Dawn

it was a great day at our last horse show of the season (September 17). Miss Mattie was a perfectly mannered young lady - remaining calm even when the horse in the stall behind her was tearing the walls down. Having put her recent incident with the neighbor's bull behind her, my little "Matador" placed a respectable 5th in training level test 3 with a 64% (first time ever to ride this at a show) and 3rd in training level test 2 with a 69.6%.

To watch a YouTube video of Dawn and Mattie at the last show click here.

Mattie and Dawn are spending this year getting to know each other. They are currently showing at training level and are training at first level.

Dawn and Mattie showing 2011 awards

Dawn and Vychegda

Vychegda is now retired and will soon be a happy lesson horse!

Dawn Andrus owns and rides Vychegda, a 1995 Trakahner mare from Kirov, Russia. Dawn and Vychegda currently are riding Prix St. Georges and are training for Intermediate I. Vychegda is trained by Pam Cameron.

Dawn purchased Vychegda from Irus Stables in Lebanon, Indiana in 2001. Pam was the trainer there at the time and Vychegda was a brood-mare-to-be. But Pam saw a Grand Prix horse in the making and began training Vychegda despite the laughter of those at the stable. Vychegda was described as "the cow that couldn't dance"!! Dawn was recovering from a broken collar bone after being thrown from one of her horses and Pam used Vychegda as a lesson horse to help Dawn get her confidence back. Dawn fell in love with the bay mare and the rest, as they say, is history!

Dawn's husband, Vernon McFarland, died in 2003 after a five year battle with a brain tumor. The constants through it all were God, Pam and the big, bay Russian horse. Through the sorrow and pain Dawn and Vychegda emerged and charged steadily on to make their FEI premier last year at the Kentucky horse park - winning their first ever Prix St. Georges class. In addition, God brought another great man, Rob Andrus, into Dawn's life.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, "Vychegda" is the name of a river in Eastern Russia. It is referred to on the internet as the "mighty Vychegda river". She might not have the flash of many of her counterparts but Vychegda does have a mighty heart. And, oh yes, the cow CAN dance!!!