Courtesy of BobTarr.com

Lynn Jendrowski rides Moud, a 12-year-old Friesian gelding. "Moud has such a great mind, and he will offer things up to me without much resistance," Jendrowski said.

Lynn Jendrowski's dream of competing in the Beijing Olympics never quite materialized.

But in the true spirit of competition, she hasn't given up on her goal of representing her country in the sport she loves, and she is back in the saddle again. Literally.

Jendrowski teaches, trains and competes in the equine sport of dressage. Derived from the French word for training, the sport showcases communication between horse and rider to bring out the animal's natural athletic ability and willingness to work.

"It's a lot like ballet on a horse," Jendrowski said. "There is such a connection that it feels like you're dancing with a partner. People really appreciate the communication with the horse."

It takes time and patience to build up the relationship with a horse to get it to respond to dressage training. Piaffes and flying changes don't just happen overnight.

"You need about six years to train up to the Grand Prix level, and not every horse can get there," Jendrowski said. "You have to have one that can handle the pressure of being in the spotlight. Most of the time you can see right away how far they can go."

Her own horse, Shapiro, a 15-year-old Oldenburg, has nearly taken her to the top of the sport, having received his U.S. Dressage Federation Grand Prix Performance Certificate and she thinks she can still get there with him.

She also competes a 12-year-old Friesian gelding named Moud, owned by Karen Waldron and Bent Tree Farms in Shawsville. The Friesian shows at third level but is capable of performing some Grand Prix level movements such as the piaffe, where the horse conducts a controlled trot in place.

"Moud has such a great mind, and he will offer things up to me without much resistance," Jendrowski said. "There are a few things that he struggles with but he will work through them and be very good in competition."

The Friesian's jet-black coat, long mane and tail, "feathers" (long fetlock hair) and massive musculature make Moud an impressive sight to behold, even if he is a few inches shorter than Shapiro.

The thicker frame Moud sports means he takes longer to condition than some of the other horses. Jendrowski likens it to a bodybuilder attempting to participate in an endurance sport. She works with him five days a week for about 40 minutes per session. This keeps the horse from getting winded during his routines.

"Between choreography, riding and making adjustments we can put 40 hours of work into a five- or six-minute routine," Jendrowski said. Moud's freestyle routine at the Roanoke Valley Horse Show in Salem was his first exhibition performance.

When not directly training, she runs her farm and is nationally certified to teach dressage to riders of all skill levels.

Janet DeGroff, one of Jendrowski's students, chose to learn dressage to become a better rider overall.

"I heard she was one of the best, so I figured I would start at the top." DeGroff said. "I thought that even if I only could take a few lessons I would learn more."

DeGroff was so pleased with the quick breakthroughs she was making with her horse that her "few lessons" have continued for the past year.

"I understand what she wants to do with the horse. I do what she says, and I get the results she says I'll get. She's helped me communicate with my horse in a way that is effective for him."

Jendrowski is often praised as much for her communication skills with humans as she is with horses.

"She is extremely knowledgeable," said Edith Cahoon, another student of Jendrowski's. "She knows how to explain, how to demonstrate. She can give fair criticism without being condescending. Most importantly, I have fun when I work with her."

Cahoon, who has nearly 40 years of riding experience, travels an hour and a half to train her horse, Navar, with Jendrowski. She also volunteers her time to assist in Jendrowski's efforts to prepare for competition. She acts as a second set of critical eyes during practice routines, sets up the music and sometimes operates the video camera.

"She is obviously on a tight budget compared to some other riders out there who are less talented, so it's good to have a little help." Cahoon said. "It's hard work. We sweat our fannies off, but we have fun."

Among entry fees, stabling, feed, bedding, transporting the horse and finding lodging, Jendrowski can end up spending more than $2,000 on a single competition. Though she is searching for sponsorships, she does get a lot of nonmonetary help from students such as Cahoon and from her husband, Paul.

In an effort to raise more funds, Jendrowski is working on producing a series of educational videos related to the sport. The first will focus on one of the most frequent topics she gets asked about: braiding the horse.

"I want to be an ambassador for the sport," Jendrowski said. "It's such a great feeling when people come up to you after a show saying how beautiful the horse was and that your performance gave them goose bumps."

Jendrowski has earned the USDF Gold Medal and USDF Gold and Bronze Freestyle Bar. With the combination of her skill, her horse's talent, her friends' and family's support and a few sponsorships, she may be just a few canter pirouettes away from realizing her dream.