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Compress, Compress, Compress

1/31/2018

Over the weekend, Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, was here for a Saturday clinic. We had some new riders, and this time, Chemaine was able to do a yoga ball clinic in the middle of the day. With the yoga ball, she explained seat aides and rider position. She also showed us a series of stretches to do before we ride. The yoga ball portion of a clinic is a fun and relaxing way to work on your position.

I rode Speedy in the morning before everyone else arrived. I put Izzy last on the schedule because he can be a bit of a handful, and I didn't want him spooking the rest of the horses. He was a little nervous, but nothing like in the past.

The truth is, it would have been a boring lesson for anyone to audit. In fact, it was so repetitive that Chemaine finally sat down and just kept repeating herself - more, MORE, COMPRESS, more, more, compress, COMPRESS ... you get the idea. Weird as it sounds, it was a great lesson.

Compress him more!

Izzy is finally to the point where I am not trying to keep control. His steering is good, the spooking is nominal, and he knows I am up there. The next great hurdle is getting him to unlock the base of his neck so that his back can swing so that he can take a bigger stride.

When he's tense, which is less and less, he locks his neck and tightens his back. If I ask for a longer stride, his short, choppy stride just gets faster and faster. No amount of leg will lengthen that stride.

For the past month, Chemaine has had me compress him instead. When he won't stretch his neck, I flex his neck, add leg, and hold the half halt as long as I need to until he offers to stretch his neck. As soon as he softens, I release by moving my hands forward and sending him forward at the same time. And like magic, his stride lengthens.

A fancy moment.

Since the stretchy stride only lasts for a few moments, I compress repeatedly, achieving a longer neck each time. Unless he relaxes his neck, he can't build up a bigger trot. So every time he rushes or gets short and choppy, I compress him and slow him down until he softens his neck. Sometimes that means he evens comes back to a walk.

I rode him on Sunday, and all of Saturday's tension was gone. Of course it was as we were alone as usual. Even so, I was delighted with how quickly he wanted to stretch down when I compressed him.

Now that he's getting broker, he's a lot more fun to ride. When he's not worried, he's a great listener with a huge work ethic. He loves to get the right answer. I am eager to see how far we can get before Chemaine comes back in February.

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Flexion and More Flexion

1/30/2018

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I don't know if flexion is Chemaine Hurtado's word of the month, or if Speedy and I are finally at a place where we need more of it. Either way, both of my horse's did a ton of flexing this weekend with instructions to do it about a million more times.

Working on suppling his neck and back.

I am pretty sure I haven't shared this yet, but Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, recently moved to Kern County which is where Bakersfield is located. Don't get too excited. Kern County is the same size as New Jersey, but at least she's closer. That means I've had lessons twice this month with two more on the horizon. It's been amazing.

Pesky right lead canter!

Over the weekend, she helped me see why Speedy and I have been struggling with some of the work at Second Level. The super short version is that he's lost some of the suppleness in his back that we had before he was laid up. Since he's not stretching over his top line, the canter work, particularly the simple change, has been hard for him.

That means I am going to be spending the next several weeks getting him to stretch over his top line. Basically, that means a ton of over-flexing. What Chemaine had me do in the trot work was over-flex him to the inside, always too much, and lift the outside side shoulder. When he softens, I need to push my hands forward and push him forward into that open space. In this way, he takes a longer stride and lengthens his neck.

We did a lot of the same work at the canter, particularly in the 10-meter canter circles. Speedy has been having trouble with sort of stalling out. To help that, she had me over-flex as we went into the turn but then release the inside rein while sponging the outside rein. This created a softer neck while putting him on the outside rein.

Getting a longer neck with a longer stride.

By the time we finished up the lesson, Speedy was stretching his neck forward while also taking a much longer stride. He felt better than he ever has! Hopefully, I can get the same level of suppleness on my own.

Looking pretty fancy!

Either way, the good news is that Chemaine should be back in two weeks to continue helping me turn Speedy into a Second Level horse.

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Local Dressage Show

1/29/2018

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We don't have a very big dressage presence here in Bakersfield, and the truth is, I am not sure it would even take two hands to count the number of active riders showing dressage. So when a non-dressage equestrian group offers to put on a CDS-rated show, it should be something we support.

From last year's local show.

My local friends are eye-rolling now, I know. You see, this show has ... some history. It hasn't gone well the past few years, and local riders are skeptical that it won't be any different this year. In fact, it's going to be interesting to see if the show actually gets enough participants to put together a schedule. For the record, I am going.

Most everything about the show has been done well. They've offered High Point awards, raffles, and food. The facility had good parking, was centrally located, and while the footing wasn't the greatest, it was good enough for this former endurance rider.

So what's to complain about? Well, without beating a dead horse, some of the show day decisions have been questionable. One year, the show manager refused to return score sheets until the end of the show. Often times, classes were scheduled in what appeared to be in no particular order. On top of that, riders were permitted to ride out of order so that the class couldn't close until nearly the end of the show. Last year, ride times were confirmed the night before, but by the next morning, everyone's times had been switched around; mine by four hours! Other riders had been rescheduled to an earlier time and so were not even on the show grounds! In short it was a disaster.

New and Improved?

This year, a new show manager has been brought in to replace the manager of the past few years. He's excited about the show and working hard to fix the glitches of the past. They've moved the show to a new venue, one that none of us has seen. They're still offering high point awards and no grounds fee. On top of that, they're providing a free BBQ for riders, trainers, and owners! That's a new one for me.

Also from last year's show.

So local peeps ... what do you say? Let's give them another chance. If nothing else, it's a cheap show, and you'll get lunch out of the deal!

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My 2 Things: Controversies

1/26/2018

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I usually find that things come in fives, but this time, I've only got two. One I am sure you've heard about (the trailering thing) while the other is not so newsworthy unless you live in California - changes to the CDS Championships.

MAP-21 Bill
You've no doubt heard the buzz created by the the law's newest phase: Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) for Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs). Essentially, if you haul horses as part of your business, like trainers do, you are subject to the new law. If you are a sponsored rider, you are subject to the law. Basically, anyone who receives money for riding, and then hauls horses, needs a CMV. The law now mandates that owners of CMVs must install ELDs to record the number of hours driven in a 14-hour period.

Recently seen on Facebook.

For most of us, this law doesn't pertain to us. As recreational riders, we can haul as many hours as we'd like. For drivers of what are considered CMVs, this phase of the law is going to create some real hiccups. Think about this: what if your trainer is hauling several horses to another state for a big, year end show? It's a 12-hour drive, but she really doesn't have a place to pull over for the night. She's maxed out her 11-hour drive time for a 14-hour period. What does she do?

As a professional who hauls clients' horses, she is required to have an ELD in her "commercial" vehicle. I know that this issue doesn't affect me directly, but I can imagine that there are a lot of trainers and assistants who are scrambling right now to figure out how to be in compliance.

CDS Championships
I've only competed in one California Dressage Society Championship. I had a fabulous time, learned a lot, and came home with a lot less money in my checking account. But when I entered such a prestigious show, I knew that would be the case. Championships, wherever they're held, are supposed to be a big deal.

Over the past month, Facebook has been filled with mutterings about some recent changes to the format of the CDS Championship. Not that Facebook should be your source for news, but the CDS website hadn't done an update, so I was left with social media. I saw a petition go by and several posts filled with a lot of "that's unfair" and "what do I pay dues for?" kinds of comments. Frankly, I wasn't sure what the fuss was about.

Monthly newsletter of the California Dressage Society

This weekend, the newest edition of Dressage Letters finally made it to my mailbox. I opened the cover to read the "President's Column." His first paragraph expressed deep concern for the horses and riders affected by the recent fires, but the rest of the page was dedicated to explaining the rationale for the changes to the Championship show.

From the article, also available online, it seems quite clear why the changes were made. The first two changes (no longer hosting the USDF Breeders Championship and combining the 4, 5, and 6-year-old futurity Amateur and Open Divisions with special awards given to highest scoring Amateurs) were done due to lack of participation. That doesn't seem so controversial to me.

Skipping number three for a moment - the fourth change was about increasing prize money for Horse of the Year (HOY) classes from $1,000 to $1,500. Who's complaining about that?

The fifth change bumped up the qualifying score for Freestyles from 62% to 64%. It sounds as though 62% was too easy to get, and CDS wants only the best competing. I get that.

2014 Training Level HOY Championship class

I don't think those are the changes that have so many people upset. I suspect it is changes numbers three and six. Those are the changes that seem to affect the largest number of riders, particularly amateurs.

Since 1967, HOY has been determined by averaging the results from two different rides of the same test over two days. The year I competed, each day's test was scored by two different judges. That meant that the winner was determined by averaging four sets of scores. Beginning in 2018, each rider will only ride one test, but it will be scored by three different judges. Placings will be determined by averaging the three scores.

CDS has determined that this will actually be cheaper for riders, one less test to pay for, and it will free up riders to compete in other classes for which they are qualified (USDF, equitation, other levels, etc.).

The complaint I am hearing is that determining HOY based on one test alone isn't fair. Naysayers state that if your horse has a bad day, you've lost your chance to earn HOY. That might be true, but then it's also true that you might save your placing if your second test turned out to be a bomb. In addition, riders had to qualify to even get to HOY, so it's not really based on one test at all. It's been a season long journey culminating in one final championship class.

In my mind, the change is not unfair. Every rider has the same opportunity to put in their best test.

I still have it!

The second change that seems to be irritating people is change six which requires a $25 nominating fee for each horse/rider/level for all divisions. I am not sure why this idea is causing so much turmoil. CDS has the exact same requirement for the Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC). The money is used for prizes, swag bags, a hospitality tent with food, and so on. Riders only pay IF they're actually entering the Championship show.

When we make it back to the Championship Show, the extra $25 won't be a big deal to me. It seems the least of the costs associated with going to a big show. I worry more about gas money!

So there you have it, two recent controversies. Are you being affect by the ELDs? Please share. What are your thoughts on the Championship changes? Am I missing something?

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California Barn Life: Too Hot to Ride?

1/25/2018

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I am not even kidding. I almost didn't ride yesterday afternoon. It was 71℉ at 4:00 in the afternoon! Since I don't blanket my boys, they have full on, polar bear winter coats. When I went to get Izzy, he was sweating. It's January. What the heck?

It was actually in the 30s yesterday morning.

It seemed silly to waste such a lovely day however, so I saddled up anyway. I know I've been filling this space with My Horse Is Now Awesome types of posts, but I have to add another one.

Even though the gardener was using a wood chipper to dispose of some piles of leaves, Izzy only gave him three seconds of a hairy eye-ball, and then shrugged it off.

Since he was so relaxed and already kind of sweating, I made the executive decision to keep things at a walk and trot. Feeling that he was ready to be pushed a little though, we did all of the walk and trot work from Second Level (except the turn on the haunches).

He's got a sweet shoulder in, and his travers is way better than Speedy's! We did those fun little 10-meter half circles, and for the very first time ever, I was able to get a baby trot lengthening.

He loves his post ride sweet treat!

When we were finished, he was actually drier than when we started. I think some clouds rolled in, and we picked up a small breeze. Either way, I decided to make sure he got a good drink that evening by giving him a dose of electrolytes with his dinner bucket. It was supposed to be in the 30s over-night.

Beet pulp, LMF Senior, and Platinum Performance. The orange stuff is electrolytes.

Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, will be here for another clinic this Saturday. I sure hope he keeps it together, but if not, I know how to help him put his brain back in. And if I can't, Chemaine knows how to kick his butt even better than I do!

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Second Level Success (of a sort)

1/24/2018

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Speedy and I finally had some success while schooling the movements from Second Level. Since he and I got back to work in December, every ride has been a struggle. Not with his behavior, he's always a saint, but rather with his lack of motivation. It has felt like he just wasn't going to do it. Collection with impulsion is hard, and Speedy's not known for being high energy.

Wait. What?!

For the past several weeks, we've been schooling the quality of the simple change, but we haven't really put it all together. Same thing with the rein back, turn on the haunches, and the shoulder in. I've been asking Speedy to do each movement, but they've all been done in isolation.

At the same time, I've kept my Second Level Whinny Widgets book handy. I study it while I am brushing my teeth, cooking dinner, or having a glass of wine. My focus has been on how to correctly ride from one movement to the next. Memorizing the tests is also part of my plan.

He's just so darned cute!

On Saturday, I finally felt as though we were ready to string all of the movements together. I didn't have test 1 completely memorized, but I had enough of it down that I was able to string together a test. And in fact, I threw in some of test 3's counter canter to really see where Speedy is; he nailed it! Well, maybe not completely, but we actually did each movement without needing a do-over. Some of the movements are undoubtedly going to earn us 5s, but others are actually in the 6/7 score range.

Our walk and trot work is good, and for us, that's a good thing because the shoulder-in has a double co-efficient as does the rein back and walk. We're going to lose points on the simple change for now because they aren't as crisp as they need to be. My sitting trot continues to need improvement, so I'll probably lose points for rider position in the medium trot.

We have two months until our first show of the season. I am feeling really encouraged!

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Somebody's Growing Up

1/23/2018

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I can't believe I am saying this, but on Saturday (and then again on Sunday, and again on Monday), Izzy gave me the best ride he's ever offered. It was like riding a broke horse. He was respectful, thoughtful, and obedient. No, I am NOT kidding. It was amazing.

I don't think it was one of those outlier rides either. If I could plot his progress from the past few months on a graph, you would definitely see an upward trend. He is finally, finally growing up. And in case the Universe is listening, I am not saying that we won't still have bumpy days; they'e still in there, I know.

He's even more relaxed waiting to be tacked up.

I know there are two main reasons for the "sudden" improvement. We know it's not sudden by the way. Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, had me start doing two things differently. The first was to no longer allow Izzy to look around. At all. Ever. And I am not kidding. EVER. If I am working with him, be it on the ground or from the saddle, he has to pay attention to ME. All. The. Time. "Yes, dude, even now," is my constant refrain.

The second thing, which is very new, is over-flexing him when he's naughty. Now that he doesn't get to snap his head up (did I already say NEVER?), he also has to maintain a bend. That means when he wants to brace against my hand or charge through the bridle, I simply over-flex him. And I hold the flexion until he softens to it and relaxes through his poll and neck.

Over-flexing has several benefits. When Izzy wants to get heavy and brace against my hand, all I could do before was pull back to slow him down. By over-flexing, I am now able to get him on the outside rein. From there, I can actually do a half halt.

This strategy probably wouldn't work for all horses, but it is crystal clear to Izzy. Over-flexing is what happens to naughty ponies. He has quickly learned that it is much more comfortable to listen to me and offer a bend when I ask for it.

When I rode on Saturday, he was able to maintain a steady tempo and change the bend fluidly. We schooled movements from Training Level all the way to Second. HIs counter canter is really nice, and simple changes should be a breeze on him; he already offers the canter to walk without even trying!

It might be taking us longer than I had hoped for, but this boy is getting better and better!

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Another Sarcoid Update

1/22/2018

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This makes three, four ... ten updates? I've lost track. Suffice it to say that Izzy has been dealing with two sarcoids on his ... junk. One, we've treated twice - first treatment; second treatment. The other, we've let be until spring.

Our strategy, Dr. Tolley's and mine, has been to wait until spring where we could freeze the second sarcoid. Because it was so big (the sarcoid, not his wankie), Dr. Tolley said we'd have to knock him out (Izzy, not Dr. Tolley) on the lawn to really get to it. Our plan was to do it when I next take the boys in for their annual dentals and vaccinations.

I don't want to jinx anything, but I kid you not - the thing has almost disappeared! Again, the sarcoid, not his who dilly.

Both look worse than they are.

The one we treated (twice) is the lower patch of light skin. While it looks ugly, it feels like scar tissue. I am not sure if it's growing back or not, but it's still flat and thin.

The upper one, the one I am pointing at, used to be a good two inches or more in diameter and was at least as thick as a quarter and just as hard. Over the past few months, I've been noticing that it has gotten flatter and flatter.

When I poked at it this weekend, there was no depth to it at all. It is now simply scaly skin on the surface. I am not sure what happened to it. I am wondering if the trauma we caused to the first one created an immune response to the area, clearing up the second sarcoid in the process.

While it is a little worrisome that it has changed so dramatically (for the good), it looks like we won't need to freeze it off after all (the sarcoid, not his thingy)!

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Coronary Band Injury: 3 Months Later

1/19/2018

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If you'll remember back to October, Speedy separated his hoof wall from the coronary band while doing who knows what. He was on vacation for nearly three months but has healed up quite satisfactorily. In fact, he's back to work, obviously, and just as sassy as ever.

Facebook reminded me the other day of this little gem of a post. Check it out real quick - I'll wait ... Did you notice anything? Yep. Speedy did nearly the same thing back in 2011, although not as severely.

Here's what he did in July, 2011:

Ouch	6 months later

Here's what he did in October, 2017:

OUCH!

3 months later

I am not positive, but I think the first one was a front foot, the right, and the second one is a hind foot, also the right. It is growing out well with no issues. As the damaged portion of the hoof gets closer to the ground, we'll see if it remains sturdy enough to ride on. So far, it's been fine.

Quit doing that, Speedy G!

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Move It and Bend It!

1/18/2018

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When I shared with Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, my Second Level blues, she quickly reassured me that my troubles were everyone else's troubles, too. Getting the horse forward while still getting him to sit is what every Second Level horse and rider team struggles with.

That made me feel better. I think.

Warming up. Dude's cute!

Like she did with my ride on Izzy, Chemaine introduced two exercises. The first was a version of the race horse game, and the second was more of the over-bending exercise.

Before we started any of that though, we ran through a bit of shoulder in, haunches in, turn on the haunches, and rein back. As I'd suspected, our rein back and turn on the haunches are good. Chemaine helped me clean up a bit of stickiness on the haunches in, but she felt I could continue that work on my own.

Move It
The "move it" exercise is exactly what it sounds like. You had better move off my leg, or you're getting a stronger aid. In order to get a simple change, Speedy needs to get sharper off my leg. In the collected canter, he wants to stall out and drop down to trot. He needs to be convinced that I mean forward when I say forward.

On the ground assistance.

The exercise went like this. From the halt, I asked Speedy to trot forward. If he didn't, or if it wasn't sharp enough, Chemaine snapped the whip. After a few strides, I brought him back to halt and tried again. It took him no more than three times for him to jump forward when I thought trot. And really, Speedy is so respectful that just having Chemaine standing there with the whip did most of the work.

Chemaine stressed that bringing the horse back to walk in this exercise is critical as it allows the rider to re-establish roundness and balance. Once we had convinced Speedy that he needed to move when I asked for it, we repeated the exercise but from walk to canter.

To finish off the exercises and reinforce in Speedy's mind that the second ask was going to come from me, we repeated the exercise but with the dressage whip in my hand. When he didn't jump forward from my seat and legs, I popped him with the whip. It took one tap, and he was nicely forward.

From there we put together the bending exercise with the go forward and worked on the medium trot and my ability to sit it. I am not there yet, but in early October, I couldn't sit the medium at all. So yeah for me.

Over-Flex to Have Something Left Over
The last thing we worked on was the simple change. Left to right, he's pretty good. Our collected canter on the left lead is easier for me because he wants to carry his haunches left. The trouble comes in picking up the right lead because he wants to take the bend away from me immediately.

To remedy that, Chemaine had me go back to the over-bending exercises. If I over-bend him, he'll take some of the bend back in the transition, but I'll have enough built in to maintain some of it which puts him on the outside rein. If I have him on the outside rein, my half halt will go through for the canter to walk.

Keeping the inside bend.

We didn't get it perfectly, but we had some really good moments, like this transition.

If the judge gave points for trying, we'd win for sure. In the meantime, we're going to capitalize on our strengths, and keep chipping away at our weaknesses. I love this last shot. This is Speedy pushing off from the walk into a left lead canter.

Lift off!

I am staring you down, Second Level!

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About the
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 schooling Third Level in preparation 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 the dressage basics. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.

March 2019

Bakersfield Dressage approved!

National Awards

USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award - 2018
USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015
USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 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
(t) Ride-a-Test Clinic
(Q) Must Qualify

2019 Pending …

5/11-12/19 - Cavaletti Clinic (c)
5/26/19 - TMC (*)
6/15-16/19 - El Sueno (***)
6/22-23/19 - SCEC (***)
6/23/19 - TMC (*)
7/13-14/19 - El Sueno (***)
7/28/19 - TMC (*)
8/10/19 - RAAC (Q) (***)
8/25/19 - TMC (*)
10/26-27/19 SCEC (***)

2019 Completed …

Qualifying Scores for 2019

Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Scores
Third Level Scores:
Score 1:
Score 2:
Score 3:

CDS Championship Third Level Scores:
Score 1:
Score 2:
Score 3:
Score 4:
Score 5:

Working Towards:

CDS Sapphire Rider Award
Third Level:
Third Level:
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 -

Compress, Compress, Compress

Flexion and More Flexion

Local Dressage Show

My 2 Things: Controversies

California Barn Life: Too Hot to Ride?

Second Level Success (of a sort)

Somebody's Growing Up

Another Sarcoid Update

Coronary Band Injury: 3 Months Later

Move It and Bend It!

About the
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About Speedy G

About Izzy

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About the Writer & Rider

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