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Not-So-Speedy Dressage

From Endurance to Dressage

A Year in Review: 2013

12/31/2013

 
I really don't want to review the whole year. The first one I did at the end of 2011 was kind of fun; the second one I did for 2012 took me days and days to write, so I am not going to do it again. 

Frankly, I just DO too much to report it in a short, monthly summary. Or, at least it feels like I am always doing something newsworthy. For me, there's a story in everything that happens at the barn, even when it's just a regular ride. So instead of the monthly recap, I am just going to give you some year-end totals and stats. 

Here are My 5 Year-in-Review Things: 

Money

First, how much did I spend this year ($18,932) as compared to last year ($21,101)? The good news is, less! I didn't keep my accounting as carefully as in 2012, but it's still pretty accurate. While it appears that I spent less in 2013, it's only because I paid off my horse trailer which means I spent $2,800 less in the Horse Trailer category, but only $2,179 less overall. 
Picture
Click chart to enlarge.
There were a few surprises on the list. Look at my vet costs - barely $700? That's for two horses! They get their teeth done annually, vaccinations, fecal counts, chiropractic work, etc. I guess we were just lucky this year that no one got sick or injured. 

I also think it's interesting that my lesson costs were so much higher than my show costs. I showed at five USDF shows this year; but I obviously spent a lot of time with trainers and clinicians, too.

Showing/Clinics

So how many shows and clinics did I do? I always keep a list on My Show Results tab which you can easily check out, but here's the run down:

With Speedy I did …
  • Four, 2-day USDF/USEF/CDS-rated shows
  • One, 1-day USDF/USEF/CDS-rated show
  • One schooling show
  • Two, 2-day clinics with Christian Schacht
  • One, 1-day clinic with Christian Schacht
  • One Fox Hunt (with Lousiana aboard)

With Sydney I did …
  • Three CDS-rated shows
  • Three schooling shows
  • One, 2-day clinic with Susanne von Dietze
  • One, 2-day clinic with Christian Schacht (the same one Speedy did)
  • One Ride-a-Test
  • One Fox Hunt

To list it another way …
  • 16 show days
  • 9 clinic rides
  • 1 Ride-a-Test
  • 1 Fox Hunt
Picture
RAAC 2013 - Photo By Mary Meyer

Lessons

I am not sure how helpful this chart is, but I am including it for those who like visual aids. Obviously I ride most of the time with my regular trainer, JL. I also rode with two clinicians this year as well as with two other trainers for a total of 65 lessons.
Picture
Click chart to enlarge.
 JL was on vacation in September which is why I rode with her only once. Most months I ride with her once a week, but in the summer, I tried for twice a week, but with my hectic show schedule, we just couldn't get the intended 8 lessons done. I find it interesting that I got a lot of instruction during the month of December; 8 lessons in total!
Picture
A lesson with Chemaine Hurtado - Photo by Donna F.

Rides on My Own

I had planned to tally just rides on my own without a trainer, but it got too tedious to itemize so instead, I counted every time that I rode whether it was at a show, with a trainer, or just on my lonesome. With one exception: if I was at a show, I counted it as one ride even though I probably untacked and rode several times during the day.
Picture
Click chart to enlarge.
I work "full time," vacation with my husband, get tired, attend meetings, and have the occasional pedicure. Even with all that craziness, I managed to ride my horses a total of 358 times during 2013. I rode Speedy G 171 times, and Sydney 187 times.

Even more surprising to me was the number of non-riding days: 109! I feel like I ride nearly every day, but in reality, I only rode 70% of the year. What I find even more interesting is that I rode those 358 times on only 256 days; that's a lot of two-a-days!

We went to Central America for 11 days in June which explains the large number of non-riding days in that month. 

Speedy was lame for two weeks in October due to an abscess (?) which explains his limited time under saddle.

Speedy was ridden more at the beginning of the year because I showed him through July, but after that, it was more about Sydney. 

I am sure you're wondering how I know all of this. I keep a calendar at the barn, and before I leave each day, I note what I did, who I rode, where, and any other tidbit that seems interesting. If someone seemed off, bucked like crazy, or was particularly mellow, I note that too. It's an easy way for me to keep track of both horses' health and riding schedules.
Picture
A schooling ride in April

In the End

I am very disappointed in Sydney's year. Until just now, I didn't realize how many times he left the barn for some kind of field trip. I showed him six times, and while he did show improvement, it was ever-so-slight. I also took him to a Ride-a-Test, two clinics, a fox hunt, and an away trail ride. This means he's left the property in the trailer for activities eleven times this year! Hmmm …

I really don't know what my plans are for him in 2014. Sometimes I think I should cut my losses and sell him, but then I think about how much I am learning by riding him. I know I am a much better rider by struggling with him than I would be without him. Am I having tons of fun doing it? No, not really, but so far it has been worth it.

As disappointed as I am in Sydney's year, I'm very pleased with the year that Speedy had. We started out struggling to crack 60% at Training Level, but ultimately, we rocked it with scores as high as 67% at USDF shows. We finished the show season with a Championship neck ribbon and the confidence to move on to First Level in 2014. 
Picture
He's such a goof!
Tracy link
12/30/2013 11:41:19 pm

I love your charts! It's so cool that you track all your rides -- I don't even want to know how many "non-riding" days I have, haha.

Bakersfield Dressage link
12/31/2013 09:26:32 am

Thanks, Tracy. To say I am an over-achiever is an understatement. However, I am a perpetually UNDER-achieving over-achiever. I also think it's funny that I am still such a struggling rider; after 358 times you'd think I'd be BETTER! :0)

Sandra
12/31/2013 12:28:01 am

I absolutely LOVE this post! I am inspired by it! I am going to take a few of your ideas and implement them next year! I got so many "Horse" calendars as presents this year, a couple of them will be converted into rides and showing trackers! Thank you so much for this post!

Bakersfield Dressage link
12/31/2013 09:31:38 am

I am glad you found it useful, Sandra. I've been using the calendar thing for quite a few years. I just keep it hanging in the barn, and before I leave each day, I make notations. I blogged about my calendar at the very beginning of this blog. You can see what it looks like here: http://www.bakersfielddressage.com/1/post/2011/03/is-it-lemonade-colored-or-more-like-coffee.html

My codes have changed over the years, but once you get a good code in place, you can put a lot of information in that little square!

Hannah link
12/31/2013 12:53:14 am

Adding up the pennies into one number! Wow, you are brave. I know pretty precisely how much I spent on horse stuff, but I can never bring myself to compile into larger than monthly chunks. :-p

I hate to say it, but I think very slight improvement is honestly not bad for a horse that only gets off-property on a monthly basis. Hauling out is such a pain for the rider it seems like the horse ought to get an equivalent amount of benefit! But -- I find rock climbing scary, right? Awesome, but scary! When I go several weeks or longer in between getting up on the wall, doing so freaks me out. When I was able to climb 2-3x/week, it became very comfortable.

I know hauling out several times a week is probably not feasible, and I know slow progress is frustrating. But progress is progress and whatever happens with Sydney long-term, it sounds like you've turned a corner in your handling of/reactions to him -- which is commendable, and should serve you well!

Bakersfield Dressage link
12/31/2013 09:56:58 pm

Thank you for the thoughtful analogy, Hannah. I tend to think in a linear fashion: we've done this once so what's the problem? But you're right. I've traveled to a million events, but Sydney's experience is certainly much less. I should probably cut him some slack. :0)

Dom
12/31/2013 02:33:56 am

Yikes that's a lot... I spent $20k on horses this year... and that's all the bills for my three (including Dancer's multiple vet visits and Ozzy's entry fees), client horse board and care costs, plus gas to get to all my lessons and training sessions.

Horses are expensive...

Bakersfield Dressage link
12/31/2013 09:53:38 pm

From what I read online, New Jersey may be even more expensive than California! I think your costs seem pretty reasonable considering you spent your money on a lot more horses. It would be tedious, but I should try and figure out how much I spent on each horse.

YES. Horse are VERY expensive.

Angela
12/31/2013 02:37:05 am

LOVE THIS POST!!
I too am inspired to keep an "accurate" account of my life with horses' - especially the RIDES! I know in my mind I am riding way more than in reality and it's time to face the facts. :0
In regards to my expenses, I think I'll let that sleeping dog lie...lol

Happy New Year! I


Bakersfield Dressage link
12/31/2013 09:50:44 pm

Angela, I was surprised that I had "only" ridden on 256 days. I, too, feel like I ride EVERY SINGLE DAY. In reality, "resting" those 109 days is probably quite healthy for both my horses and me. Everyone needs a day off now and then.

As for tracking my finances, I can't help it. I am just as meticulous with my household budget!

Happy New Year to you as well.

Amanda link
12/31/2013 09:04:28 am

Yikes! Seeing your charts and expenditures is a little scary. I know I should track all of my expenses but it might give me a heart attack!

Good luck with your 2014!

Bakersfield Dressage link
12/31/2013 09:46:46 pm

It is a lot of money, Amanda! Sometimes I feel a bit guilty about it, but then I think about people who buy $50,000 horses. What must their year-end budget look like? :0)

Sarah link
1/3/2014 02:51:13 am

Great recap! You have done so much this year!! You and Speedy are really rocking, and Sydney is indeed coming along. Remember you've had a good number of breakthroughs with him this year, though yes they are in fits and starts rather than linear progress which you have more with Speedy and yourself. Wishing you a fabulous 2014!!

Bakersfield Dressage link
1/3/2014 09:35:51 pm

Thanks, Sarah. It's funny that after I wrote this, I had two great lessons on Sydney and we had yet ANOTHER "breakthrough." Patience is a really hard thing to have, but when I remember to be so, great things usually happen :0)

Tori link
1/8/2014 04:07:27 am

Can you share what program you use for your horse budget?

Bakersfield Dressage link
1/8/2014 10:19:18 am

Hi Tori! I use Quicken for the Mac to track my household budget. It allows me to run reports for any categories that I choose, so what you see is just a part of my overall budget.

Quicken makes a better version for PCs which isn't too outlandishly priced. I had to ditch that version a years ago when I bought my Mac. I've been a Quicken user for close to 20 years; it's that helpful!


Comments are closed.

    About the Writer and Rider

    ​I 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.
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    About Speedy G

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