arena.

“We are all competitive or we wouldn’t go to show, but the competitiveness is against us – ourselves and our horses,” she said. “It’s a journey between you and your horse that you travel together through this discipline.”

Sharon stressed that western dressage is all about the horse.

“It’s all about our relationships with our horses,” she said. “It’s a wonderful way to truly school your horse up the levels and gain that control the right way.”

This upcoming year, Sharon is looking forward to joining her fellow AWSSR members showing western dressage. She will be competing on two of her older AWSSR geldings while also training a younger gelding in the discipline.

One of the first items on Sharon’s list as the new coordinator of western dressage for AWSSR is hosting clinics and attending expos to get the word out about AWSSR and the discipline.

Her first western dressage clinics – in March, April and May in Texas – filled within two weeks of being announced. The clinics will also include a trail portion and a mock show. Attendees are encouraged to register with AWSSR, but it is not a requirement.

AWSSR members that participate in the western dressage year end awards can look forward to being awarded buckles in 2019. Schooling shows and recognized shows will be accepted and tests can be sent to crowflys@fidnet.com or mailed into the registry by Nov. 15, 2019. Year-end awards are an additional $35/year with your membership.