Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 1996)
V#.- + -4 4 « -* fl" 4 ‘■4 W *-♦ # -V— ’ <•*«•» -fc Lir-^^r *•’ «i -fl - « -fl ' • * r ■.7 v 7 v v - î *. ‘i-* < . , • . •••■ >c‘ * ; ; . 1V ■ ■' "‘ V * ,t .* X : % * • -.J *: ; ---;r 5 • ï s ^ v Y « ÿ-f;., • '* 7 . V i - ; . ; . A /<•.. « «• 4 4-4 fl •# « “* • « 4 « 4 4» 41 ' * •«* - 4 «• * ♦.••*:. «%-,. -./ . Love of horses shapes life of Heppner woman : P r S S I r OF ■ ~ 'r s r VW’ E T 2 F L L OR ■ ' a E U ¡3 E N E p ~ R ; J -, Oft 97103 HEPPNER Three words pretty much describe Katherine Dale of Heppner. Okay—after horses, horses, horses—the three words have to be hard work, determination and sacrifice. Dale loves horses and has overcome some formidable obstacles on the path to realizing her goals. And horses almost alv always figure into her life. Dale, now 43, was bom in Casper, Wyoming. Her dad was a geologist with Gulf Oil, so the family traveled around a bit, living in Denver, Colorado, Brisbane, Australia, and Texas. In 1975, Dale got a job on a cattle ranch, working on the hay crew, running the swather and cooking. A cow hand she Dale with Michy worked with told her that she should learn dressage, which. with the right attitude, when Dale says, is a systematic you finish, you know you're sequence o f training horses capable o f working with the which develops the body at very best." Dale passed the the same time it develops the course and became a British Horse Society Assistant mind, much like gymnastics. Instructor. She later qualified Dale then set ner sights on for the Senior Instructor attending the Potomac Horse Center, near Washington, certificate. She then mov ed back to Elk D.C., a prestigious school City, but became dissatisfied which trained students for the with the situation there. British Horse Society exam. "People around there didn't The school’s discipline was have a very good attitude three-day eventing, which included dressage, jumping about horses," she said. So, and cross country, with an when she saw a notice in the Morrow County Heppner, Oregon magazine, "Equus", about a emphasis on dressage. So, Dale worked on the seminar in Seattle, the "Equine ranch and then with the Forest Athlete", she was determined Service at Elk City, Idaho, to to attend. "It was really neat to save money to Be able to see people so involved in asked to bring the toy unwrap enroll. Unfortunately, by the horses." said Dale. Deciding to ped and present it at the cash time she raised enough money move to the Seattle area, she register. The toys will be wrap to pay for the school, they had wrote to over 200 stables ped by the Ladies and labeled raised the tuition. So. it was looking for w ork-and got one back to work again. It took her offer. "Even a big stable hires according to appropriate age group and gender. The wrap three years to raise enough only one or two people," she money to be able to attend—as said. She was hired at a stable ped toys will be turned over the in Issaquah. where she did the a working student. Neighborhood Center Board bam work, because they The big day finally came and member, Jeannette Townsend. already had an instructor and she was scheduled for an The toys will be distributed to trainer. entrance exam at the school. "I the needy children in the area. From there. Dale got a job at had trained hunter-jumpers in In preparation for the upcom a bam in Renton. WA. When Texas," said Dale, "but ing 100th annual celebration at dressage is a whole different she started, she had three the lodge, the Ladies are spon thing. So, I flunked the students, but after three years, soring a Coleman gas barbecue entrance test." Determined to she had built up the program raffle. The barbecue is on dis enter the school, Dale told to 90 students a week. The play at the lodge. Tickets cost them that they would have to owners, however, put back whatever amount is printed on physically remove her from little into the operation, not the ticket with numbers 358 the premises if they really even providing "the most and 100 free. The drawing will wanted her to leave. Accepted routine health care" for their horses. "I got $5 a lesson and be held when all 500 tickets are temporarily, she put in an extra they got $20. They took money hour o f training a day, in sold or no later than Wednes out. but didn't put anything day, Jan. 15. Proceeds will be addition to her regular work. Hard work paid off, and she back in," she said. Fed up. she used in decorating the lodge was retested, this time earning quit and borrowed enough "in grand style" for the money from her mother to buy celebration said a spokesper the top scores in her group. The Potomac Horse Center, five acres and built a 10-stall son. Pettyjohn's Hardware pro an exclusive 2,000-acre bam with a big covered arena. vided the barbecue at a dis facility, And she took her students with employed six count to help the Ladies afford her. instructors, some o f whom this fund raiser. Unfortunately, Dale were members o f the U.S. All members should have Equestrian team, for 12 discovered that hav ing school received their annual invitation students and around 250 others horses was a quick way to go broke. She sold the school either by card or newsletter by per week from the general now. They are reminded to public. As a working student horses, took in boarders and continued training and RSVP for the dinner by mail or (there were also non-working students). Dale typically got up teaching. phone by Jan. 15. Members Dale then started to work at at 4 a.m., mucked stalls for may call the lodge at 676-9181 Longacres Race Track in eight horses and fed and during business hours, Wed- Seattle. Her job at the track watered them at 6:30 a.m. nesday-Saturday, 4 p.m .- was working at the test bam. before her own breakfast. closing, in order to RSVP. After breakfast, the center put collecting urine and blood Invitations have been sent via up a list o f horses the working from horses to test for drugs. newsletter to all out-of-town students had to have saddled She got up at 3 a.m., fed the horses in her bam. fed the members, all Oregon lodges, and bridled. (Many o f the horses in the cuarterhorse lodges throughout the country horses at the center belonged bam. spent the uav training and the Grand Lodge. "Don't to judges and international and teaching, did chores at a delay your RSVP is you wish diplomats.) Then they had a breeding farm on the way to dinner," said the spokesper stable management lecture, a the track and then returned to son. It is not necessary to RSVP practical (hands-on), such as Longacres. "If I had the last for the Ladies Tea, dancing or Braiding or grooming, riding race, I would be home between theory, a riding lesson, a Sunday brunch. 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. You just teaching lecture on how to The Ladies will hold an or can't make a horse pee." she ganizational meeting for the an teach riding and a teaching laughs. "Some horses would practical. Part o f the practical nual on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 7 included how to project your stop the walker to pee. but p.m. Any member or member voice in a large arena. Tack some were really shy. You'd spouse is invited to attend. was meticulously cleaned each stick out a "wand" to collect day. The students were the urine and then they would critiqued and given demerits. stop. They sometimes wouldn't "If you got 20 demerits, you go again for two to three hours. Some were trained to were out," said Dale. After eight months of go on a whistle." She also managed a Santa will visit lone Satur working and training, Dlae quarterhorse breeding farm underwent a grueling day, Dec. 14 from 3-5 p.m. at about two miles from her examination. She was tested the Office Tavern. That jolly oT house. man will be arriving in the true daily for two weeks b Although the work was hard. holiday spirit of a farming com examiners from Englan Dale doesn't have too many munity-on his John Deere trac Students who scored below 90 complaints. "It's a good ints on any day on any test tor. Mr. Claus will arrive at 3:30 healthy lifesty le-lo ts o f nard unked the course. "A lot of p.m., ready to hear Christmas work, no insomnia. It's real lists. Polaroid photos with San people droppe d out." said rewarding." Dale. "But if v you go into it ta will be available for $1. Carrie Greib will read a holi day classic before Santa's ar rival. Everyone is invited to get into the Christmas spirit with Santa, holiday stories, cookies and punch. Santa's visit to lone is pre sented by the Morrow County Arts Council and sponsored by Wheatland Insurance, lone Re pair and Auto Parts, and San Lexington 989-8221 1-800-452-7396 ta's anonymous helpers. * <• > f4 « #a ' ■» - \ a »ifv / '- I Í • •• : 0 * L/. >‘>1 ••'•>tT: . • *' V '• A'J _ * *. 9«/f i* k > . . * -1 fl By April Hilton-Svkes U » • . ^ * . wj ,. . i - 50 < imes VOL. 115 NO. 50 8 Pages Wednesday, December 11, 1996, Lady Elks busy with upcoming holiday events Lady Elks officers: (1-r) Andrea Mortimore, Linda Kenny, Lori Straley, Jeannette Townsend The ladies of the Heppner Elks Lodge #358 will sponsor a dinner to aid the Neighbor hood Center Friday, Dec. 13, from 6-8 p.m. The dinner will "cost” one new toy. The menu will be pasta with meat sauce or clam sauce, salad and garlic bread. Each member and guest are Santa Claus opens regional office Santa plows into lone Santa Claus has opened an additional toy workshop in the Heppner City Park to handle increasing market demands in this area. Elves and associated staff persons are seldom seen due to the pressures of the season's workload, but can oc casionally be glimpsed in the vicinity of the Democrat Gulch Schoolhouse, which is serving as their temporary headquart ers. A special mailbox has been provided in the park (guarded by a zealous snowman) to facilitate delivery of letters of Santa. Any letters mailed at this site will be delivered to Santa on a daily basis through Friday, Dec. 20, and a highly- placed source in the Claus or **-*•-*- ganization has promised that every letter will be answered. Visitors to Santa's Toy Workshop in the city park are encouraged-though the shop itself will, of course, remain off- limits for Christmas security reasons. If the elves and other staff seem distracted and un communicative, visitors are asked to understand the pres sure of the looming deadline under which they are working. Logistical assistance for the arrival of the Claus staff was provided by volunteers asso ciated with the Morrow Coun ty Museum and Oregon Trail Library, Heppner branch, their fam ilies and friends. All necessary m aterials were donated. A - ■ «*^ii » 3; >1 Once in a while. Dale would get a two-day vacation when the owner of the quarterhorses shipped them out for breeding at the fabulously ornate l.azy E Ranch outside Oklahoma City and sent Dale to check on them. At the Lazy E, the largest privately-owned indoor arena in the nation. Dale stayed in the guest house and had carte blanche at the resort. V *r - ’Ì V...Î, "I was like a kid in a fairyland," she said. While in the Seattle area. Dale had heard about eauine massage and wanted to learn more about it, but the seminar cost $3,000 in addition to living expenses. The instructor called her and said there was enough interest to put on a seminar in California and asked if she’d be interested. "I said okay," said Dale, "but I had no idea how I was going to pay for it." Ironically, at the same time, a friend tried to talk her into betting on a horse at the track. She didn't, but he placed a $100 bet for her. The norse won and the friend gave her the $4.000 in winnings. Dale used the money to pay for the course and lodging. She then returned to the track where she used massage therapy on the race horses. The therapy, sales Dale, made a dramatic difference in horses who weren't expected to race again or were not racing to their potential. Her job at the track lasted until the facilities were sold and consequently shut down for a period of time. Frustrated. Dale sold out after 10 years. "People just don't realize," she said. "You charge $20-$50 for a lesson, but they don't consider that you've spent years and years working below minimum wage. They don't realize it's a day-in-dav-out job. I advise students to go to college or trade school so they can get into a good paying position. So then you can enjoy your horses." She then took another chance and moved to Republic, WA, where she bought a 60-acre farm to pursue breeding thoroughbreds and Selle Français. She had an opportunity to buy a Selle Français stallion for $20.000. But then while walking in a . . .' . . • . -»'L* • • *■,'« • ... .‘; 'J . J 1 - r ‘ l ' X .* V- .1 1 ' " > *- •- ^ , • - **'*? V, *i V, - . - ■ 'w ■ V / r *■ ‘ ' J : ' v „ 'V ' V , /. - - % ■ . ; X >■ ‘ ^ . • . . * - ' . ■ ' VA v » - v VV'- » * » * I N ' ^ - ^aW-4 ^ w * ' ' - ' \\ . v . ,W \ ■ ' V Í ' . 'I V ; V a v -'.', - —A -, 'v ' s. 2 ^ * > .■** ' * - • " J I M • ;.. ; - » /: . - . _ -v ^ H * pasture. Dale fell, severely dislocating her elbow. Doctors told her she would never regain the use o f her pulled tendons and she was forced to turn the stallion down. Six months later, he was syndicated to the East Coast tor $100,000. "He will probably be in the Olympics in the year 2000," she said. "But, you erv at the time and then go on." Because of her injury Dale wasn't able to make the payments on her land and the stable owner foreclosed. Dale then returned to school via computer. She took basic courses the first year and then moved to Spokane to continue college. Sne piled on 25 credits a Quarter toward an associate degree in library science, in addition to Visit our OPEN HOUSE Friday, December 13 Have Refreshments - Say Hello * X v.l J u a ia iw ia w ia ta M o rro w County G ra in G ro w e rs four Christmas sale [ * * ' V- * *~-rs « | Runs Thru Dec. 23 •’> *• •* IV *v —■ - l > . \ >- . s». * " - ,:' v ■ X • . ' W*» I**" ... , •. X';. r.