Not-So-Speedy Dressage

A Give-Away From Roeckl

4/22/2019

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!

13 Comments

Trailer Maintenance

4/19/2019

5 Comments

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

8 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?

8 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.

1 Comment

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.

2 Comments

Happy Birthday, Speedy G!

4/15/2019

2 Comments

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.

4 Comments

Endurance Memories

4/11/2019

4 Comments

I rarely click "share" when I see my Facebook memories. I enjoy that feature of Facebook, but most of the time I simply smile or elbow my husband as I say, "remember this?" But yesterday, I must have been feeling a bit nostalgic as I shared this memory.

Just after completing the Git-R-Done 55 Miler

I totally dug endurance riding; every race was an adventure. Endurance races weren't just about the miles though. It was setting up camp, the group conversation while vetting in, the Friday night rider meeting, the mass of horses at the start, and of course rehashing ever step of the trail during the awards dinner. We were immersed in the race from Friday morning all the way until we unloaded our horses at home on Sunday evening.

Amie said it best.

It wasn't all great though which is why I segued into something else, dressage as it so happens. I thought I would be a lifer, someone who never leaves the sport, but I wasn't. A great friend of mine has been competing for decades and has no plans on quitting. She's got my respect for sure.

Kathy and I rode many, many, MANY miles together.

While I have fond memories of trotting down the trail, I don't miss it. Dressage shows have filled the gap nicely. I still get to camp with my horse, and while it's not basecamp, the little niche we set up in front of our stalls - supplied with a cooler, chairs, and tables, creates an intimate space for visiting with friends. We still have great conversations, but instead of rehashing every mile of the trail, we dissect every movement and score earned.

Riding at the Git-R-Done 55 miler in 2010.

Winning Second Level Test 3 Elite Division at RAAC 2018

I traded one detail-oriented sport for another. While dressage will leave you cleaner at the end of the day, it still takes a deep commitment, planning, and good old-fashioned grit. It was a good trade.

4 Comments

Back to Normal?

4/10/2019

2 Comments

I hate to even use that word. What is normal anyway?

Funny story: when I went to the cardiologist last week, (because what 48 year old doesn't want her own cardiologist? This one, that's who.) his verdict was that I am a "normal person." His words, not mine. And yes, he used air quotes. So when the cardiologist has to qualify what normal means when he's referring to YOU, you know that there are definitely shades of normality.

When I say back to normal, what I mean is that Speedy appears to be back to his typical self wherein "normal" means quirky, unconventional, outlandish, zany, idiosyncratic ... you pick.

50 shades of normal

His leg wounds look 98% healed over. You can read about the original injury here. There's still a bit of rough skin which should shrink over the next few months. I can't say whether all of the hair will grow back, but both legs look really good.

HIs right leg.

His left leg.

It's been too challenging to get an updated photo, not that it looks that much different, but Speedy's tooth is hanging in there. It's still a bit loose, so I don't know what that means for the long term health of the tooth. You can catch up on that story here with a follow up here. That small bit of gum that looked funky - the part next to the damaged tooth, looks much calmer than it did when I took the photo.

I just had a crown replaced myself, and the technician remarked that my gums had healed remarkably well. Of course I showed both her and the dentist Speedy's orthodontia which they both found incredibly fascinating. Her comment about my gums healing well, after three weeks I might add, got me thinking that Speedy's gums might need longer to heal than I first anticipated. The vet said six weeks; it's been just over three.

Photo from a week or so ago.

If you'll remember, Speedy was recently diagnosed with Cushing's Disease. Spring hit Bakersfield, but Speedy didn't start shedding as normal. (He's on Prascend in case anyone missed that part.) I threatened to body clip him in early April if he didn't get with the program; he got with the program. He's not shedding copious amounts, but the hair is finally coming out in chunks. It's weird to feel relief about shedding, but after the winter of woe we've had, I am entitled to feel relieved about weird crap.

Yes, it's weird to celebrate hair. No, I do not care.

So with all of his parts mostly in place, he's back to a regular work schedule which even included a lesson on Sunday. I'll get to that in a day or so. After working on the flying changes and a better push from behind, I decided to take it easy yesterday afternoon. It didn't hurt that the wind was gusting and threatening to knock us both over either. We don't want to actually be flying during those changes.

The view from between those ears - there's nothing like it.

I grabbed my riding halter, brushed off Speedy's back, and hopped up bareback. We cruised around the neighborhood for all of 23 minutes. He enjoyed it, I enjoyed it, and we both went home happy.

Here's to lots more normal.

2 Comments

Leg to Hand

4/9/2019

0 Comments

It doesn't matter how many times I write those words, I still find days where they mean something even more than the day before. I am either the world's slowest learner, or the idea of leg to hand is just as complicated as the words half halt. I am going with the latter.

I promise he's not really this grouchy.

I haven't had a lot to say about Izzy over the past few weeks. We've been working, but we seem to have hit a new stage in our working relationship. On the ground, he is in my pocket, sometimes literally. Under saddle, we're dealing with something old that feels like something new.

He finally has some length to his stride and his back is moving, but he is now locked onto that bit like he thinks it's actually going to hold him up. Dude, you're 1,350 pounds to my 124 - ain't no way I am holding you up! The other thing I am wrestling with is his wayward right shoulder which is actually great since that's the same issue I have with Speedy. I now get to work on it ALL. THE. TIME.

Post-ride sweat. It was in the mid-80s yesterday.

For so long, my rides were about getting Izzy to let go over his top line so that he could stretch down. Once that was mostly happening, I was able to ask for a bigger stride. I recently realized that we're now past stretching forward and downward as the primary goal. The emphasis now needs to be on suppleness from his jaw to his poll to his withers. That's the old that feels like something new.

He was TIRED!

While last night's ride started out as frustrating, I quickly changed my goal from encouraging strictly relaxation (there has to be some relaxation after all) to being supple in his neck. I wanted to be able to get right or left flexion whenever I wanted it. It took nearly an hour, but he started to give it to me.

The difficulty is that he wants to be spooky which means strong reins on my part to keep him from veering off - usually to the right. I also had to use the whip to make my leg aid loud enough for him to hear. Eventually, I brought everything back down to a walk so that I could control the forward while insisting with my leg/whip that he step OVER.

Wet saddle pads fix almost everything.

After he realized that spooking in the same corner that he's passed through a bazillion times wasn't getting him anything but the leg/whip combo, I was able to get some interesting work done. Essentially, I bent him to the inside to put him on the outside rein, and then I added leg to send him forward and sideways, first in leg yield then in half pass all while changing the bend. Leg to hand. Leg to hand. Leg to hand.

He never makes things easy, but for a thinking rider, he'll give you plenty of puzzles to solve. I just put one more piece in the puzzle.

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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 -

A Give-Away From Roeckl

Trailer Maintenance

Get These Gloves!

Clipper Clean-Up

It All Comes From Behind

Happy Birthday, Speedy G!

"Flying" Changes

Endurance Memories

Back to Normal?

Leg to Hand

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