Marilyn Lee Smith and Katydid

Team #90

Marilyn Lee and Kate

Marilyn Lee Smith is a resident of Naples, Florida and Concord, Vermont.  As a teenager, she had the dream of owning a horse and would “borrow” her mother’s car on Saturday mornings to sneak to the local barn and ride.  But it wasn’t until the age of 34 that she purchased her first horse and began to realize her dream.
 
In the 1970s, Lee became interested in jumping and dressage through the participation of her daughter in Pony Club, and purchased her first potential dressage horse, Barry.  At 55 Lee planned to obtain a warm blood for dressage, with the back up plan of using a her as a broodmare.  She found Katydid in 1989, a just backed, 16 hand four year old Trakehner, who was in foal.
 
Lee and Katydid began their dressage career, but in 1991, Katydid was diagnosed with EPM, and for a year was unable to be ridden because of weakness in her back legs.  Two years later, Katydid was well enough to start her dressage career again. Lee and Kate competed in dressage shows in New England. 
 
The day before Christmas 1993, Katydid stepped on a nail and damaged her coffin joint.  Christmas Eve was spent in a freezing trailer to travel to Dover, NH for emergency surgery.  Because of the chance of infection, the veterinarian cautioned that Kate may not survive, but would almost certainly be permanently lame.  While Kate was recovering at the clinic, Lee’s 57 year old husband suffered a massive stoke.  Lee spent the brutally cold winter running between the barn and the house caring for her impaired husband and horse that required many bandage changes.
 
After the injury the only option for Katydid was as brood mare and she produced a foal.  One day, Lee noticed while and mare and foal were trotting in the field, Kate showed no sign of lameness.  Lee and Katydid started dressage again. 
 
In 1995, Lee and Kate went to the state of Maine All Breed Show, and Kate won Grand Champion and her foal won Reserve Champion.  In the same year Kate went to a NEDA show and won her class.  Unfortunately, Lee and Kate’s dressage showing had to end because of the full time care required for Lee’s ill husband. 
 
Eventually, Lee spent the winters in Florida and the summers in Vermont with Kate.  They rode the hills and scenic mountains in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.  Lee became an active member in the Catamount Riding Club where friends encouraged Lee to perform a Century Ride and presented her with a monogrammed saddle pad.  Lee and Kate had not performed a dressage test in over 17 years.
 
This century ride is a symbol of Lee and Katydid overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles and beating the odds, to make a lifelong dream come true.