Not-So-Speedy Dressage

A Collecting Exercise

9/13/2019

Actually, the exercise does a lot more than collect the horse. It also teaches him to want to move forward and to like it. But first ...

Earlier this week I had a lesson with Chemaine Hurtado owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables. I imagine that if it were feasible for me to be in full training, which it's not, Chemaine would probably have a more structured system for my lessons. As it is, she sort of leaves it up to me to let her know how this or that exercise went, what we're suddenly doing well, and where we're stuck. And when I say we, I mean Speedy because he's the other half of this team.

Oh, this? This is now part of our warm up.

Before we started THE EXERCISE, we did have to sharpen Speedy up to my leg and get him supple. There was a lot of half halt and a SURPRISE! tap with the whip. It didn't take him long to realize that a half halt was going to be followed with a suggestion that he engage his badonkadonk. You can see the result in the medium trot above.

Blurry shoulder in

Since Speedy will always take the path of least resistance, we had to do the same sharpening up on the shoulder in. When he got lazy, I surprised him with a sudden tap with the whip to remind him that he is now required to have energy all. the. time.

Shoulder in to haunches in.

A favorite suppling exercise of Chemaine's is the shoulder in to haunches in. She loves this for warming the horse up for the half pass. Speedy is not the biggest fan of the work because it's work, but it definitely gets him more supple. It goes like this: through the corner get a deep bend. Ride out of the corner in shoulder in. When you like the quality of the shoulder in - ours always needs more work, but whatever; reverse it to a haunches in. Again, when you like the quality of that, move back into the shoulder in. Ideally you should be able to get several of each down a single long side.

Haunches in all the way down the long side.

By this point in the lesson, we needed something else to keep Speedy thinking forward and being supple. He can give me one or the other, but he hates doing both at the same time. Chemaine called the exercise passad. I googled the heck out of the term, but I couldn't find any reference to it. If I'm spelling it incorrectly, let me know.

One stride of canter pirouette.

Here's how the exercise goes: pick up a collected canter. On the short side get the horse's stride as short as you can. As you come through the corner get maximum bend, and half halt with an open and back outside rein to really get the haunches under your horse. Then almost pivot through the corner. The point is to get the horse thinking about deep collection like in a canter pirouette. Come out of the corner with the horse deeply bent around your leg and looking at H.

Maximum bend with the haunches in.

Now you can begin the half pass to centerline. Since the horse has been collected as short as he can, now is the opportunity to open up that canter for a more forward stride in the half pass, something Speedy hates to do. After a few of those super collected canter corners, he started to think that canter half pass was looking a lot easier.

After you half pass to center line, stay on the same lead shortening the stride on a 10-meter half circle back into the opposite corner. Repeat. Here's video of Chemaine explaining the exercise and then coaching me through it several times.

After going through it both directions, we repeated the exercise at the trot. Speedy's trot half passes suddenly developed a bit more impulsion. Funny how something you thought was hard isn't so hard when you replace it with something that is definitely hard!

And then, just to shake off all that "hard," we finished up with some medium trot. Looking pretty good, Speedy G!

Our next show, USDF-rated, is in late October. We were so close to getting that 60% in mid-summer. I think we're definitely better than we were even a month ago. I think we really can do it this next time around.

But if not, there's always a next show!

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Like SafeSport, But on Steroids

9/12/2019

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I will never again complain about the lost hour and a half that the original SafeSport training took me. Just before school started, my district office notified its teaching staff that we would be required to complete 3 hours of online "interactive" training courses on our own time. Oh, and I didn't get a certificate either.

The first training course had three modules.

The first one-hour course had three modules, one of which included our annual Employee Training. This is the SafeSport type of stuff: recognizing the signs of child abuse, child neglect, bullying, sexual molestation, etc. It also included all that business about teachers being mandated reporters (MR). Being a MR means I can get in big, BIG trouble if I knowingly turn a blind eye to anything that even smacks of child abuse. I've actually filed more than one Child Protective Services (CPS) report during my tenure as an educator. Forget about SafeSport's sanctions; not reporting could get me arrested. And jailed. And fired.

One of the questions.

We were also notified of various laws that are new to California along with what to do if we have a shooter on campus. It was all pretty basic stuff except there was no way to pause or rewind the videos, so if you missed something, you were kind of screwed. Or in my case, the custodian came in to clean, and I had to ask him not to vacuum because I couldn't hear the video!

And another ...

Just because I get back on after a bonk on the head doesn't mean my students should.

The second training, a mere 45 minutes, involved some really basic material. If you've been a teacher for more than ten minutes, you should already know this stuff. Heck, even my husband, who is not a huge fan of pint-sized munchkins, could have passed the test without seeing the video. In case you're worried, I scored 100%.

You'd have to be idiot not to know how to supervise the playground. Best advice I can give: DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK!

It was the third training that really made my eyeballs roll. I listened to a solid hour of how terrible adults can be to one another. Jeez, people, how inappropriate can you get?

This one. This one was SafeSport on Steroids.

I had to watch video after video about how it is not appropriate to comment on someone else's sexuality. I was also told that no still means no which means I am not allowed to keep asking the next door teacher out on a date after he has previously told me no 10,000 times. Really? Who does that? I am married of course, so it isn't me.

It always freaks me out that teachers or priests could even behave this way.

At one point in the video I was "welcomed" to my annual training. My ears perked up at that phrase. Annual? You mean I have to watch this same video again next year? While teachers get these trainings every year, this version, the online interactive thing, was new. I was horrified that I might have to spend three hours again next August listening to the same training. And on the heels of my SafeSport training which renews on September 1, 2020.

A big hello from Sweaney's 5th Grade Stallions!

Rest assured all you moms and dads out there. I am the BEST TRAINED dressage rider you'll ever meet!

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Izzy Went to ANOTHER Show

9/11/2019

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And guess what? Neither of us died. In fact, we both had a really good time. Considering it was a three hour drive both directions, I was especially proud of how easily he handled it all.

Before anybody gets too excited, I was super lame when it came to taking photos or asking anyone to video my rides. My husband came out to the ranch the before though and took a few photos, so those will have to do.

I love how relaxed he is!

So here is how this particular show came about. It was Labor Day Monday, and I was looking at the upcoming show schedule for the fall and early winter. By this point in the season, I am usually done showing. I've either had enough, I am broke, or I am some combination of done and broke. Not this year though, so I was trying to see if there was anything I could still do with Izzy.

I realized that the Ventura County Chapter of CDS was putting on a schooling show the following weekend. I am a planner though, so going to a show three hours away without a PLAN was just not in the cards. And then I thought about it some more. Why couldn't we go? My friend Jen was managing the show, so I texted her to see if I could still get in. "Of course!" came the answer. For the first time ever, I went to a show without carefully planning it first.

Jen doesn't know how to say no which is why everyone loves her.

Like the show from a few weeks back, the level we show at isn't important right now. While we're schooling half passes and simple changes, I am more concerned with Izzy feeling confident and successful which means we're going to hammer away at Training Level until he gets off the trailer overly relaxed and bored out of his mind.

I am loving his ears! No tension there at all.

Since our drive was so long, we didn't pull into White Birch until a bit after 10:00 a.m., long after everyone else had already grabbed their piece of the limited parking. While a lovely facility, White Birch is notorious for having tight parking. After circling the property twice looking for some kind of opening in which to shoehorn my anything-but-short rig, I finally ended up just pulling off to the edge of the gravel drive. This meant that Izzy was standing in the road the whole time. Every time someone needed to drive by, I pushed his hip over so they could squeeze past. He never even batted an eye.

He wasn't worried about it at all.

With about an hour and a half until my first ride, my first priority was doing a walk about. At the show we did a few weeks back, that really seemed to help Izzy settle. The longer we walked, the more confident he grew. We circled past all of the trailers, walked by the warm up ring, and then headed down to the covered arena and show office. Jen and I took a few minutes to catch up, but then I continued walking Izzy around the ring and back and forth. He had been to White Birch once before for a clinic back in 2016, but it's still a scary ring.

White Birch's ring (2016). While he looked great in this moment, we spent the entire lesson circling at E/B just to get a few moments of this kind of stretch.

We walked back up to the trailer where I tacked him up before retracing our steps for yet another walking tour. He wasn't bugged-eyed about anything, but he wasn't dragging his nose on the ground either. I didn't care. I kept the lead rope long and loose, only correcting him when he balked or got his head above mine.

Schooling a bit of trot half pass.

Since we were parked adjacent to the warm up, we didn't have far to go. My plan was to walk until he felt relaxed. I've been following the exact same warm up routine at home, so within a minute or so, Izzy was listening and trying hard. We did some trot serpentines, a bit of canter, and then returned to the trot work. He spooked a few times here and there, but there were no theatrics other than trying to be above the bit so that he didn't have to get round. And with that, we headed to the ring for Training Level Test 3.

Both scores were 60%+

As we entered at X, I couldn't believe how relaxed I felt while riding the test. There was no anxiety or pressure to "perform." I was just there to ride my horse, and that's what I did. There were no spectacular moments - well, maybe that 7.0 for our left lead canter, but there weren't any disastrous moments either. The judge's comments were spot on, "Capable pair - keep working to create stretch to bit w/more energy from behind and suppling exer[cises]. Horse will gain confidence with more experience. Good effort today!"

As we halted at X, I was stunned by the boisterous round of applause that we received. You'd have thought we had scored an 80%. Afterwards, a number of friends and strangers alike congratulated me on a well ridden test. It couldn't have been that spectacular as we only eked out a 60.172%, but it warmed my heart to hear so many good things about my big brown horse. I've been told by many, many people that they would have sent him down the road long ago. While I certainly considered it more than a few times, I am very glad that I did not.

Besides, how could you not love this face?

For our second test, we were doing Training Level Test 1. I kept our warm up pretty short as I knew he was as relaxed as he was going to get. Physically, he felt great, but I could sense that he was reaching his mental quota for the day. While he behaved himself for the test, I knew he was thinking about telling me NO about every other stride. Interestingly, the judge saw something else, and I suspect it was a bit of his you can't make me attitude. What felt like sassiness to me, came across as confident to her. For this test, she remarked, "More confident horse this ride. Keep dev[eloping] suppleness in conn[ection] and forward, swing[ing] back. Good effort today!"

While I tend towards a glass half full mentality, I am truthful when we fail. Other than secretly wishing we could have earned a 70%, there was not one part of this show experience that left me feeling disappointed. I was on Cloud 9 the entire three hours home. After SO. MANY. YEARS. Izzy and I are finally able to go to a show without fear of scattering other riders or tearing apart the ring. The judge was absolutely right; with more experience, Izzy will gain confidence.

I think there's another schooling show in November. Sign us up!

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Schooling What You Don't Show

9/10/2019

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I've had a couple of kicked my butt weeks. The switch from having the summer off to going back to work full time is always a bitter pill to swallow. It's not that I don't like working, I do. Teaching is very rewarding - usually. It's the fact that August and September afternoons are still flipping hot, 100 degrees hot, and I just can't do that to myself or my boys. After not having ridden mid-week for two straight weeks though, Friday's heat was finally tolerable enough to ride.

Can you tell it's 100 degrees?

Somewhere along the way, Izzy has grown up. I think it happened last March. Of course, once fall and winter hit, I expect some of his jackassery to return, but until then, I am having the most rewarding rides.

As I continue up the levels with Speedy, I occasionally think of the adage show a level below what you school. I've always found that idea to be arrogant. If I knew how to do the movements above where we are, I'd be schooling them. But since I am learning right along with Speedy, we show right where we are schooling.

It's different with Izzy. Now I know what a leg yield should feel like. The same for a shoulder in. I know how much bend I should look for in the half pass, and I know that a change of lead through trot is setting him up for flying changes. As I was schooling him on Friday afternoon, I laughed when I realized that the only "movement" from training level that we were schooling was the stretchy trot. I now finish my rides on both boys with long and deep stretches.

Since it was 100 degrees, I kept the ride pretty short. We did a quick walking warm up, focusing on being really round and deep with lateral flexion. From there, we did a few 20-meter trot circles with changes of bend across the diagonal. I also asked him to lengthen his stride. We did a few leg yields followed by some trot half pass to get a change of direction. That took care of the trot work.

I followed the trot work up with a few trot to canter transitions and then did some changes of lead through trot. Next was the canter half pass to check on his suppleness. And since we don't have a flying change yet, I rode the counter canter along the short side and then did a few more changes of lead through trot.

So now, I can actually show several levels below what we school. Our 21-minute ride had movements from First, Second, and Third Levels. It's a lot easier when you already "know" what you're doing.

Here are a few clips of what we worked on over the weekend.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we went to another show on Sunday! More on that tomorrow.

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ISO: Browband Advice

9/9/2019

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I love sparkly, beautiful browbands on other people's horses. A nice browband adds a touch of elegance and regalness to most any horse. Just not mine. It took me forever to finally buy a browband for Speedy's bridle. Everything I looked at was just too flashy. I finally found the one from Red Barn. It has a gentle curve with subtle pearls and stones. It suits both of us.

I am finally feeling ready to buy Izzy's bridle a new browband. His bridle currently sports a browband with small clinchers, one of which recently broke off. Now that he's proven he can be a show horse, I am thinking that he has earned something a bit fancier. Since subtle is my middle name though, I am not necessarily the best judge of fancy. My fancy is usually someone else's plain jane. So, if I am actually going to really go for it, I need a bit of advice.

Izzy's clinchers browband on the left, Speedy's pearls on the right.

What's the current thinking? Is it better to match your browband to your horse or to your jacket? I ride in a navy jacket (shown above) and don't see that changing any time soon. I like it, it's super comfortable, and it fits well. If I do decide to go for an upgrade, it will in all likelihood be another navy option, or possibly black.

If I go for something that matches my jacket, reason would suggest that I should choose something in blue stones. The problem with that is that I just don't see Izzy in blue. I should back up. As many times as I've looked for fancy browbands, nothing, and I mean nothing has ever tempted me, so I never really pictured him in any color. Until recently that is.

Swarovski and Tiffany Browband in Montana Blue, Clear, and Pearl.

I was perusing the Dressage Pony Store's website and landed on Valerie's selection of full size browbands. This blue one, a pretty fancy number, started calling my name. At around $100, the price is within my ball park even though it's currently sold out.

The same browband in Rose Gold, Clear, and Opal Crystal

With Izzy's warm coat color, bucksin-esque in late summer, and a deep seal brown the rest of the year, I am wondering if he wouldn't look better in a browband that sported warmer tones? I am in love with this rose gold browband and feel certain that it would look stunning on him. But like I said, my equine fashion sense when it comes to bling is not really to be trusted, hence the plea for advice.

Capri Gold Pale Blue Pearls Alternation

But then I saw this one. It has the golden colors that I think would look fabulous with his coat, but there are also pale blue pearls that might work with my navy coat. This browband sells for $90. I don't love it nearly as much as the one above, but maybe in person it's so stunning that I'd be wowed no matter which one I was looking at.

So, what do you all think? Match the horse? Match the coat? Just how are these things done?

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Horses Are Expensive 3.0 - August

9/6/2019

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August felt far more expensive than the numbers would suggest. Getting a full refund from my RAAC entry helped. (If you'll remember, Speedy developed an abscess days before the show, and we didn't get to go.) Plus, I saved a ton of money by not going to RAAC at all. No gas, no groceries, no incidentals. It's funny how not showing is such a great way to save money.

I also missed out on some lessons. With Speedy's abscess and school starting, I just couldn't seem to get my schedule to match up with my trainer's. We only managed one lesson for the entire month.

I had to spend the money somewhere though, so I bought two pairs of Thinline reins and a few other things. An old endurance friend has generously been selling off some of my endurance tack which I have turned around and "reinvested." I was able to (mostly) pay for the hoof testers and knife as well as a new tub of Numotizine, all of which I hope I never need to use.

Blue Truck put a dent in my budget as well. I had a ton of work done last December which I paid for when I received the bill. At the time, it seemed as though the bill was a bit light, so for several months I messaged the owner asking for the rest of the bill. When I got no response, I assumed I was wrong in how much I owed. Turns out I wasn't. I finally got the bill in August. Womp, womp.

Photo Credit Mike Novotny

Between the entry fee and a tank of gas, it cost me $158 to show Izzy. Of all of my expenses for the month, that was one one which I was most happy to spend. In fact, I am disappointed that we're on the back side of the show season. I think it would be great to get him to another show as soon as possible. There are a few things coming up this fall, but there are also a lot of conflicts. Of course, the perfect show weekend for Izzy falls on the same weekend as a different show that Speedy and I had already planned on doing.

First world problems. In this case, they're problems I am glad to have.

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How Many Sets of Reins Do I Need?

9/5/2019

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Probably five, one for each functioning bridle. I should be careful about that criteria though as there are at least three bridles in my garage and another two in my office, none of which I use, but they're all "functioning." Do they still need reins?

Of the I-have-a-use-for-them bridles, both Izzy and Speedy have two. Izzy has two standard snaffle bridles, each with a bit with a different purpose. Speedy has a dressage bridle and a rope riding halter, both of which get used regularly. He also has an endurance bridle, which hasn't been on him in several years, but I keep it as a trail bridle option.

That still doesn't answer the question of how many sets of reins I own or need. So again, how many sets of reins are there? You'll have to be more specific. I now have the previously stipulated 5 sets of reins at the barn. That seems more than reasonable. Unfortunately, I actually own far more sets of reins than I can count on one hand. Or even two hands. And I might be dangerously close to needing three hands.

Three sets of reins in my office.

As I write this, there are currently three sets of reins living in the closet in my office, two of which are brand new. In my defense, I am pretty sure they were freebies. There is a cotton web pair, a laced leather pair, and an interesting leather pair that I am considering trying.

Top Row: western split reins, cheap leather reins, well used rubber reins. Bottom Row: 2 pairs cotton web reins, beta English reins (these are so nice!), and laced reins.

Out in the garage, there are 7 pairs of reins, all of which are in excellent shape excluding the rubber pair. I keep a pair of western split reins for starting youngsters although why is a little bit of a mystery as I swore off babies long ago. Speedy cured me of wanting another three, four, or five year old. The other six pairs are a mixture of smooth leather, cotton web, laced leather, and a lovely Beta pair that I wish I loved. I think I would nearly pay someone to make me an offer on any or all of them. Really. Do it. At least offer to cover the shipping.

Matching sets of Thinline reins.

Do you remember that I just bought a set of Thinline reins. I really liked them. I liked them so much that I took them off Speedy's bridle so that I could use them on Izzy's bridle at the recent show we did. It's not that I am particularly lazy, or rich, but I liked them so much that I wanted to use them for every ride no matter which horse I was riding, but frankly, switching them out every day was not realistic. Guess what I now own TWO of?

Because I NEEDED these.

This purchase happened quickly because I already knew that The Dressage Pony Store carried the Thinline reins as cheaply as I was going to find. I didn't have to research a thing. And just like with the first set, I ordered on Sunday, Valerie had them in the mail on Monday, and they were on Speedy's bridle by Tuesday.

So how many sets of reins do I really need? A lot fewer than currently reside in my house. I am serious about needing to part with most of them.

Help a girl out, won't you?

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Worst. Lesson. Ever.

9/4/2019

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I don't have bad lessons. I always learn something, even if it's what not to do. Sunday's lesson was terrible, and it was not my fault. It was not Chemaine Hurtado's fault - owner at trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables. I am placing the entirety of the blame at Speedy's wild-child hooves. DUDE!

He tried to explode in all four directions. Repeatedly. For over an hour.

I rarely ride Speedy for more than hour, and if I do, it's during a lesson with plenty of walk breaks. On Sunday, I rode him for nearly an hour and a half with virtually no walk breaks. Granted, most of that time was spent regrouping from the latest round of bucks and kicks, so I am not sure how tired he ended up being. Not tired enough would be my vote.

Can't and won't turn.

The day before, Speedy was absolutely brilliant. We half passed and we did neat little flying changes. I was so excited to show Chemaine how we have incorporated her exercise for getting more suspension instead of more forward. Sunday was one of those days were all he had was FORWARD. He had plenty of go, but there was no steering and certainly no bending of any kind. It's kind of hard to school half passes when your horse won't bend.

You will bend!

I WILL NOT!

Poor Chemaine. She tried every exercise she could think of. Speedy just was not in the mood. We did shoulder in to haunches in down the long side. We did shoulder in to haunches in on the circle. We galloped. I used the whip. I tossed the whip. I used the whip again and tossed the whip again. We walked. We jigged. We did walk pirouettes.

I told you NO!

Honestly, Speedy. What a day ...

Speedy was just so full of himself that he could not do anything that even resembled dressage. He wasn't sick, he wasn't sore, he was just feeling GOOD. It was the first morning in a long while that felt cool. I almost regretted not wearing long sleeves. Of course it broke a hundred later in the day, but the morning felt fabulous. Or at least Speedy thought so.

From the one or two good moments he had.

The lesson wasn't a complete waste though, Chemaine showed me a good exercise to start the canter pirouette as well as a half pass to counter canter to flying lead change. Of course, the very next day he did each exercise quietly with his usual try hard demeanor. Speedy is such a saint that I totally forgave him for having a wild day. If he needs a day to let it all hang out, I think he's earned it.

I just wish he would have picked a day where I wasn't paying to ride. Sheesh!

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Motivation

9/3/2019

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I rarely lack the motivation to get out to the barn and ride. It's more likely that I have to remind myself to give my horses a day off. They're not machines after all. I am lucky that my job gives me summers off. With our super high summer temperatures - an "easy" summer is one with 35 triple-digit days, it can be really hard for most people to find the motivation to ride after work. I don't have that distractor; I can ride in the mornings during the summer. That's over though. School started a few weeks ago, so I am now on a "regular" schedule.

That's way more missed days than normal.

Last week was tough though. My motivation was at an all time low. I rode Izzy at the show on Sunday, and then the boys barely saw me for the rest of the week. Number one, it was insanely hot, and neither horses "needed" to be ridden. I made sure to show up every other day, but I didn't do much besides clean their waters and make sure all of their parts were still attached. Number two, I worked long hours doing a lot of mentally challenging tasks that basically sapped me of any desire to do anything but stare at a blank wall.

Happily enjoying their weekend breakfasts.

I try to be to work by 6:15 a.m. which means I get up by 5:00 at the latest. I'm a morning person by nature, but even so, it's hard to do every day. On Saturday, I slept in until nearly 7:00. As much as I wanted to lay around the house for a bit, I knew that I needed to get some momentum going. If I let a lack of motivation take over, the day drifts by me, and nothing get done. By the time I pulled into the barn, my regular eagerness to ride had returned.

He was actually quite happy to get back to work.

Speedy left his breakfast when he saw me. He'd had nearly ten days off, so he was definitely ready to play. in fact, we had one of those rides where I wondered if someone had been training him on the sly. He was nicely in front of my leg and quite happy to work for more suspension instead of forward. In fact, one of his medium trots blew me away it was so good! Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, had told me that getting him more up would help the medium trot. She was right!

He's developing so much confidence!

Even Izzy acted like the week off did him some good. The last time he'd been ridden was the Sunday before at the show. Not wanting to to risk any fresh horse arguments, I bridled him with the ported bit, but I don't think I needed it. He was completely rideable. His transitions were sharp, and he was happy to work. My focus is now about maintaining a solid connection, and he was happy to keep reaching for the bit.

Breakfast lasts through lunchtime at the ranch. There's always a meal available.

It's weekends like this one that feed my motivation. It's nearly impossible to stay away when the rewards are so great.

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SafeSport Refresher

9/2/2019

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Man. They aren't messing around. On Sunday morning, I got this email from US Equestrian.

Thanks for the polite reminder.

Last year, when the SafeSport training was launched, I dutifully, if not particularly willingly, completed the training well in advance of the required date. I did it on August 31, 2018 to be exact. US Equestrian's email arrived on September 1, 2019. I knew I was due for the refresher course, but since this is the first year for a refresher course, I wasn't quite sure how it was going to work. I assumed I'd get a friendly reminder just like when it's time to renew my membership. I got a reminder all right, but I didn't expect it to be so snappy and accusatory. Sheesh, US Equestrian. You made it sound like I failed to show up for a court hearing.

How about a slightly friendlier letter? Maybe along the lines of Dear Karen Sweaney, You are due to complete the SafeSport Refresher Course in order to be eligible to compete at USEF-licensed competitions. Yada yada yada. In fact, the email doesn't even mention that it's the refresher course I needed to take. Nope. Instead, I got a big fat accusation, "Because you did not complete the required SafeSport Training ..." Which kind of freaked me out because I did take the initial training, and I had a certificate to prove it.

Introductory Video

While I might not be shy about voicing my opinion, I am still a rule follower, so I sat down on Sunday afternoon to take the course. I don't know if it was because US Equestrian's website was down over the weekend - I think they were moving to a new building, but logging on to my account on USEF and then getting to the SafeSport training both took a fair amount of time. Thankfully, I didn't have to retake the whole thing though. SafeSport seemed to know who I was and sent me to the Refresher Course.

Well that was pretty easy.

Once I was finally on and ready to go, the course took no more than 15 minutes. I watched an introductory video, answered 7 questions on a pretest, and then read through a number of note cards all designed to remind me of what bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct look like. I was also reminded of when to report a violation. The course ended with a posttest that was made up of the same 7 questions I took as a pretest.

As a classroom teacher who goes through much broader training each year, SafeSport's refresher course was thankfully quick and painless and certainly much better than was the original course.

It's official.

And of course, when you finish, you get this handy dandy, very official certificate recognizing you for successfully completing SafeSport's Refresher Course. As I was studying the certificate though, I noticed that it stipulated that I had done Refresher Course 1. That got me wondering just how many Refresher Courses there might be, so I zipped back over to US Equestrian to see if I was truly finished.

Whew. Good to go.

Since I am hoping to take Speedy to a USDF-rated show in October, I wanted to make sure to get this done in as timely a manner as possible. I just wish US Equestrian would have been a bit less brusque in their communication. We're all supposed to support one another in a positive and friendly atmosphere, right?

I think we should expect the same thing from our governing bodies.

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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 showing Third Level 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 and showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.

March 2019

Bakersfield Dressage approved!

FOR THE SMALLER EQUINE ATHLETE

I love her stuff!

National Awards

USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award - 2018

2nd Level Rider Performance, 2018

USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015

1st Level Rider Performance, 2015

USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 2013

Training Level Rider Performance, 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
(r) Ride-a-Test Clinic
(Q) Must Qualify

2019 Pending …
9/14/19 Cavaletti Clinic (c)
10/26-27/19 SCEC (***)
11/17/19 Pacific Dress. (s)
12/7/19 El Sueno (***)

2019 Completed …
6/15-16/19 - El Sueno (***)
6/23/19 - TMC (*)
7/13-14/19 - El Sueno (***)
7/28/19 - TMC (*)
8/25/19 - TMC (*)
9/8/19 White Birch (s)

Qualifying Scores for 2019

Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC)
3rd Level Qualifying
3 Scores/2 Judges:
Score 1: 63.514% Lindholm
Score 2: 62.105% Lindholm
Score 3: 63.243% Wadeborn

CDS Championship
3rd Level Qualifying
5 Scores/4 Judges:
Score 1: 63.514% Lindholm
Score 2: 62.105% Lindholm
Score 3: 63.243% Wadeborn
Score 4:
Score 5:

Working Towards:

CDS 3rd Level Horse Performance Award
3 Judges/3 Shows:
Score 1: 63.514% Lindholm
Score 2: 62.105% Lindholm
Score 3: 63.243% Wadeborn
Score 4:
Score 5:
Score 6:

CDS Sapphire Rider Award
Third Level: 63.514%
Third Level: 62.105%
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 Collecting Exercise

Like SafeSport, But on Steroids

Izzy Went to ANOTHER Show

Schooling What You Don't Show

ISO: Browband Advice

Horses Are Expensive 3.0 - August

How Many Sets of Reins Do I Need?

Worst. Lesson. Ever.

Motivation

SafeSport Refresher

About the
Writer & Rider

About Speedy G

About Izzy

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