Not-So-Speedy Dressage

"You Look Good" - Lady A

4/25/2019

They're like, "Hey, who that there with the shades?"
Like oh, the way you move to the bass

Hold up
Whole room gets to spinnin'
From the second that you walk in it
And, baby, you look good all day, all night
You look good (so fresh, so fine)

You look good
Got everybody watching you
Like cameras in Hollywood

Baby, you look good
Aw, baby, you look good

Yeah, you're killing me, boy, in your black-faded jeans
Ain't gotta work hard when you're smilin' at me

Baby, you look good!

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I wonder how many horses don't learn to do the flying change until they're 15? Speedy knows how to change his canter leads; I've seen him do it a million times during turn out. They're beautiful. Doing them when and where I ask is an entirely different conversation. As difficult as they are, Speedy is working his heart out to do them for me. Bless him.

Warm up trot now looks like our First Level show trot.

Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, came out for a lesson on Good Friday. Frankly, I need all the help I can get, so if we get a little extra help from the Divine on a day meant to be holy, I'll take it.

Still warming up, but asking for a bigger and more powerful push from behind.

My goal for the lesson was to check in on our new and improved shoulder in and to continue cleaning up our flying changes. Chemaine seemed pretty pleased with our trot work, both at the shoulder in and the medium.

Our new and improved shoulder in.

When Chemaine was here last, she had me use the idea of a medium trot while doing a shoulder in. For the life of me, I just couldn't figure out what she wanted me to do. After watching video of the lesson, I did a palm to face and shook my head at my idiocy. She wanted me to use the energy reserved for the medium trot during a shoulder in. What's so confusing about that? Apparently a lot if you're me.

For a medium trot, Chemaine has taught me to use the corner to rev Speedy up and build energy in his hind end by applying the brakes (half halt) while at the same time pressing on the gas (adding leg). Once we come out of the corner, I straighten him up so that when he finally gets to use that coiled up energy, he can lift his front end just like a plane taking off.

When straightened, pushing off from behind lifts the front end.

So how does this work to improve the shoulder in? Chemaine had me set it up exactly the same. From A to K, or whichever corner you're in, build the energy by half halting while adding leg at the same time. From K to V start thinking about shoulder fore so that by V you can put your horse into a shoulder in.

Unlike the medium trot, the horse doesn't get to launch forward though. Instead, Chemaine had me slowly release the energy into the shoulder in by pulsing the rein. If you let all of the energy go at once, you'll lose the angle of the bend. Instead, let it out in short spurts.

Our much improved medium trot.

Speedy has learned the aids for the medium trot so well that I can now use them to improve his collected trot even while not in the corner. He knows that a "revving up" half halt means that we're getting ready to GO, like in the second picture above. Transitions within the gait, right?!

All four off the floor!

And then we moved on to the flying change. Speedy has it, he's just still quite sassy about it. The main problem we have is the right rein and right shoulder.

See? Sassy boy!

The right to left flying change is much easier because Speedy naturally wants to lean on my right rein. The other way? Let the sparks fly!

Hilarious! Dude, it's not that bad, really!

Lest you think he's just beyond incorrigible, these are only blips in time. He really just wants to do it right, but he thinks he knows better than I do what's "right." Silly boy.

Right now, the process goes like this:

canter right
change the bend
HALF HALT
canter right
change the bend
repeat, repeat, repeat
canter right
change the bend
leg yield with the outside leg
change
HALF HALT
10-meter circle

It looks sort of like this.

We have a flying change. What we don't have is an obedient and relaxed flying change. We're almost there though.

Just a bit expressive.

I've learned that with this horse, being patient and persistent will pay off.

He makes my heart sing.

If you haven't read Monday's post yet, check it out for a chance to win a pair of Roeckl's newest gloves and a gift card from the Riding Warehouse.

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A Lesson With Somebody New

4/23/2019

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If you haven't read yesterday's post yet, check it out for a chance to win a pair of Roeckl's newest gloves and a gift card from the Riding Warehouse.

I am so fortunate to have found a trainer who realizes that sometimes, we need to hear her ideas come from someone else's mouth. Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, has been my go-to trainer for several years now. While she's encouraged me to attend clinics, I hadn't ever felt the need to seek another trainer's advice. Until now.

Winning the Second Level Regional Adult Amateur Competition under Chemaine's coaching.

I've taken a lot of lessons with Chemaine. Speedy and I have gone from an Introductory Level pair to a team knocking at the door of Third Level. With Izzy, things haven't progressed in such a linear fashion. Frankly, he and I are more often than not a hot mess. Yes, he can half pass, but half the time I can't get a stretchy trot circle. We're up, we're down, we're all over the place.

From a recent lesson with Chemaine.

For the past month, things have been way more down than up. In fact, I came home a few weeks ago declaring that he was outta here! I was just over it. In desperation, I sent out a message to a fellow trainer of Chemaine's. Someone who I had seen show many times. Someone who knew me, but didn't know me. Someone who didn't know a thing about Izzy or about my relationship with him.

Sean Cunningham (photo courtesy of STC Dressage)

Enter Sean Cunningham, owner and trainer at STC Dressage based in the Moorpark area. He is a Bronze and Silver Medalist, and is just two scores shy of his Gold Medal. He is a very quiet, but effective rider, and his teaching style is very similar to Chemaine's.

Sean Cunningham (photo credit STC Dressage)

I sent Sean a message and asked if he would be willing to do a rider/horse evaluation. I wanted to know if I am simply not an educated enough rider for Izzy, or on the flip side, if is Izzy mentally capable of what I am asking. Essentially, I wanted to know who is the problem in this relationship. By the way, the answer is usually me, but I wanted to be sure.

STC Dressage is based at the stunning AA Ranch. (photo credit STC Dressage)

A week or so ago, I loaded up the big brown horse and headed to Moorpark, two and a half hours away. A few days before, I had switched Izzy back to the correction bit. I packed that bit and bridle along with two others. I wanted to give Sean as much information as I could.

Cleaned up and ready for his consultation.

To my surprise, Izzy self-loaded in the trailer without needing Speedy as motivation. Besides going to the vet a few times over the winter, he hasn't even been near the trailer. And yet, he made the journey without a peep. When I unloaded him, he looked around for a minute, and then he started munching on the hay I had hung for him. I tacked him up without any fuss and then led him over the arena. While I was very pleased with his happy-go-lucky demeanor, I was also very surprised. Maybe he's matured more than I thought. Point to the big brown horse.

The main barn at AA Ranch. (photo credit STC Dressage)

Because it was so windy, Sean had me use a two-way communication system. I mention this because I fully expected the big brown horse to start off with a big spook and a bolt. Windy weather is definitely not his jam. But nope, he just stood there looking around as I dropped my stirrups and climbed on. From there, his tension started to rise, and he gave a few hard spooks. But really, I was quite pleased with the maturity he showed.

Sean Cunningham (photo credit STC Dressage)

Sean watched me ride for a few minutes, and then he started directing me to focus on being consistent and vigilant with the bend. Right away he pegged Izzy as being a horse who lacks confidence. Yep. He pointed out that he carries a lot of tension in his poll and top line. Again, yep. In less than 15 minutes, Sean was able to really hone in on where we both struggle. Point to the trainer.

To my relief, I am not causing Izzy's tension, but I am not necessarily helping it either. Sean suggested some things that I can do to help Izzy build confidence in me as his rider.

1) Insist that he let go through his poll by using lateral flexion with an inside leg. Izzy does not get to deviate from that position. As he releases the tension, I can straighten him for a few strides and let him move into the contact, but then it's back to lateral flexion. As Izzy finds relief in this position, he will seek it more willingly.

2) I need to ride Izzy with contact all the time. He doesn't get a loose, free rein as this is when he looks for things at which to spook. Instead, I can use walk "breaks" to reinforce the idea of letting go through the poll.

3) When Izzy spooks, I am to ignore it completely and ride as though nothing happened.

4) For now, I am to stick with the larger movements: 20-meter circles, serpentines, and figures of eight. These will help keep Izzy balanced as he builds trust in me as his rider.

Sean Cunningham (photo credit Terri Miller-Steiner)

While Izzy wasn't perfect during the lesson, I definitely felt the tension ease throughout his body simply by insisting that he release at his poll. When I put all of my focus there, he quit stabbing at the ground with hurried steps, he quit looking for things to spook at, and he started taking some deep breaths. Eventually Sean got on him and worked on the same concepts. As a MUCH more educated rider, he got Izzy softer and softer, and his back loosened up. I could see that Izzy felt so much better "supported" - mentally and physically.

So much happier with me.

Every ride we've had since that lesson has been better than the one before. All of the "pieces" for success have been there - Chemaine's given me the tools I need, it just took someone else to reframe it all for me. Sean didn't whisper any magic words or teach me something that I didn't already know. What he did do was help me connect what I know with a new feeling. And once I feel it, I can't unfeel it.

To contact Sean Cunningham for lessons or coaching:

visit his website (https://stcdressage.com/),
find him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/STCDressage),
or connect via cell (815-861-3005).

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A Give-Away From Roeckl

4/22/2019

22 Comments

And just to sweeten the pot a little bit, the Riding Warehouse jumped on board with a $25 gift card!

Roeckl "Melbourne" - Size 7.5/Black

It's no secret that I love Roeckl gloves. In fact, they're the only gloves I wear. Yes, I know they're a tad bit pricey, but they are absolutely worth it. They're long wearing, they feel like a second skin, and as a bonus, they look good doing it. So when Roeckl asked if I would take a look at their new glove, the Melbourne, I shouted YES!

Roeckl Melbourne Gloves - Rose Gold (but they're almost Aubergine in sunlight.

Taken from Toklat's website:

The Melbourne was designed with eventers in mind. It has a long double-layer cuff and no Velcro for a bulk free wrist area, and allows one to wear a watch over their glove. The backhand is made with ECONYL® yarn, which is made entirely from regenerated nylon waste (such as fishing nets) and is infinitely recyclable without sacrificing quality. The palm is made of Roeck-Air, a thin but hard wearing material designed for both grip and breathability.

I am glad that Toklat explained the cuff because I was initially perplexed by the lack of velcro. After riding in them though, I appreciated being able to see my watch.

A little extra that Toklat didn't mention is the handy little pull strap located on the inside of the wrist. At first, I thought it was there to affix the label to the gloves. As I was riding though, I felt myself reaching down to give my gloves a little tug to reposition them, something I obviously do without noticing. Since the gloves have a cuff, it was too form-fitted to grab and tug. When I looked down in confusion, I noticed the little pull tab positioned right where I needed to pull to get my gloves in exactly the right place. Ingenious!

Do you see the little pull tab at the top of the cuff but just below the palm?

While Toklat asserts that the Melbourne Glove is designed for eventers, this dressage rider thought they were great. The same features that eventers enjoy appeal to dressage riders.

The grip on the palm is what I expect from a pair of Roeckl gloves: grippy without being tacky or too sticky. The fit was true-to-size, if not maybe a bit generous. Don't trust me on sizing though. Since I've lost more than 40 pounds, everything seems to be running big. I've typically worn a 7.5 in gloves, but I could have maybe gone down to a 7.0.

The material on the back of the glove is thin and stretchy and feels almost like a pair of tights. I love that the fabric is made from 100% recycled nylon waste. When I checked out Econyl's website, the company who makes the fabric, I was heartened to read that they rescue nylon products from the ocean and landfills, clean and purify it, and then reuse it.

Perfect to wear your watch over the cuff.

The true test of whether or not I like a product is if I completely forget that I am evaluating it as I ride. The second I climbed into the saddle, I forgot to think about the gloves. Just like my Roeckl Lona's - the two-toned version, they feel like I am riding with skin to leather contact without damaging my skin. There was no bulk or anything to interfere with my "feel" on the reins. And because of the fabric on the back of the glove, they were also very cool during our recent hot weather.

There aren't a whole lot of vendors here in the U.S. selling the Melbournes yet, so if you're interested your best bet would be to buy them from Toklat ($59.95) who carries every single Roeckl glove. Other retailers who carry them are Adams ($59.95) or in the UK, Horze (€42.95). Or, you can win a pair here!

Love having too many choices!

I rarely do giveaways, I think I've done four?, but this company makes a product that I truly love, so I am happy to spread the word. Since I don't do complicated, the rules for this giveaway are pretty simple.

1) Roeckl and the Riding Warehouse are giving away a pair of Roeckl Melbourne Gloves, black/size 7.5 and a $25 gift card, respectively.

2)The giveaway will run between Monday, April 22nd and Friday, April 26th.

3) Head over to Facebook and "Like" their page - Roeckl Equestrian.

4) Head over to Facebook and "Like" the Riding Warehouse's page.

5) Leave your email in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. No one else can see your email address.

6) Leave a comment describing your experiences (if any) with Roeckl and Riding Warehouse.

7) Since I like simple, over the weekend, I'll write everyone's name down on a slip of paper and have my husband pull a name out of a hat (or whatever I find laying around).

Good luck!

22 Comments

Trailer Maintenance

4/19/2019

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I love having my own horse trailer. I hate taking care of it. But, it has to be done. I had this past week off, so I determined to make it productive. One of the biggest chores on my list was cleaning my trailer, inside and out.

I forgot to take a before picture. This is the after.

Normally, I do the whole thing in one big marathon of a day, but this time I took a more reasonable approach, breaking the task up over three days. The first day, I gave the exterior a cursory hose down, and I swept out the poopy shavings from the horse compartment.

Shavings and poop swept out.

That was the easy part. For day two, I scrubbed the actual crap off of the walls and dragged the mats out to scrub the floor. That has got to be one of the dirtiest jobs out there. Did Mike Rowe every feature horse trailer scrubbing on his show, Dirty Jobs? No? He should have. That is one disgusting job.

Mats drying in the sun. I hate those bastards. Why can't they weigh less than a 400 pound dead guy?

For the first time ever, I admitted that I have reached the age where I am physically unable to haul those mats back into the trailer by myself. I recruited my husband's help which meant that part of the job took 5 minutes instead of an hour.

Walls and floors are clean!

For the third day, I decided to take a page out of the Cob Jockey's book and clean my trailer's exterior the "right way." That is if the "right way" can be done in exactly one hour because that's all I was willing to put into this project.

My supplies.

Not knowing how much I was going to need for my three-horse living quarters trailer, I ordered a full gallon of Wash/Wax All (the product reviewed by the Cob Jockey) from Amazon. At $27.95, it seemed prudent to buy the whole gallon rather than 2 quarts (@$15.95 each) so that I didn't have to skimp on the application. I had no idea if 1 quart would be enough.

I was hoping to say goodby to those streaks.

Either the Cob Jockey's trailer is much, much newer (probably) than mine, or she worked a lot harder (also likely) than I did because it was HARD work scrubbing those stains away. I had already sprayed off the obvious debris, and I had used a brush to scrub away the top layer of road grime. Even so, I SCRUBBED.

I will say that while it took a fair amount of elbow grease, my trailer did come out cleaner than it would have without the wash/wax product. I couldn't get all of the streaks off, mostly because I didn't want to spend the time, but it does look a lot better.

I know the lighting is bad, but most of the streaks are gone.

Once everything was wiped down and dry, I tossed in some fresh shavings. I know it's ridiculous, but fresh shavings can make even the poopiest trailer look like new.

If only they'd learn to poop outside.

I also hung my new Trailer/Mini Hay Net Freedom Feeder, courtesy of the company's owner who happens to be a part of Team Symphony (Chemaine Hurtado's group of Adult Amateurs and Juniors). I've used these slow feeders a lot over the years and love how long they last. This is the first trailer-sized net I've had, and so far, it's working really well for traveling.

Freedom Feeder slow feed hay net.

So for now, my trailer is sparkling clean. While it won't stay that way - just sitting there parked it gathers spider webs and dirt, it made me feel good to get it looking ship-shape.

Clean and ready to go.

The only question now is, who gets to show first?

5 Comments

Get These Gloves!

4/18/2019

9 Comments

Run and do it right now! You won't be sorry.

HandsOn Revolutionary Grooming & Bathing Gloves

I am not much into fads, and so far I've resisted all of the specialty grooming brushes currently out there. Oh, but if anyone wants to buy me a Haas brush, I'll take this one. Since I don't (yet) have a Haas brush, I stick to my jelly scrubbers and a soft brush for each horse. They aren't fancy, but they get the job done.

Tobias LOVED it.

With Speedy shedding more slowly than usual though, I started looking for a shedding tool/blade/brush that might get the job done more effectively.

Yellow dog was just as enamored.

Enter the HandsOn Revolutionary Grooming & Bathing Glove. Each pair comes in three colors - black, lime green, and purple. They sell for $24.99 (pair), but with coupon code RWEJ, Riding Warehouse will knock 20% off the purchase price.

Tobias REALLY liked it!

Both of my dogs absolutely loved these grooming gloves. They kept shoving their way in trying to get just one more scratch down their backs and faces. I figured that if the horses didn't like them, I knew I could leave them at home to use on the dogs.

Great for the rounder parts of the horse.

I needn't have worried. Both of my horses enjoyed the grooming, relaxing as soon as I started. The glove pulled off Speedy's winter coat hair in literal handfuls.

Perfect for legs.

The two things that I liked best about the gloves were 1) they worked really well on legs, and 2) my hands didn't get nearly so tired. Not gripping a brush or arching my hand underneath a strap gave me more energy to use on swiping the brush. It was also very convenient to have a "brush" in each hand.

Izzy begged me for just a little bit more!

While the gloves worked great on Speedy's still shaggy coat, I wondered how they'd do on a nearly slicked out coat. While Izzy was slick and clean already, he thoroughly enjoyed getting his back scrubbed. And surprisingly, a fair amount of dust came up even though he looked clean.

If you have still have a horse that is in the midst of shedding, you need these gloves. If your horse is nearly slick but enjoys his back scratched, you need these gloves. They can be used wet or dry and you determine how much pressure you apply. For once I am on board for a grooming fad.

These gloves are my new favorite grooming tool. Anyone else?

9 Comments

Clipper Clean-Up

4/17/2019

1 Comment

This past February, I wrote about my ancient clippers and how poorly I care for them. Let me rephrase that, your Honor - I don't do any clipper maintenance unless you count blowing the loose hair off of them. Either here or on Facebook, someone chastised me about my lack of a maintenance program. "I hate your face right now" (as one of my colleagues is fond of saying) because you finally guilted me into opening the 20-year old manual for the second time ever.

Prepared for battle.

The first time I opened the manual was a few weeks ago when Maureen politely asked me if I'd make a copy of it and mail it to her. I almost just mailed her the original as I clearly was never going to use it. Joke's on me, I guess. With my OCD tendencies, I couldn't unsee the invisible look of reproof from Oster regarding my own clippers and their obvious need for some TLC.

Underneath the blades.

I apologize to whomever's face I just claimed to hate. It's really the fault of my 5th grade English/Language Arts curriculum. For the last few weeks, I've been teaching the differences between scientific and technical texts. Since the whole clipper thing was fresh in my mind, I stupidly told my kiddos that I had been leafing through my clipper's manual which would be a technical text as it tells the reader how to make or do something. And since I DO NOT TELL LIES, I felt compelled to actually look through it.

After 20 years I just discovered that you press this little button to drop in a bit of oil. Who knew?

Again, I couldn't unsee the fact that my clippers REALLY NEEDED SOME MAINTENANCE. So, I sat down over the weekend and flipped through the booklet, mentally ticking off the things I was willing to do - clean the area beneath the blades, check; remove the cover from the bottom cap, check; remove the cover of the gear mechanisms and lube it all, um ... are you kidding me? Big fat NO. But remember, OCD.

The bottom has two vent caps. I popped them off and blew out some hair. That's what I call "Clipper Maintenance. "

In the end, I started with the easy stuff, see those filter caps above, and figured I'd just clean the parts that seemed easy to reassemble, and go from there.

It was like open heart surgery.

Funny moment: as I was peering into the cavity of the gear box thing, I realized I couldn't see diddly squat. I suddenly remembered that I keep a headlamp in my barn bag, so I tossed that on for a hands-free light. My husband walked in about that time, and I know he had to try very hard not to laugh at me because this kind of crap is NOT MY JAM. It helped though, and as a bonus, it made me feel all kinds of empowerment. I actually took out all of those innards.

It was really gross in there.

Once I got going, it was - dare I say it? fun. Gross, sticky, and black, but I felt like I was doing the community a service. Go, me. But of course, just about the time that I was feeling quite successful and well, mechanical, a random washer dropped onto the table from the towel that I had been using to clean the parts. Well, hell's bells. Where did that come from? I had clearly said that part out loud as my husband snickered from the living room.

Yes, THAT washer. The one on the left.

In the end, I sort of just guessed where it went. When I told my husband that I was hoping everything would still work when I plugged it in, he asked how much clippers could cost anyway. When I replied that several hundred bucks would cover it, he urged me to FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.

Reassembled, maintained, and good as "old."

To my relief, they whirred to life just as they always do. They've even already been put back to work, and before I put them away, I blew on the blades to clear out the loose hair.

See? I have a maintenance program. Don't judge.

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It All Comes From Behind

4/16/2019

2 Comments

I have two bits of homework to work on with Speedy: more push from behind in the lateral movements and pushing his hind end over for the flying change. Right now, it's all about Speedy's butt.

Turn on the haunches.

Last week - I am really behind in sharing this, Speedy got to have a lesson, our first in several months. Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, came down on Sunday. My plan for the lesson was to work on the elements in Third Level Test 1. After watching a boatload of videos, I've concluded that if you have a flying change, 3-1 is much easier than 2-3.

A bit of suspension?

We ultimately worked on two exercises. The first one was designed to improve our scores at the shoulder in (and as a result, the trot half pass). While Speedy generally gets 6s and 7s on his gaits, he's not a big, bold mover like many of the warmbloods. Anything I can do to get him moving bigger with more power coming from behind will only improve our scores.

Shoulder in

For the medium trot, Chemaine has taught me to use the corner to "rev" him up. As I straighten Speedy for the medium trot across the diagonal, I can then let him "go." The stored up energy launches us forward. Chemaine wants me to use that same idea for the shoulder in.

Using the built up energy from the medium trot for shoulder in

The process is still the same: rev him up in the corner. As we approach the second letter (whichever one it is), I need to bend him and start the shoulder in. But rather than let him fly across the diagonal like I would for the medium trot, I'll release that stored up energy by directing his hind end to push stronger and deeper under his body. This will encourage Speedy to carry more weight behind so that he can free up his shoulders for a better shoulder in.

In theory, anyway. It sounds a lot easier than it was. When I "let him go" the first time, Speedy tried to veer off across the diagonal. That's when I discovered my steering needed some work.

The second exercise was for calming down the flying change of lead so that we get less of this.

I love the enthusiasm though.

I've found that Speedy needs a lot of reminding that he can't brace in the change. To address that, I do a lot of bending and counter bending on a circle. This has helped him learn that changing the bend is not the cue for the flying change.

Now that he's more comfortable changing the bend, Chemaine had me work on better positioning his hind end. As we prepared for the flying change across the diagonal, she had me change the bend and then leg yield with the outside leg. Then I asked for a walk followed by a simple change of lead from the walk.

Preparing for the change of lead.

The first time I did it, Speedy's ears flicked quite dramatically. He did the exercise well, but he was working hard to put it all together. The leg yield served to position his hind end, and the walk steps were a big half halt. When he was more willing to walk (wait!) for the cue for the flying change, I was able to skip the walk steps.

What a hunk!

I've left the flying change alone for the past few rides to give him time to process what he learned. Instead, I've focused on getting a more powerful, uphill trot for the shoulder in. For our next ride (hopefully this morning), we'll tackle the flying change again.

Speedy's a hard worker, and incidentally, so am I. We'll have the flying change down pat before I know it. I hope.

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Happy Birthday, Speedy G!

4/15/2019

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Today, April 15th, marks Speedy G's 15th birthday. He was given the name G Ima Starr FA at birth, but since joining my little family as a wee three-year old, he's been just Speedy.

Speedy G as a three-year old.

This horse has given me so many opportunities that I surely wouldn't have had without him, and he's done it all with very few complaints. Horse camping far from home? Okay. Riding on the beach? Okay to that, too.

Horse camping as a four-year old.

Camping at the beach in 2009.

We went to his first endurance ride in March 2004, just before his fifth birthday. Except for horses coming straight at him, he handled it like a real pro. You want me to do what? Well, all right.

Git-R-Done 30-miler in 2004 - Speedy's second endurance ride.

We went fox-hunting in 2013. Since there aren't really foxes here in California - at least not those kind, the hounds hunted coyotes. I threw a newish rider up on Speedy, and I rode Sydney, the New Zealand Thoroughbred I owned before Izzy. Speedy thought it was all quite hilarious. Not sure what we're doing this time, but it's fun!

It was a visitor's day so we didn't have to wear hunt coats. Speedy and his rider on the left.

In between endurance rides, I asked him to take a few dressage lessons. And then I asked him to try out a few shows with me. We looked like the total beginners we were, but he did it with the most willing attitude a girl could ask for. Just do some circles and straight lines for 5 minutes? Are you sure that's all you need? You had me at hello!

Our first show - we scored 63.500% at both Intro A and Intro B, June 2010

Since he was willing to do a few shows, I asked him if he could do a few more, and then I asked him to win. Why not? I look good in blue!

RAAC Introductory Level

And then I asked him to do it again ...

RAAC Training Level

We found out he looks just as stunning in red ...

RAAC First Level

And I've kept on asking him to do more and more for me. Sometimes it takes us awhile, but he continues to try. No matter how we do, he's always game to come back and try again. Not because he wants to, but because I do.

RAAC Second Level

Now that he's 15, he's definitely what we would call middle-aged. That means, like me, there's a pill for this and a pill for that. It's harder to get up in the morning, and it takes longer for things to heal. As we get older, we have to think about whether we want to keep working and whether we should keep working. While I am looking forward to retirement, Speedy is most definitely not.

Speedy has already shown me that he gets pretty grouchy if I stop asking him to do things for me, so I am going to continue on to Third Level as long as he's willing. And so far, he's still digging it. You want more ribbons and medals? Sure, let's go!

2013 Training Level Champion at El Sueno Equestrian Center

Wishing you a very happy birthday, Speedy!

2 Comments

"Flying" Changes

4/12/2019

4 Comments

I had a lesson on Sunday about which I still haven't had time to write. It was a good one, too, so I will get to it. In the meantime, I am dying to show you Speedy's "flying" change when he's feeling particularly spicy.

Changing in front ...

I need a parachute for these kinds of changes.

Changing in back ...

I also need a seat belt.

What I didn't screen shot was the gallop that ensued immediately after. The good thing is that they're "clean" changes. Now we just need to work on keeping control once we're on the new canter lead.

Oh, and you can laugh. Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, was laughing her head off. This horse just tries SO hard. He thinks there are bonus points for predicting what I might ask for which is why he tries to beat me to the change. It's always a race to see who can ask for it/offer it first. He obviously won that round; smarty pants!

Second Level, you suck. Third Level, you had me at A, enter collected trot.

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About the
Writer & Rider

I am a lifetime rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
Welcome to my dressage journey.

Photo by Lori Ovanessian

Email Karen

About Speedy G

Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. We're currently schooling Third Level in preparation for the 2019 show season. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.

August 2018

About Izzy

Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are schooling the dressage basics. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.

March 2019

Bakersfield Dressage approved!

National Awards

USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award - 2018
USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015
USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 2013

State Awards

CDS Ruby Rider Award - 2018
CDS Second Level Horse Performance Award - 2018

Ruby Rider Award, 2018

2019 Show Season

Show Rating
(***) CDS/USDF/USEF
(*) CDS
(s) Schooling
(c) Clinic
(t) Ride-a-Test Clinic
(Q) Must Qualify

2019 Pending …

5/11-12/19 - Cavaletti Clinic (c)
5/26/19 - TMC (*)
6/15-16/19 - El Sueno (***)
6/22-23/19 - SCEC (***)
6/23/19 - TMC (*)
7/13-14/19 - El Sueno (***)
7/28/19 - TMC (*)
8/10/19 - RAAC (Q) (***)
8/25/19 - TMC (*)
10/26-27/19 SCEC (***)

2019 Completed …

Qualifying Scores for 2019

Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Scores
Third Level Scores:
Score 1:
Score 2:
Score 3:

CDS Championship Third Level Scores:
Score 1:
Score 2:
Score 3:
Score 4:
Score 5:

Working Towards:

CDS Sapphire Rider Award
Third Level:
Third Level:
Fourth Level:
Fourth Level:

USDF Bronze Medal
First Level - 70.179%
First Level - 72.600%
Second Level - 62.879%
Second Level - 61.970%
Third Level -
Third Level -

"You Look Good" - Lady A

Improving the Flying Change

A Lesson With Somebody New

A Give-Away From Roeckl

Trailer Maintenance

Get These Gloves!

Clipper Clean-Up

It All Comes From Behind

Happy Birthday, Speedy G!

"Flying" Changes

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