Joe Lane WPDA Founder

It is not what Joe Lane accomplished that makes each of us who knew him treasure his memory. It is the dedication with which he lived that represents a challenge to us. Joe was a man to dream, an idealist in the truest sense. He saw the clumsiness of equestrian training in this country, as we moved from the quick expedience of cowboy methods to the contrived artifices of the show world. He despised the cruelty inflicted on the horse as a result of man’s insufficient knowledge. He recognized early that dressage could prevent these cruelties and open possibilities for achieving a unity between horse and rider beyond what most thought possible.

Joe made a living as an engineer, but his true love was the horse. He rode in spite of his own lack of time. He experimented and tested without help in the beginning, always listening for what the horse’s behavior would tell him. As he struggled through the basics, many watched his struggle and thought, “It might be easier if...”, but no one lacked respect for Joe’s determination.

As Joe gained experience, he became acutely aware of the need for knowledge in Western Pennsylvania. He was convinced that the quickest way to disperse knowledge to the greatest number was through an educational organization which would provide the opportunities for interested people to ride, show, learn and share. And so, funded for the first year from Joe’s own money, the Western Pennsylvania Dressage Association (“WPDA”) was born. Joe worked hard as the WPDA President to develop guidelines which would ensure a continuation of the learning process. He continued to challenge himself and others by setting ever higher goals for WPDA. He successfully completed the Learner’s Judge Program shortly before his death.

His life represents the challenges each of us who rides must accept: the challenge to discipline oneself for the day-to-day work which is the foundation of each successful accomplishment; the challenge to keep trying when the odds are against you; the challenge to be unafraid to experiment and learn from your horse; and the last, the challenge to find joy inherent in working with your horse toward the goals you have chosen.

By,

Elva Lee Corr