2020 has been a strange and challenging year for all of us. Like so many other groups across the country, NDA has been forced to make some difficult changes to our regular plans and put some of our goals on hold.

It is with a heavy heart that the NDA Board of Directors made the difficult decision to cancel our yearly Year-End Awards Banquet, with the safety of our members in mind. There was no reliable way to safely conduct an in-person event in November, so we have opted for virtual solutions for all aspects of the event—details below!

NDA Annual Meeting

While we cannot gather together in person for this year's year-end banquet, we will still conduct our annual meeting, open to all NDA members, on November 15, 2020, at 1:00 pm via Zoom videoconference.

Members are invited to join the meeting to hear reports from all our officers, the results of the 2021 Board of Directors election, the discussion of any old business and any new business, and the results of the 2020 NDA Virtual Show Awards Series.

A link to the Zoom videoconference will be posted on the NDA website well in advance of the meeting, and it will be also communicated to our members via email. If you have any questions about this videoconference, please contact Melissa Ward.


Year-End Awards
After a lengthy discussion of the best course of action for NDA Year-End Awards under the unique and limited circumstances of showing in the 2020 show season, the Awards Committee has concluded that it is best that we defer our awards season to 2021. The committee came to this conclusion because:

1. There have not been many horse shows at any level at which members can earn scores.
2. A desire to keep the standards for earning Year-End Awards consistent across the years (not making confusing one-time changes to the awards program).
3. Many members made a conscious decision NOT to show because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

For those who have been competing at in-person horse shows at any level this year, the Awards Committee (with the full support of the NDA Board of Directors) will apply scores earned in 2020 to the 2021 Year-End Awards season. Scores earned between 10/01/2019–9/30/2021 will all count for awards in November of 2021.

This does not affect the 2020 Virtual Show Awards Series. This program is separate from the NDA Year-End Awards Program. Results from this series will be announced at the NDA Annual Meeting videoconference on November 15, 2020.

If you have any questions about year-end awards, please email the NDA Awards Committee.


Board of Directors Election
Since we don't have the opportunity to cast in-person written ballots at this year's Annual Meeting, NDA will be conducting this year's election online.

Prior to the election, as we do every year, NDA will send out an email containing the biographies of all candidates running for the 2021 NDA Board of Directors. Then, on November 1, the election will open for voting, and all NDA members will receive an invitation to participate with a link to online election software. You'll vote for your favorite candidates, or—like always—you may write-in a candidate. Votes may be cast up to the date of the NDA Annual Meeting, November 15, at which point the election will close and results will be announced at the meeting.

If you would like to run for the 2021 Board of Directors, please send us your biography (2-3 paragraphs and a photo) by October 20.


Silent Auction
In lieu of an in-person silent auction, NDA will be going virtual this year! We are currently putting together an online auction that will be open to all NDA members for 2-3 weeks of bidding. It will be a great way to get some holiday shopping done, all while supporting NDA and your dressage community!

We are currently gathering donations for this auction! If you would like to donate an item or service to the auction, please contact Margo Hamilton!

More information will be coming in October, along with a link to the auction so you can start your bidding.


Renewing your NDA membership
We know that many of you rely on the NDA Year-End Awards Banquet to renew your NDA membership for the following year. This year, we encourage you to renew your membership online at our website. There, you can either fill out your renewal and make your payment online, OR you can download the membership and mail it in, along with a check.

Reminder: your 2020 NDA membership will expire on November 30, 2020, and your 2021 NDA membership will begin on December 1, 2020.

Meet the winners!

​NDA is excited to announce the 2020 winners of the NDA Educational Scholarship Program. Since we had no applicants for the "Professional" category, we awarded two winners in the "Adult Amateur" category:

ADULT AMATEUR
Kathy Hanford
"I am so honored receiving the NDA scholarship! I feel that this program is one of the best that NDA offers for encouraging their members to continue their dressage journey.  The Missy Fladland clinic was this past Wednesday and Thursday. I was amazed how much both Gem and I got out of it. Missy has a way of presenting foundational concepts in a different way, so that a couple of light bulbs lit up and I now have concrete tools to use."

ADULT AMATEUR
Dmitri Lombard
"Very honored and excited. I'm really looking forward to this opportunity [to be a working student in South Carolina], and this takes some of the financial weight off my shoulders. Super excited to bring my experience back in a year."

JUNIOR / YOUNG RIDER
Lexie Kment
"Thank you so much! I am so blessed to have this opportunity! This scholarship will give me the ability to continue my equestrian journey with lessons from Katherine Bateson."

As you know, the Cornhusker Classic was unable to take place this Memorial Day weekend as planned due to COVID-19 and a USEF/USDF moratorium on score reporting through the month of May.

Nebraska Dressage Association has been hard at work over the past several weeks exploring options for a rescheduled show later in the year. Our Competitions Committee worked tirelessly with our venue, health officials, USEF, and show management to find a way to make it happen. But ultimately, we were unable to find a new date and scenario that the NDA Board of Directors was comfortable with, so it is with heavy hearts that we announce that the Cornhusker Classic will not take place at all in 2020.

NDA’s commitment is to now focus all our energy on creating other opportunities for our members, like educational events and virtual shows, to help our community find ways to celebrate our horses together this season.

Thank you for your support, and we hope to all ride together at the Cornhusker Classic in 2021.

COVID-19 has made 2020 a challenging year for horse shows. While we all wait patiently for what we hope will be an eventual return to "normal," let's have some fun with a virtual competition!

Take this opportunity to ride a test, get scores and comments from a judge, AND compete as a team with your friends or barnmates!

Some notes about the virtual show:

• FREE office fees to members of any GMO, including NDA.
• You'll provide a shareable link (YouTube, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) with your entry.
• Your ride must take place between May 1, 2020 and May 22, 2020.
• Schooling show tack and attire—fun colors are allowed.
• Video your ride from C in a small or standard dressage arena WITH letters.
• Readers are allowed, but no coaching or other communication from trainers.
• Videos must include sound!
• Each video must start with a sign indicating rider, horse, and test ridden.
• Video must end with a 360° view of the mounted rider as an equipment check.
• Score sheets will be e-mailed unless you add $5 to have paper tests mailed.
• Classes will be placed and posted online for bragging rights (no ribbons).
• Individual high point prizes WILL be awarded to the highest score at each level.
• You can compete as a team of 3 or 4 people; the lowest average score will be dropped.
• Team placings will be posted for fame, not fortune.
• Results will be posted by June 1, 2020.
• Scores are not eligible for NDA year-end awards.
• We will NOT score videos that cannot be judged due to poor quality.

​Be sure to visit the website, where you can find the entry form, as well as some guidelines and tips for making sure your arena is set up correctly, and you can pay for your entry via PayPal.

If you have any questions about the show, be sure to contact the show manager, Heidi Helmer, the show secretary, Kathy Hanford, or the NDA Competitions Committee.

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to the banquet in November. Congratulations to all our award winners! It was wonderful brunching with you all, catching up on horse stories, seeing your families, and celebrating your achievements.

And then—you voted for your new board leadership! Please welcome your 2020 NDA Board of Directors:

• Melissa Ward (President)
• Margo Hamilton (Vice President)
• Lana Erickson (Treasurer)
• Jane Fucinaro (Secretary)
• Mia Newman (Junior Rep)
• Heidi Helmer
• Gracia Huenefeld
• Angie McClelland
• Michaela Schieffer

This group of dedicated ladies is excited to serve you—our valued community—in 2020.

The 2019 NDA Banquet is coming up!

When: November 17, 2019, 10:30 am
Where: Ashland Golf Club

You've worked hard all year. Now it's time to come together with your dressage community for a fun party to celebrate your achievements and elect a new board of directors. Enjoy brunch, cocktails, and a wonderful silent auction fundraiser—and of course, the annual meeting and awards ceremony.

10:30 am - Coffee, Cocktails and Conversation
11:00 am - Brunch and Silent Auction
12:00 am - Annual Meeting, Board Election and Awards Ceremony

You can now register online!In addition to the usual mail-in registration form, you can also now register and pay conveniently online. Just fill out the online form, and then submit your payment via Paypal—super easy. Find both methods of registration on our website, on the Year-End Awards Banquet page.

Get registered by November 9!

Plus—are you interested in running for the Board?

If you've ever thought about becoming more involved in NDA outside of volunteering at horse shows, we'd love to have you! We have FOUR board seats coming available in 2020.

There is an Elections FAQ on the Banquet page of our website. Check that out for more information about what it means to be on the board, how the election works, and what you need to know.

Then, if you're interested, please send us a short bio describing yourself and your history with dressage or NDA, and why you think you'd make a great board member. These bios will be shared with the membership in advance of the election.
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Please send your bio to Melissa Ward at [email protected] by November 9—we can't wait to welcome you!

​And finally—can you contribute to the Silent Auction?

Our year-end silent auction fundraiser is going to be AMAZING. We are so excited to bring fantastic items and services to our membership from local businesses and shops. Members will be able to get a ton of holiday shopping out of the way—or treat yourself to something special!
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If you (or your business) have items or services you'd like to donate to help NDA raise funds to better serve your dressage community, please contact Margo Hamilton or Jane Fucinaro. They'd LOVE to talk to you (and thank you for your generosity).

Meet the winners!NDA is excited to announce the 2019 winners of the NDA Educational Scholarship Program:

ADULT AMATEUR
Michelle Rohman
"I am very excited to use this scholarship to further my dressage education through riding in a clinic with Michelle Folden. Michelle has been instrumental in helping my horse establish forward-thinking gaits and, as I make the difficult jump to second level, I’m eager for her help in cementing the foundation for collection and the movements that accompany it."

JUNIOR / YOUNG RIDER
Alexa Starner
"Thank you so much to the NDA board for considering my application and awarding me one of the annual NDA scholarships! I plan to use it to attend clinics with Sarah Martin. Of these clinics, I hope to take Sarah's expertise and apply it to my daily rides and lessons to continue to work towards our goal of successfully competing in first level."

PROFESSIONAL
Kate Rawlinson
"I’m so grateful to NDA for this opportunity to pursue a freestyle clinic. It’s a part of our sport that I’ve always wanted to explore but never really had the opportunity to. I’m really excited to be able to work on fitting music to my horse. Many people explain dressage to beginners as 'dancing on horseback' and Image has been ready to really put on his dancing shoes for years!"

Symposium with George Morris and Katherine Bateson-ChandlerThe Dressage Foundation (TDF) is excited to be sponsoring the Showcase Symposium at the International Omaha this year. It will be held on Friday, April 5th and will feature George Morris and Katherine Bateson-Chandler working together to teach dressage and jumping riders. Here's a link for information.

To encourage lots of Region 4 friends to attend, The Dressage Foundation is offering NDA members a very special ticket price—HALF PRICE tickets to the Showcase! Use the Ticketmaster offer code TDFDS, but keep in mind this offer will only work until March 16th. So get your tickets today!

This is a very special price JUST for our local community in Region 4. Enjoy half price tickets and we'll see you in Omaha!