Meet the L Graduate With Distinction – Shari Wolke Masi

Tell us a little about yourself (your location, awards/other certifications you hold, etc):

I live in DeWitt, Michigan, just north of Lansing, and am a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist. I also hold certifications with the American Riding Instructors Association – Level 1 hunt seat, dressage, and recreational riding. Additionally, I have a Master’s degree in Education from Michigan State University. 

How long have you been involved in the sport?

I started riding at the age of ten, but began seriously training dressage in my first year of college, in 2005. After receiving the Youth Convention Scholarship and attending the Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention in 2007, I was hooked! I continued riding as an amateur while working as a high school teacher, and in 2021, I decided to stop teaching to ride and train professionally. My greatest achievement is the success of my students. 

How long have you been a USDF member?

I became a member in 2007 and purchased my Lifetime Membership in 2011. As a side note, I love not having to renew every year. The savings in worry and the chance that I could forget to renew are well worth the upfront cost! 

What made you decide to participate in the USDF L Education Program?

As I began to learn more about dressage, I started to “know what you don’t know”. Then I realized that I had a great deal to learn, as I began to take my Off-Track Thoroughbred up the levels. I highly respect my first dressage instructor, Maryal Barnett. She encouraged me to further my education in dressage and become a judge by participating in the L Program. 

How long did it take to complete the program, start to finish?

I began Session A in January 2011 and finished my first testing in September 2012. Not satisfied with my “pass” result, as I wanted to move on to the ‘r’ program eventually, I re-tested in September 2014, passing with Distinction. 

Do you plan to further your dressage education and to continue to apply what you learned in the program to become a licensed official?

Yes! I plan to move on to the ‘r’ program as soon as a space opens up for me and then on to the ‘R’ afterward. Then, when I achieve my required scores at Grand Prix, I’d like to become an ‘S’ judge. Judging is a tough job, but one that I find such satisfaction in. I’m excited to begin my journey of becoming a licensed official!

Do you serve as a judge for schooling shows in your capacity as an L Graduate? If so, on average, how many per year?  

Yes, I judge dressage schooling shows and the dressage portion of combined tests and three-day events in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. I’ve also judged for the Intercollegiate Dressage Association(IDA) and Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) in the past. On average, I judge around 10-15 days per year, from April to October. 

What impact did the program have on your dressage knowledge?

As I began to learn more about dressage, especially the upper levels and the upper-level movements, I realized that if riders could better understand the biomechanics of their bodies, they could better influence their horse. When we know how our bodies relate to the way the horse moves, we can better influence the horse (the term I use for this is “the horse is our mirror”). The detailed, thorough explanation of “the basics,” including horse and rider biomechanics, was the most important takeaway from the L Program. The L Program provides a great deal of information about how the basics ARE biomechanics, and biomechanics are the basics. 

Name three things you took away from the program that you think every rider should know.

1. READ the directives for the level and, even more importantly, each movement to know what the judge is specifically looking for at each level. If your horse can’t do that movement for a “7” at home, you have a clear direction for your training and showing. 
2. EVERY rider should know the scale for marks. When you get a “5” on a movement, you should immediately know that the judge thought the movement was “marginal.” Or if you earned a “4” on your shoulder-in, you have some homework to do because that shoulder-in was “fairly bad.” While most of my students are aiming for “sufficient,” I would rather they strive for “fairly good” (if you don’t know what those phrases mean, you should! [Visit DR122.8 for the full scale of marks in the USEF Rulebook]).
3. The judge is more interested in helping the horse than anything else. A brief survey of my friends who are judges found that every single one was most interested in the welfare of the horse above anything else. Judges are not trying to be mean – they want to see your horse more easily accomplish the movements and exist in a biomechanically correct harmony with the rider. 

Have you served in any other official capacity with USDF (council/committee member, council/committee chair, PM/GM delegate, board member/Regional Director, etc.)? Please describe.

Since 2020, I have served on the Executive Board of the Midwest Dressage Association (MDA). I served as the MDA delegate to the Board of Governors (BOG) meeting at the 2023 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention in Omaha, Nebraska, representing the interests of the MDA Group Members. I also served as the delegate for Great Lakes Area – Educational Dressage (GLASS-ED). In the future, I hope to serve my region in a greater capacity.

Tell us about your horse(s).

I have a 24-year-old retired Prix St. Georges Off-Track Thoroughbred, Lord Kenmer (Kenny); a 22-year-old retired Oldenburg mare, Winnalee Z (Winnie), who gives lessons; and two yearlings, including a Hanoverian gelding named Wred Ryder (Ryder), who is my next FEI prospect.