Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
After I rode on Sunday, I hosed Izzy off and left him to graze on the lawn as he dried off. I saw him give a quick shake of his head, but it was nothing that caused me to be alarmed or even worried. He continued to graze as I sat cooling off in the shade. As usual, I poured his lunch bucket into his feeder and watched as he came strolling into his paddock. It wasn't until he was right in front of me that I noticed that the clip that connects the throat strap to the halter was swinging in the breeze. I tugged the halter over his ears and saw that the snap was broken. He must have hooked it on the wire fence and broke it when he jerked his head free. Shoot. There's no fixing that. I have really liked this halter, a Tekna breakaway halter. I actually have two of them, a black one for Speedy and this brown one for Izzy. The Tekna line of products are synthetic, but they look and feel very leather-like without the hassle of leather. And yes, my endurance roots are shining through. I have actually been considering getting a new one though as this halter is starting to show its age. First, the padding at the noseband and crown has begun to crack. Izzy long ago rubbed his name off the halter plate that someone gave me as a gift which was one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received. The hole that I use to buckle the halter is also starting to show its innards. Other than those few cosmetic issues, everything else is in good working order. Good enough anyway to continue using it. Now, I don't have to feel guilty about buying a new one. My birthday was in January. My mom had said she was sending me the usual Riding Warehouse gift card. When no card arrived, I assumed my mom had forgotten or something had prevented her from ordering it. It felt rude to call her up and say, "hey, where's my gift?" When she was here a week or so ago, Riding Warehouse came up in the conversation - horses are high on my list of things to talk about as is buying stuff for said horses. My mom asked what I had ended up buying with the gift card. When I told her that no gift card had arrived, she swore up and down that her credit card had been charged, so I placed a quick call to the fine folks over at Riding Warehouse. Within minutes, the customer service representative verified that yes, a gift card had been ordered, and no, it had not been redeemed. The best we could figure was that the email notifying me of the gift card had been lost in space. So guess what I now have? Yep, $200 to spend at my favorite online retailer. So, along with a new pair of C4 socks - these run a very close second to my all-time favorite Noble Outfitters Over the Calf Peddies, and a tub of Zephyr's Garden Skin Rescue Emollient Salve - poor Izzy has rubbed out most of the hair from his poll to his tail, I ordered the Schockemohle Ulm Round Raised Padded Leather Halter. I am not a fan of leather halters, but Riding Warehouse no longer carries the Tekna halter, and none of the other synthetic halters appealed to me.
The Shockemohle arrived last night, so I haven't had the chance to see if it fits yet. I hope it does because it is quite pretty and has several features that put it just a step above ho-hum. I like the adjustable noseband, the clip at the throat, and the double adjustable crownpiece will help with fit. Izzy wears a Full/Horse size in both of his bridles and Tekna Halter, so I am hoping I ordered the right size. Since he's my "new" show horse, I think he deserves to walk around in something a little nicer than his old halter. Don't let me down, buddy! 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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