Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
![]() We're off to Horse Expo this morning. My long time riding pal, Taz's Mom, never even knew that I was worried about not having a traveling companion. The event has been on her calendar as long as it has been on mine. You might remember that I blogged about who I was going to go with a month or so ago. I shouldn't have worried. Whew! Each year is the same. We first hem and haw over who drove last. Neither of us actually wants to drive so we try to remember who drove last based on which purchases we loaded in whose car. Hubby settled it this year when he seemed to remember that Taz's Mom dropped me off last year. That means my car is gassed up, relatively free of bug bodies on the windshield, and most of the barn dirt has been vacuumed from the floor. Even though we've made this trek close to 15 times (or more), we still print directions and we still make at least one wrong turn that requires both of us to scream as whoever is driving darts across 10 lanes of Southern California freeway. It's great fun. We always arrive on time, park next to a light pole we recognize, and then haul ass to the nearest restroom. It's a two and a half hour drive, and if any beverage has been consumed along the way, the restroom becomes a huge priority. Once that stop is made, we sit at the fountain and plan our day. Some years, it's the trade show that holds most of our attention. Other years, we amble from one clinic to another marveling at how much there is to learn. One year we actually sat through an entire barrel racing clinic conducted by Charmayne James even though neither of us would ever race barrels, mostly because we have trouble with our left and right. It was still interesting, related to horses, but really, we probably just needed to sit down for a while! I haven't looked too closely at the day's schedule or the list of vendors. I kind of like to be surprised. The only things on my shopping list are fly spray, 4 tubes of de-wormer, renewals to two magazines, and two pairs of black, laced reins. My list is usally longer, but Santa did well this year. Maybe I'll actually come back with cash instead of an empty wallet filled with credit card receipts. Enjoy your own weekend!
Judy
2/1/2013 11:46:20 pm
Be safe in that traffic and most of all you two have fun!
Karen
2/4/2013 10:46:35 am
Thanks, Judy. It was fun and we made it home safely. :0)
Karen
2/4/2013 10:48:09 am
She's a great accomplice and we had a blast! We didn't do as much shopping as I had hoped, but we did see three great clinics. Have fun at your own event!!!!! 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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