No horsin' around here No horsin' around here (July 30, 2004)

Ashley Schempp aims for the top in equestrian competition
by Heidi Massie

Facing intense competition is not new to Ashley Schempp, a senior at Foothill High School. Since she was 12, she's been competing in the equestrian sport of dressage (rhymes with "massage"), in which the horse performs precision movements in response to barely perceptible signals by its rider.

In the recent 2004 U.S. Equestrian Federation Junior Dressage Team Championship, Schempp finished fifth out of 12 individually, and her team earned a Bronze medal. Going into the July 8-11 competition in Pebble Beach, she was ranked No. 1 in the country.

Performing well in the equestrian sport of dressage depends a lot on the horse, she said. Schempp and her horse Mowgli had performed well throughout the year, and in the first few days of USEF competition.

But on the final day, Mowgli seemed tired. "The saddle had not been fitting well and was causing him discomfort," said Connie Schempp, Ashley's mother. "We were able to get a new saddle that fit better and Mowgli still did well." But, she added, at that point, Schempp and Mowgli's shot at first place was out of reach.

"It's really intense competition," said Ashley of the sport. "If the horse looks the wrong way, you lose points. If he brings his head up an inch too high, you lose points. You have to be really dedicated and work with your horse."

The French word dressage literally means "training of the horse." The goal of the sport is to achieve "perfect harmony between the horse and rider."

"In competitions, you show how you have trained the horse to perform certain movements," explained Ashley. "At the fourth level of competition, you need to make the horse back up, pirouette on its haunches, and move laterally, for example."

She has been riding since the age of 3, and started with dressage at 12. She is also a member of Foothill's varsity swim team and maintains a high grade-point average.

Ashley works with Mowgli five to six times a week at a private barn in the Tassajara Valley. "I train year-round, even during school."

Fortunately, California is known as the "dressage capital" of the country so most competitions are nearby.

"Dressage has always been big in Europe, and is now just catching on in the U.S.," said Schempp. "Three of this year's U.S. Olympians are from Southern California."

Making it to the Olympics is Schempp's ultimate goal. The Pebble Beach competition, designated by the U.S. Olympic Committee as a Junior Olympic Equestrian Event, provides riders under 18 a chance to get an idea of what it's like to compete at the Olympic level.

"Finding a horse that can perform the movements required for Olympic level competitions is tough," explained Schempp, but that fact doesn't deter her from working toward her goal.

Though her latest competition results were not her best, the experience at the Pebble Beach competition was wonderful for her, as well as for her parents.

"It was utterly exhausting and fantastic, and I wouldn't trade it for the world," exclaimed Connie Schempp. "The girls on the team were treated like royalty by the sponsors."

She agreed that Ashley's score was not what they expected, but it didn't get her down.

"When the team stood on the award podium with the ribbons and roses, it felt like she just won the Olympics. It was a great moment," said Connie. "The score just didn't matter."

Ashley and Mowgli's next competition is the California Dressage Society Junior Championships on Aug. 8 in Sacramento. From there they will compete in the Junior State Championships. Then it will be the CDS annual Adult Amateur Championship in Los Angeles in September to compete in the amateur category where they finished first last year.

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