Three William Woods horses and riders made excellent competition debuts at the Kansas City Dressage Society Spring Kickoff Dressage show, held at the Hale Arena in Kansas City, Mo., on March 14 and 15, 2009.  The Hale Arena, part of the Kansas City Royal exhibition  complex, is situated next to a busy railroad track, and below a major airline trafficway. But the noise and excitement didn’t phase the William Woods horses, who were able to bring home good ribbons in every class against some very tough and seasoned competition.

Senior Mallory Bradbury from Olathe, Kan., made her Second Level debut on An Honest Request, a 13-year-old bay Thoroughbred owned by William Woods University. Mallory and “Paul” took the blue ribbon in three of their four classes, with a second place in the remaining class, and finished the weekend as reserve high-score Second Level Amateur Adult horse.

Freshman Rachel McDaniel from Rolla, Mo., in her first recognized show with WWU, rode Kaletto, a Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by WWU, to two wins, a second and a third in First Level classes. Kaletto makes a welcome return to the showring after a successful recovery from colic surgery last autumn.

It was a double debut for freshman Maggie O’Leary from Florissant, Mo., and Ecu de Benecere, a Selle Francais gelding also owned by WWU. Neither Maggie nor “Pierre” had been to a recognized dressage show before the Kansas City show, and yet they were able to bring home a first, a third, a fourth and a sixth place ribbon in some very large classes.

The WWU Dressage Show Team’s next USEF/USDF recognized dressage show is the WWU Spring Dressage Show, held on the WWU campus on April 25 and 26.