Dressage For Success Belief In Basics Pays Off For Local Show Jumper

Sue Linderman is no stranger to athletic competition.

In high school she was on Shadle Park’s gymnastic team. For six years she windsurfed and qualified for the 1984 Olympic demonstration team in Santa Barbara, Calif.

She is the fitness director at the Spokane Club and manages to squeeze in time to be a personal trainer and teach step aerobic classes.

But Linderman entered a new dimension when she got into show jumping.

“I always had to rely on myself,” she said. “But when you jump, you have to deal with the horse. He has good moods and bad moods; it’s another personality.”

Linderman is competing in The National at Calgary, Alberta, this weekend.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “I never thought I’d get this far.”

Linderman was born in Cairo, Egypt. Her father, a U.S. Marine, and mother, an employee of the Foreign Service, moved the family through Key West, Fla., and Quantico, Va., before calling Spokane home when Linderman was 3.

Her father was involved in rodeos and encouraged his daughter’s love for riding although they could never afford a horse.

“I’d beg, borrow or steal to get to a horse back then,” she laughed.

In 1989 she decided to show jump at an amateur level. She met trainer Robin Bhatia, who insisted she take dressage lessons.

Dressage, the English style of riding, teaches the basics of riding and handling a horse - a vital first step in jumping, she said.

Linderman and her horse Jordan have won numerous awards across the state the past three years. She believes her years of dressage are instrumental in their success.

“A lot of the jumpers just want to jump big fences, but they don’t know the basics and they could get hurt, ” she said.

There are two competitive categories: hunters and jumpers.

Hunters are judged by appearance and quality of the ride through an obstacle course. Both rider and horse are judged by the way they look and move.

In contrast, jumpers, like Linderman and Jordan, are judged by the accuracy and speed with which the horse completes the obstacle course. The judges take into consideration the number of faults (knockdowns) and refusals of the horse to jump during the run.

If this weren’t enough to worry about, the distance between each fence is deliberately designed with a specific number of strides a horse should ideally take before he jumps each obstacle and the courses have more complicated turns. It is up to the rider to figure out how many strides are necessary for each fence and prepare for the jump. This is where the skill of the rider is important and the dressage training pays off.

According to Linderman, the rider’s vital role is in the approach. A good rider communicates with the horse primarily through their legs when jumping.

The key to a nice jump is the arch in the horse’s back.

Despite all the technicalities, Linderman remains calm and credits her years of athletic competition with helping her keep a level head.

“I get the jitters, but I’m never nervous,” she said. “I just keep thinking.”

Linderman loves Jordan, an 11-year-old thoroughbred-Morgan cross, and gives him a lot of credit for their winning ways.

Getting used to Jordan’s size was difficult at first for Linderman, who stands a little more than 5 feet. But his temperament made working with him easier than most thoroughbreds. His large bone structure has been an asset and he has never been lame.

Although she loves the competition and the rush of jumping, Linderman confesses the one drawback of the sport is the cost. Trainers, stables, horse care and travel expenses can mount up to several thousand dollars a year. (It has cost her $18,000 this season, which includes some expensive shows in Canada and California.)

Linderman gets a lot of support from husband Lonnie, a pilot and owner of Linderman Construction.

“He has been great,” she said. “He has gone through a lot and sacrificed so I could ride.”

Linderman, 33, admits if she were younger the Olympics would be a possibility. But for now, she is satisfied with her progress and looking forward to new challenges.

“I want to go as far as I can. You’re never at the top in this sport,” she said. “I want to belong here.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: DEEP CREEK TRIALS Dates: June 8-9 Site: Deep Creek Farm, Medical Lake Times: Dressage, 8 a.m. June 8; stadium jumping, 11 a.m. June 8; cross country, 8 a.m. June 9 Admission/parking: Free event includes vendor and food booths