Magazine Contents  Celebrating the Ordinary Horse
Briar Fox Farm student Cathrine Losh submits article with a thank you to their judges.
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Sue Clarke, Epigram, Katie Westphal, Cathrine Losh, Denise Westphal, Rachel Branch

   An Article of Celebration
This is an article of celebration to thank an "ordinary" horse who gave an extraordinary effort and, consequently, gave his owner/rider, Cathrine Flint Losh, a United States Dressage Federation Bronze Medal, a Kansas City Dressage Association (Missouri) Bronze Medal and Silver Medal, and a Kansas Dressage and Eventing Association Bronze Medal.  All of the above is quite an accomplishment for this horse.  

About Warwick (a.k.a. Frankie)
Frankie is a former preliminary event horse who had contracted EPM.  He not only survived and conquered this disease but he went on to the competition dressage arena and conquered it through third level.  He is a massive, silver-grey gelding registered Quarter Horse who stands at 17 hands.  

Twelve Months Start to Finish ~ Unprecedented Achievement
Frankie stands at a regal 17 hands and one might surmise that twelve months (start to finish) of competitions to acquire these difficult and prestigious awards would be ambitious but not unattainable.  After all, he "oozes" elegance and style.  He commands a powerful presence that rarely goes unnoticed.  So what is so "ordinary" about this horse?  He is not an imported or well-bred European Warmblood.  His gaits are those of a rather common horse while his appearance is that of a warmblood.  His ordinary gaits and his recovery from EPM has been an "extreme" challenge to earn good scores in the competition dressage arena.  Hard won determination, persistence and the sheer will to achieve fueled the efforts.  
Constant Support 
Cathrine wanted to achieve something unprecedented also, since she had only started riding dressage one month before this crazy/ambitious goal was set!  Together with the constant support of awesome husband, Todd, excellent trainer/coach, Bonnie Griest and devoted barn buddies at Briar Fox Farm, they perfected and rose through the ranks to accomplish this national level award.  Well, you're thinking this horse must have been at least a Fourth level horse to do so well in such a short period of time.  Wrong!  He was, at best, a First level competitor when they embarked on this adventure.

Constant Effort Towards Perfection
 Celebrating the Ordinary Horse for his extraordinary efforts.
This article celebrates his efforts (and Cathrine's) for another important point of fact.  Because of his average gaits, EVERY test had to be ridden to absolute perfection.  No room for mistakes.  Coefficients were almost impossible to earn above a 5 or a 6 for gaits.  Precision and perfect execution of the movements were needed to make up the difference.  Although this made the process heartbreaking at times, and exhausting, it made the achievement all the sweeter.  Every skill for both horse and rider had to be fine tuned to the smallest degree.

A Sincere Thank You to the Judges
 The moral of the story is that "ordinary" movers will always have to work a little harder to achieve what the  "big" movers may sometimes take for granted.  Cathrine offers a sincere thank you to the judges who required this couple to "ride" and, in so doing, have taught two determined, talented, competitive athletes that "if you want to run with the big dogs, you gotta get off the porch".  Well, you get the picture!

Written with love and enduring admiration...thank you!
...............from Warwick and Cathrine.



Cathrine & Warwick
' Celebrating after the Show '



 Canter Half Pass
' Setting up for the Third 2 Canter Half Pass movement '
Trot Work
' Trot work in particular, but all movements in general had to be ridden with precision & perfect execution '