Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
But first … Visit She Moved To Texas and give us a vote! It's quick and easy; scroll down a bit, click the button that says Bakersfield Dressage, and cross your fingers for us! Our second test of the show was definitely better. The score says so and it felt better. For Training Level Test 2 we earned a 61.79%. I am not sure about Megan's "no placing" thing. I think she just didn't want her score to be public, and Barbara, who boards at White Birch, wanted to ride later in the day. I don't know what their scores were so I am not sure if we "beat them" or not which is a bummer because 4th place out of 8 sounds a lot better than 4th out of 6. Not that it matters though. This whole ride was better than the one before. The main reason is that I was a lot looser in my body and made a serious effort at being relaxed. I also focused on sitting more deeply. As I started the test, I reminded myself to not over-ride my horse. Instead, I relaxed and trusted him to do his part without micro-managing him. We ended up scoring a slew of 7s (5 of them to be exact) and a pile of 6s and 6.5s. We only had two 5s (for the right lead canter and downward transition). Those were bumpy, but we recovered nicely for our finish down centerline. As we made that last turn at A, Sydney stopped at A, and I was a little worried that he was going to excuse himself before we could get to X. I gave him a squeeze, and he picked the trot back up for our final halt and salute. I think the judge was very generous with his score for that movement. We made the turn, but I don't think it's supposed to be done at the walk! Our final halt felt very square, so maybe the judge weighted that part of the movement more heavily than the turn itself. He gave us a 6.5. I know the test is hard to read, but check out those 7s! If we can keep this kind of riding up, I will be a very happy rider indeed! Here are the judge's collective marks and further remarks.
3/20/2014 11:13:27 pm
Congrats! Sydney is a superstar. Your hard work is showing! 3/25/2014 10:34:04 am
Thanks, all. It wasn't a brilliant performance by any stretch, but it was improvement. No one can ever be disappointed by that! Comments are closed.
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About the Writer and RiderI am a lifelong 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. About Speedy GSpeedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
About IzzyIzzy 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 showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
National Rider AwardsState Rider Awards
State Horse Awards
Working Towards:
CDS Sapphire Rider Award Third Level: 63.514% Third Level: 62.105% Fourth Level: Fourth Level: 2023 Show Season
Show Rating (***) CDS/USDF/USEF (*) CDS (s) Schooling (c) Clinic (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic 2023 Show Schedule
TBD 2023 Completed … Pending 2023 Qualifying Scores
Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Training Level 3 Scores/2 Judges/60%: Score 1: Score 2: Score 3: Archives
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