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Love of horses shapes life of Heppner woman
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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.
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By April Hilton-Svkes
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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 -
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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 -
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"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
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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
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M o rro w County G ra in G ro w e rs four Christmas sale
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