Flying Changes: magazine for northwest sporthorse enthusiasts

With the 30-year anniversary celebration of the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) and Equestrians’ Institute (EI), I had an opportunity to visit Mary Dodd, a co-founder of EI and one of the original 11 that started the USDF in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Mary is now living in Ridgefield, Washington raising Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods for hunters and jumpers. She was raised in Tacoma and rode at Point Defiance Riding Academy. She received several Open Jumper awards (beating Barbara Worth when she was 17, and jumping over seven feet).

In 1960, Mary and her family moved to Burlington, Washington. She and her husband Chuck had three children, one girl and two boys, while running a Thoroughbred farm with about 100 horses. Mary and her friend Bobbi (Carlene) Coffin were trying to increase horsemanship in the area. With their husbands, Chuck and Stan, they established a company called Equestrians Incorporated for teaching and training basic equestrian and horsemanship principles. They taught as many as 100 students a week at backyard stables where there were no other professional trainers. Their primary goal was to turn out riders with good foundations who would ultimately become instructors. In 1974, Mary and Bobbi turned Equestrians Inc. over to the public and Equestrians’ Institute was created as a non-profit organization.
Also in 1974, USDF came into existence and the new public Equestrians’ Institute became the representing GMO for Washington and Oregon. Oregon later broke away and created a separate GMO. With a gift of $5,000 , a video camera from Mary and Bobbi, and the help of enthusiastic adults interested in the program, Equestrians’ Institute organized its own board. Mary remained the West Coast USDF representative for several years. She also helped bring Pony Club to the Northwest, and sat on the National board of that organization for many years.

Questions we asked Mary:

What was riding in the Northwest like in 1974?

By then, we had been at this for nearly 12 years and our base was getting stronger. We had developed some areas where our adult students could carry, on freeing us to start new groups. We were traveling farther all the time, even going to California to film and advise Liz Friedlander’s first vaulting team as they prepared to travel east for a National Competition, the first team ever from the west!

Most of the younger folks we taught were 4-H’ers and only rode western, but we were able to instill in many that the saddle was really not the major concern, that balance and good technique was key to improvement in the rider and horse. It didn’t take long before those kids were jumping courses and doing basic dressage after convincing their parents that all they wanted for Christmas was an English saddle.

What competitive venues or clinics were available for Dressage and Eventer enthusiasts?

The new E.I. established the Champagne Classic and the Beaujolais Dressage events as the demand for more competitive arenas increased. Both Bobbi and I sponsored perpetual trophies for those competitions. We were just introducing eventing activities at that time. I put up a course on my farm (Antigo Farm) and there was a larger course established by Steve Johnson on Whidbey Island on the naval base. Steve was involved in Pony Club while in the Navy at that time. We held rallies often and had as many as 50 or more riders and their families camping and supporting the venues.

At first we held our own clinics, but as time passed, we exposed our students to other instructors' methods, either as observers or as participants in their clinics. They were enthusiastic and a great joy to work with.

What events came into play that made you decide to turn Equestrians Incorporated into a public non-profit organization?

We decided things needed to change when we were being inundated with requests to hold more events and dressage shows. My husband had died in an auto accident that year, which greatly curtailed my rigorous schedule and— given Bobbi’s health and my disability and recent loss—we had little choice but to turn the project over to the public. The demand was too great and we were in no position to do more. We called a core group together, turned over our assets and the video equipment. We had decided to dissolve the corporation, so it was a logical step to change the name from Inc. to Institute, keeping the mission that of an educational organization.

What was your vision for E.I. (and USDF/Pony Club)?

I had been trained in basic balanced riding by an ex-Austrian Cavalry man, Albert Schramm, at Point Defiance Riding Academy when I was young, using the same principles of dressage employed today. Our vision was to help educate adults and young riders in basic horsemanship and riding skills. Our students were riding mostly western—you saw very few English saddles. We had no idea our little organization would take off as it did when we were driving five days or more a week, in all weather conditions, to teach our horsemanship techniques and principles.

Were the East coast folks surprised to see the Northwest contingent?

Oh, yes—it took years to get USDF to have a national meeting in the west. Usually I had to travel east for USDF and Pony Club meetings. After being involved for years, USDF had the first west coast meeting in San Francisco.

Many thanks to Mary for her enthusiasm and years of dedication to the sport!