Not-So-Speedy Dressage

Finding My Reset Button

10/15/2018

Unfortunately, my reset button is not as easy to find as is Speedy's. All I have to do with him is go for a walk and maybe do some hand grazing. Button reset.

Sucks to be me right now.

Over the weekend, my migraines made a hugely painful comeback. Without sharing too much, I've been seeing a neurologist regularly, I've been through a battery of tests, and I am on a variety of medications. The neurologist has signed me up for a recently approved injection for migraine prevention, but it's not here yet.

Before you ask, yes, I've asked him about that, also that, and surprisingly even that. There isn't a cure for migraines; believe me, I've asked, and what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.

So as I battle through this round, please excuse my radio silence. Hopefully I'll be back in a few days.

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Speaking of Colic Season ...

10/12/2018

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Izzy's water intake has definitely fallen over the past week. I had been adding a lot of water to his trough each afternoon, but the past few days, the water level hasn't dropped much. I am not worried about it, but I like to know what's normal.

He is really turning out to be a love bug.

Since Izzy has really mellowed over the past year, he can now be trusted to stand tied at the trailer alone. The trailer has never moved in all the time I've been at the ranch, so it's a convenient place to tack up. As a bonus, it's pretty weathered, so I don't worry about him banging into it or scratching the paint.

Now that he isn't anxiously pawing or flinging himself about, I can hang a filled hay net as well as leave a rubber feed pan. I've also started leaving a freshly filled two gallon bucket of water for when I am done riding.

He loves a quick drink after he demolishes his LMF.

After he eats his LMF Senior, he always drinks down the bucket of water and waits for me to bring him more. This was something I taught my endurance horses: fresh feed and water were always within reach. Speedy simply expects there to be hay and water along with treats when he's tied up anywhere. I make sure to be consistent about it because they then start to eat and drink out of habit.

It's sort of a Pavlovian thing. Maybe you can lead a horse to water and teach him to drink?

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Training Gaps

10/11/2018

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Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, and I were recently talking about why I made it through Second Level so quickly. While I am not saying that we owned Second Level, we did get through the level pretty successfully. During our discussion, we came to the conclusion that the reason we made it through Second more quickly than Training and First was because we spent a lot - and I mean a boatload, of time making sure our foundation was rock solid.

Please say there will be more days like this one.

Chemaine is really good at not cheating. She knows that in order to be successful down the road, there can't be any holes in the training. Those holes will eventually reveal themselves, and you'll be stuck. Speedy has been relatively easy to train. He's a willing partner, but he's not naturally talented which means he has to work for it. Some of it is hard for him, especially the lateral stuff. Either way, he figures it's his job, so he puts in the best work day he can.

I need new pictures!

On the other hand, there's Izzy, a horse that is naturally talented who finds collection easy, and he has haunches that will go anywhere you put them. He has been anything but easy. His training wasn't linear because asking for the harder movements kept his brain engaged so that he didn't kill me. That means that we're always going backwards to address the basics from Training and First Level.

As I rode over the weekend, I started thinking about which show I might try with him. There are some schooling shows this winter that might work for us. The problem is that Izzy is schooling movements from Second and Third Level, but there are things from First Level that he can't yet do. And frankly, some of the long free walks found in Training might still be a challenge for him.

So what level can he do? He can't really do a Second Level test even though his collected canter is really nice. He can't do a First Level test because he can't quite show a lengthened stride in trot. If I try to do an Introductory Level test, he'll kill me out of boredom. Which means I am left with Training Level. I think.

From June.

Maybe I ought to get him off the property again before I start thinking about blue ribbons. Am I right?!

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Hitting the Reset Button

10/10/2018

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Alright ... Speedy's not fired, but he's on probation.

I am of course just kidding about all that. The dude has earned the right to live out his days with me or move on to someone else. It's his choice, really. In the meantime, I decided to take Chemaine Hurtado's advice and just hit the reset button.

Yesterday, I grabbed my riding rope halter - it has rings to attach reins, and my helmet. I didn't even change into riding boots. I wore my muck boots instead. After running a brush over Speedy's back and picking out his feet, I hopped up on him bareback.

We spent the next 40 minutes walking around the neighborhood. Speedy got quite saucy when we passed the Haner Family Farm - none of the horses like walking by there, so we did a little bit of collected work as he pranced down the road.

I am not sure one ride was enough to hit his reset button, so he may get one more of those bareback with a halter rides before we go back to full work. I think we have a lesson on Friday.

Back to the grind, my friend, back to the grind.

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Colic Season

10/9/2018

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Fall can be a tough time for horses in Central California. Our mornings have just now begun to be cool, and by just now, I mean Saturday. While this week is forecast to be fantastic, we're not out of the hundred degree wood yet. We could still get some really hot afternoons before the end of the month.

Spring and summer are absolutely glorious here in the California's central valley.

That means it's colic season here in Bakersfield. With temperatures suddenly twenty degrees cooler, our horses often quit drinking as much. This of course leads to tummy aches. I am being ultra vigilant of my boys' water intake during this week of cooler mornings.

On Friday afternoon, which was pretty warm, Speedy stood sweating as I tacked him up. His winter coat is coming in quickly, so I wondered if he was just hot, or if he was not feeling well. I pulled out a thermometer and gave him a quick check.

I use a basic human thermometer that you can pick up at Target or other drug store.

A horse's normal body temperature runs between 99℉ and 101℉ , but after a workout or on a hot day, it can be several degrees higher. Short thermometers like the one I use also read a bit cooler as they don't reach far enough to get a true internal reading. My thermometer gives me a good idea of where he is though. The display topped out at 99.3℉, well within the normal range. I knew it was safe to ride.

Good time to give it a once over.

As fall makes its appearance here in my neck of the woods, I like to reevaluate my guys' feed, winter coats, and even the health of their skin. I also took a peek in my Med Kit to see if anything had cracked, oozed, or leaked. Everything looked good so I cleaned my thermometer and tucked it back into it's little pouch.

Hopefully that will be the last and only "scare" of the season. Anyone else starting colic season?

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You're Fired?

10/8/2018

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I love Speedy, I really do. That horse has helped me accomplish so many goals. He's even more special considering that he wasn't bred specifically for dressage, but he does it anyway. Despite being amazing, there are still days when he makes me so mad. After Saturday's disaster of a ride, I shot off a text to Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables.

I had to bleep out a word.

On Sunday morning, after yet another ride with nothing but bolty, head-in-the-air-canters, I simply stopped him, it couldn't even be called a halt, and slid off. His level of try had dropped to zero, and he was nothing but pissed. It would have been hard to say who was more frustrated, him or me.

I sent Chemaine yet another text.

I had to bleep out another word.

It would seem that being a year-end winner and recipient of tons of awards doesn't mean squat when you move up a level. Have a slice of humble pie, Sweaney, your head was getting too big for your helmet.

Third Level is definitely kicking our butts.

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Speaking of Feed ...

10/5/2018

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Or, I was last week. What I forgot to mention was how I scored an awesome feed scale completely free.

Teachers are notorious for saving every box, container, or random thing that might prove useful for a lesson someday in the far future. I admit that I am especially guilty of this as I teach a lot of hands on science that requires ... stuff. My classroom drawers are filled with things like Q-Tips, popcorn, and even chopsticks - don't judge. Someday those chopsticks will be just what I need.

Now and then, one of my colleagues will take an honest look at what is in her maybe someday cupboard. She will realize that someday is really never. The worthless items will then get deposited in the teachers' lounge for some other "resourceful" teacher to carry back to her own classroom. With a frequency that I am loathe to admit, I am more than occasionally that crazy somebody.

Who's crazy now?!

What the original owner did not realize was that the scale has a uniquely awesome purpose to the right somebody - me, and that that purpose has nothing to do with the classroom. Too late now, my dear colleague. No take backs! The second I saw this beauty sitting on the table, I scooped it up knowing that it was headed straight to the barn. Classroom be damned!

That Folgers can is a classic by the way. No one makes the metal cans anymore.

And that is how I came be to the proud owner of this awesome feed scale!

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Izzy's A Rock Star

10/4/2018

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Not all of the time of course, but lately, he's been putting on his big boy pants. After I rode Speedy through all of those (attempted) flying changes, I hopped up on Izzy for a second lesson in the same day.

Nothing to see here. Just a boring stretchy walk.

I told Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, that I really just wanted some feedback on how he was moving compared to our last lesson in ... early June? Turns out, she couldn't say enough positive things.

Not even the same horse, am I right?

It was after our last lesson in June that I decided to move Izzy into the dressage legal bit for good. It wasn't easy, and it has taken months for him to relax the same way he did in the ported bit, but I feel confident that the worst of the drama is behind us.

It was just good moment after good moment.

Here's a quick minute of some trot work.

We then played around with some leg yields and even a bit of half pass.

When he's not worried, he's quite fun to ride.

He is ALWAYS in front of my leg which makes things easier (when he's not bolting that is!).

I finished up the ride with a bit of canter, including counter canter from Second Level. Then I asked Chemaine to get on him. While I love getting a trainer ride for both of my horses, what I really wanted was for her to feel how much more relaxed he has become. Her feedback tells me what to work on next. Plus, when I watch Chemaine ride, it gives me a good model to try to emulate when he gets sticky or tense.

He's so naturally uphill.

This horse has never been easy, but it has been very rewarding bringing him along. He makes my heart sing. Usually. Okay, sometimes.

Just kidding!

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Fall Lesson

10/3/2018

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I know that this past weekend's lessons won't be the only ones I get this fall, but they were a great start. I told Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, that there were three things I needed to work on with Speedy.

Warming up.

The first was simply getting him sharper off my aids. We finished our show season winning the CDS Regional Adult Amateur Competition at Second Level. Since then, I've gone back to work, and I now have to ride in the late afternoon heat. Neither Speedy nor I really wanted to work hard at anything. We've been kind of coasting along. Now that the weather is cooling off, we need to get back into race trim.

The second thing I wanted to work on was the half pass at trot, but as it turned out, Chemaine had us working on half pass at both the trot and canter, something we had yet to start. Apparently, I've been practicing the trot half pass mostly correctly. All I really needed to do was look at a point before the corner so that my half pass went at more of an angle. They're still very rudimentary, but we have the idea down.

The canter half passes were barely even half passes. The main trouble was Speedy was convinced I was going to ask for a flying change. It took a while for him to figure out what I was doing; me, too for that matter. In the end, we got a few strides where he and I started to get it. My big take away from that part of the lesson was that I need a whole lot of bend before I can even think about asking for his hind end to step over. We'll get there.

Everything we're doing now is improving the canter.

The final thing I wanted to work on was the flying change - of course. Right to left we have down. I can get it the first time pretty much every time. The only thing I really need to work on is asking for it sooner and sooner with less drama. Here's video of the first time I asked. His change is so quiet that you'll barely see it, if at all.

Left to right is a different story. As I worked on them by myself over the past few weeks, I figured out that I needed to ride it differently than when asking for a change from right to left. The main problem is that he's falling in on the right shoulder which means he can't change. It kind of looks like this ...

He's almost got the flying part right!

Chemaine helped me fix a slue of little issues before I asked for the change. The first was that he kept trying to bolt as I changed the bend. To fix that, Chemaine had me keep on cantering as though all I really wanted was a counter canter.

So much drama, but so much try!

When he refused to soften to the inside rein, I just kept cantering without asking for the change. Eventually, I got a change in front, and later a change in back. To get it all to work, I needed Speedy to get soft on the inside rein, AND I needed a strong half halt to get the change behind. Here's where the pieces finally came together, albeit a bit disjointed.

In the end, I was able to put it all together and get the change, even if it wasn't as prompt as I would have liked. As soon as I came out of the corner, I changed the bend and started half halting, reminding him to be soft on the inside. The outside rein said no bolting, the inside rein said stay soft, and my seat said change. It took a big outside rein, but he finally got it.

That magical moment ...

We can fly - flying change, that is!

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Speaking of Cooler Weather

10/2/2018

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I've been watching Izzy's coat change and darken for the past several weeks. His winter coat is easy to spot as it comes in nearly black while his summer coat is an unattractive faux buckskin color.

I love the beginning of his winter coat!

Speedy's winter coat is very hard to see because it's actually whiter than his silvery summer coat. It's so white that the majority of his fleabites (the reddish brown freckles that many grey Arabs sport) will disappear until next spring.

I am sure it didn't actually happen over-night even though it feels as though it did, but Speedy's winter coat made an appearance this weekend. As soon as I rubbed the jelly scrubber over his coat, his summer hair simply let loose. Where he had had a smooth thin coat last weekend, this weekend he started to show signs of his polar bear winter look.

Bye bye, summer!

While I'll miss the ease of caring for their summer coats, I won't miss the heat of summer. I am ready for some cooler afternoons. What's it like where you live?

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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 and occasional trail horse. He is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.

May 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 Zweibrücker gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.

Second Show - July 2016

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

Stuff I'm Working On ...

Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Scores
Second Level Scores:
Score 1: 63.485%
Score 2: 61.282%
Score 3: 62.879%

CDS Championship Qualifying
Second Level Scores:
Score 1: 63.485%
Score 2: 61.282%
Score 3: 62.879%
Score 4: 61.970%
Score 5: 62.973%

CDS Ruby Rider Award
Training Level Scores:
Score 1: 70.179%
Score 2: 72.600%

First Level Scores:
Score 1: 66.093%
Score 2: 68.750%

Second Level Scores:
Score 1: 63.485%
Score 2: 62.879%

USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award
Score 1 - 62.879%
Score 2 - 61.970%
Score 3 - 64.242%
Score 4 - 64.268%

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

2018 Show Season

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

2018 Pending …
Season over

2018 Completed …
1/14/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
2/10/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
2/24/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
3/17/18 Hurtado Clinic (t)
3/18/18 GEAHS (*)
3/31/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
4/14-15/18 El Sueno (***)
5/27/18 Tehachapi (*)
6/16-17/18 El Sueno (***)
6/24/18 Tehachapi (*)
7/22/18 Tehachapi (*)
7/28-29/18 El Sueno (***)
8/11-12/18 RAAC (Q ***)
8/26/18 Tehachapi (*)

Finding My Reset Button

Speaking of Colic Season ...

Training Gaps

Hitting the Reset Button

Colic Season

You're Fired?

Speaking of Feed ...

Izzy's A Rock Star

Fall Lesson

Speaking of Cooler Weather

About the
Writer & Rider

About Speedy G

About Izzy

National Awards

Stuff I Read

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About the Writer & Rider

About Speedy G

About Izzy

National Awards

Stuff I Read

By Topic

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About the
Writer & Rider