Behold the Desert

While dressage has long-been regarded as a horse  and Pony Club  sport,  Meredith Hodges opened the doors to mules in dressage in the United States Dressage Federation Schooling Shows in 1986. With the help of Carole Sweet and Leah Patton of the American Donkey and Mule Society in Lewisville, Texas, they were formally accepted by the United States Equestrian Federation at their convention in Los Angeles in 2004.  Laura Hermanson  has since taken full advantage of this amazing opportunity. In 2015, she qualified for the United States Dressage Federation Finals with her own mule, “Heart B Dyna” , that  is to be the subject of an upcoming documentary. The film is titled ”Dyna Does Dressage,” and is produced by  Sarah Crowe and Amy Enser, who describe it as an “Underdog story [that] follows Dyna and her owner/rider, Laura, as they defy the odds to find their place among this elite world of horse riding.” Laura  Hermanson is breaking through the stigma that dressage is  only for horses and ponies as was previously defined by the USEF Rulebook . Much like Meredith Hodges herself, what began as a love of horses evolved into the championing of the noble  MULE, an equine ambassador  that truly deserve s  our respect.  This year,  Laura is competing  “ Behold the Desert ”  (aka Beasley)  owned by Troy and Carol Delfino of Bakersfield, California and bred by Candace Shauger of Genesis Farms in Bremen, Ohio,  in the upcoming U.S. Dressage Federation (USDF) Finals in Lexington, Kentucky, November 10-13. Let’s all give our support to this amazing team!