Blog Archives

Change of Plans

3/31/2016

Yesterday was supposed to be a turn out day for Izzy, but I really wanted to ride. I saddled up anyway and tooled around our neighborhood. Before doing that though, I braided Izzy's mane. It's a bit of a long story, and I promise to tell it in the next day or so.

This is how we trail ride at my barn!

Again, long story, but it was the first time I've ever ridden him with braids. The view was very different, and it was actually quite fun to ride around on such a fancy hunk of horse flesh. When we rode by the Haner Family Farm, they were having some kind of happy hour on the porch and gave us the equine version of a cat call. Instead of the quintessential whistle, we got lots of "ooh what a pretty horse!" Doesn't hurt my feelings.

I stopped to give them an eyeful as I waved. I always let their kids come up and pet whomever I am riding, so I thought they would appreciate the view. What do they say? Hate to see them go, but love to watch them walk away. Yeah. Izzy's some good eye candy.

I didn't say they were GOOD braids.

Since Izzy has been such a jerk the last few days, I decided to use the trail ride as an opportunity to work on relaxation and softening to the outside rein at the walk. Overall, he did pretty well. He was tense as all get out - he's not a fan of being ridden alone, but he kept it together.

On the backstretch, the stretch of road that leads back to the barn, he got so tense that his stride was literally six inches long, if that. It's extremely frustrating, but I've yet to find a successful way to encourage him to relax his back and step forward other than persistence. He was in such a tight ball, that my rein was actually slack as he got rounder and rounder. It was almost a piaffe.

Once we passed the barn, his stride did get longer, but then he tried to rush forward. On the far side of the neighbor's property, there's a dirt road adjacent to a former private "golf course" (three-hole course?). I used that field many times with Sydney. When Izzy got really bunched up and was refusing to go forward, I put him to work in the field. Each time we circled past the way home, he shoved (or tried to) his shoulders out and threw a temper tantrum.

We worked that area for a good 20 minutes, both directions, until he quit fussing and actually trotted in a circle without trying to rear or bolt. Little stinker. So while my plan was to just take it easy, Izzy ended up getting a workout after all. By the end though, we walked home with me having won the discussion.

Go me!

10 Comments

Straighten Up, Mister

3/30/2016

8 Comments

Boy howdy. I think Chemaine opened up a big ol' can of worms when we addressed Izzy's lack of throughness at our last lesson. The last three rides have tested my sticky butt and my patience. At several points during each ride, I gave an exasperated, DUDE!

Rather than just TRY, he has decided to refuse to go forward, bolt forward, rear, kick out at my leg, balk, squeal, or whirl and bolt toward the gate. It took me all the way until last night to figure out where the resistance might be coming from.

Sleek and opinionated - what more could a girl want?

Since the naughtiness was so sudden, I chalked it up to nervousness since we did our last two rides in the neighbor's arena. He gets turned out there several times a week, but it was the first time I've ridden him there. I really didn't think it was that big of a deal though.

The refusing to go forward unless it was in a rear got so bad that I got off and grabbed a discarded riding crop. Miraculously, the rearing disappeared completely. But when I next rode in my own arena and he threatened to rear as soon as I asked for a trot, I realized we had a problem.

Before I continue, I should mention that when I first started asking Izzy to do more than just walk or trot on a loose rein, meaning I started increasing the contact, he went through all of this same stuff. Last summer, the balking got so bad I had to really get after him with the whip. When that worked, he tried rearing to get me to quit. More use of the whip and he gave up on that as well. He's just kind of an opinionated jerk who is not afraid to let me know what he thinks.

So when all of the rearing and kicking and balking happened in my own arena, a place where he has been happily working for many months, I knew something had changed. At my last lesson, Chemaine had me address his lack of throughness by straightening Izzy's shoulders to put him on the outside rein. To achieve this, she had me compress his stride with the outside rein, put my inside leg on, and keep his shoulders from popping out with my outside leg. As soon as he softened to the outside rein, I could give a little and ask for more stride.

That sounds fantastically easy, but Izzy has decided that it's hard and different, and he doesn't do hard ... or different. Rather than soften to the outside rein, he's figured that it would be a brilliant idea to just get away from it. Balking would do it. If you don't go forward, you don't have to hold the bit. If you rear, the same thing - no bit. and even better, you might dislodge your rider and then you're home free. Kicking out should cure the whole inside leg on his girth thing, and bolting is an easy go-to when things aren't going your way.

At least he still likes me!

While Izzy doesn't scare me, rearing and bolting, especially when done together, are rather unnerving. Even so, the best solution with this horse is first LOTS of praise for a good try or a correct decision. But when he makes a naughty choice, a solid thwack with the whip on his flank or shoulder or a smack with my hand on his cheek/neck send a clear message.

We finally got to canter last night after 20 minutes of Straighten up, Mister! He never got nice and round over his back at the trot, but he did finally agree to just go forward. Our pace was a snail's crawl, but at least he tolerated the outside rein and agreed to soften to it as long as we just poked along.

But really, that's all I wanted in the fist place. He just figured I wanted the whole shebang on Day 1. Dork. Today is just a turn out day and Thursday we'll try again. I have tentatively scheduled another lesson down in Simi Valley on Saturday, so hopefully Chemaine can convince him that he can do this.

8 Comments

Awards From 2015

3/29/2016

10 Comments

I've written about CDS many times, but in case you're kind of new here, CDS is my GMO. The California Dressage Society is the USDF's largest GMO with more than 2,800 recorded members.

Like most GMOs, CDS has a number of awards programs. One of my favorites is the engraved plates that are mounted on personalized plaques. In order to receive the first plate, a rider must score 60% or higher five times in a single season at Introductory C or above. Thereafter, riders receive their plates no matter how many scores are earned in a single season. The scores must be earned at CDS rated shows.

Speedy finally received his fourth plate this week. Level 1 of course refers to First Level and the 8 Rosettes means he earned 8 scores of 60% or higher in the 2015 season.

Even though Speedy is currently side-lined, he will also get a plate in 2016 as we already have four scores over 60% for a show we did in October. I hope he has the opportunity to add to that number.

There is room for at least a few more seasons!

I would certainly love it if Izzy could earn some scores in 2016, but we need to get through a schooling show first and maybe get our canter departure a little more under control. Once we get that organized, my goal will be to try for those five scores this summer. The plaque will fill up a lot more quickly if two horses are getting plates!

What does your GMO offer to encourage or motivate its riders?

10 Comments

More Trailer Repairs

3/28/2016

6 Comments

I love having my own trailer, but the thing is, it isn't your typical park it 'til you need it vehicle. Having a horse trailer with living quarters is a lot like having two vehicles. Just like any horse trailer, this one needs new tires now and then, its wiring looked at, and the mats removed so the interior can be scrubbed clean.

Unlike your average trailer though, this one has a people compartment that always seems to need something as well. Just a few weeks ago I replaced both RV batteries (not for the first time). I've also replaced the propane tank (numerous times), and the water pump. And not too long ago, I had the bathroom door rehung.

The latest repair involved the roof. Some time ago, like maybe 5 years, the latches on my wind up vent lids broke. I didn't want to get them fixed, so I zip-tied them closed. This has worked remarkably well for a number of years. Each time the zip-ties wore out, I just climbed back up there and added new ones.

That was going well until last week. I climbed up to replace the broken zip ties and noticed that the vent covers were actually cracked and broken. This was a problem that a zip tie could not fix, so I whipped out a roll of duct tape. It all held together well enough for the drive down to Simi Valley for a lesson, but I knew I had to actually get them fixed right. I don't know how I made it through this winter with three cracked and broken roof vents.

Neither zip ties nor duct tape were going to fix this one.

I called my local RV repair shop and got a quote that seemed ridiculous for the amount of work involved, $500. My husband insisted we could do the job ourselves for a lot less money. I went to YouTube and watched a how to video that really did make the job look fairly amateur friendly. I drove down to Pensingers RV Parts and Service where they sold me exactly what I needed and then gave me 10% off my purchase when I asked if they could do a little better on the pricing. My bill was $167.

Hard at work.

We dragged all of our supplies up to the roof of the trailer and started scraping off the old caulking. That was the only part of the job that was even remotely difficult.

Most of the caulking removed.

Once we had the first vent mostly free of caulking, my husband started removing the screws while I went to work scraping off the old caulking from the other two vents.

Each vent had at least 35 screws.

Once all of the caulking was scraped away and the screws removed, we lifted the vent out of the roof. I was really worried that we might see some water damage in the wood, but the frame was in excellent shape.

Demolition is actually a lot of fun!

When the vents were removed, we finished scraping away all of the left over caulking and putty. My husband then went inside and removed the interior flange that covers up the exposed wood.

It's kind of scary to see a hole in the roof!

While my husband was busy bringing up materials and opening boxes, I applied the putty tape to the underside of the new vent and slid it gently into place. It's great when things fit the first time.

Ready for the new vent.

Once we got the first vent more or less clean of old caulking and got it pulled out, the other two were quite easy to do. While my husband replaced screws in the first vent, I scraped away old caulking and pulled out the other vents. With both of us working together, the job took less than the three hours the RV company was going to charge me.

My husband had a tee time at one of our local golf courses so he ended up leaving once all of the vents were screwed in tightly. He helped me get the caulking gun working, but from there, I finished the job myself.

It was a little like frosting a cake!

While I could have technically done the job myself, I was really grateful that my husband came out to do it with me. I am a little afraid of heights so it was reassuring to have someone else up there with me. We work well together and recognize each other's strengths, so there's rarely any arguing. Now that this part of the job is done, I am going to try and get roof vent covers installed some time this summer.

The next job ...

I've already watched the installation video and think that I might be able to tackle this job on my own. I don't like using a drill though, so I may have to get my husband back up on the roof to help me. I'll definitely owe him a lunch for that one!

I am ready for a month free of repairing or replacing stuff though, so new vent covers are going to have to wait a few months!

6 Comments

Happy Easter!

3/27/2016

0 Comments

We don't usually do anything special for Easter Sunday. I'm riding of course, and my husband will probably get the dogs out for a quick run in the hills. After that, we'll probably make our way over to the home of some friends for an afternoon of food and wine.

Little Brienne is growing so quickly!

I spent some time yesterday pondering the meaning of the day. While Peeps and chocolate bunnies are hard to beat, I realized that the day should be more than that. Of all of the days of the year, this one in particular is the most likely to inspire us to become our very best selves.

Even though it undoubtedly comes at a price, I am rooting for eternal life. Being a crappy person is probably not enough to get you there. So today, I'm taking at least a few moments to look for ways to demonstrate more patience and be a little bit softer with my words and actions. I don't expect to achieve perfection, but it can't hurt to try.

Whether you're spending the day at a sunrise service or hunting for the prize-winning Easter egg, I hope you have a very Happy Easter.

0 Comments

How Could I Resist?

3/26/2016

1 Comment

The bigger question is: How can you?!?!?!

Go for it!!!!

I like my two C4 belts. They're funky and whimsical, yet still practical. Two is simply not enough. When I squealed in delight upon seeing the Facebook post, my husband cocked an eyebrow and asked me rhetorically if I didn't have enough belts already. No was my simple response. Just like I don't have enough pairs of breeches or sun shirts either.

So which belts did I order? The two that I've talked about of course!

Navy Plaid with a Navy Buckle

California Belt with a Chrome Buckle

If you want one, or make that TWO, you'd better hurry. The sale ends tomorrow at midnight. If you get one, let me know which combos you picked. If you can't swing it this time, which combo would you pick? I love seeing the combinations that I wouldn't think of myself.

1 Comment

Which Makes Him a Bullerina?

3/25/2016

3 Comments

If you've ever watched the PBR, you'll have to admit that those bulls are super athletes and can move in phenomenal ways. I can't say I've ever seen one do a canter pirouette, but I bet they could do it.

PBR Velocity Tour Photo

In the last few months, Izzy has made the transition from the proverbial bull in the china shop to a fledgling bullerina. He is now slowly morphing into an actual dressage animal that more closely resembles an equine. Sort of like this ...

Not quite a ballerina, but he's getting there.

And a few strides later we had this ...

Add some impulsion to this picture, and we might be approaching a First Level frame.

Chemaine gave me some new tools that have really helped change things over the past few days. My new focus is to shift Izzy over to the outside rein by using my inside leg and seat aid. It wasn't that I haven't been working with the outside rein, but I was more intent on getting some inside bend rather than pushing him to the outside rein. I think inside bend and being on the outside rein can be two totally different things.

Getting an inside bend with the inside rein can be an end in itself meaning there is no corresponding outside rein. I've done this with Speedy plenty as we school the shoulder in. Sometimes, he simply refuses to let go of (or soften) to the inside left rein, so I will drop the outside rein completely, and over bend him to the inside while driving him forward down the long side until he gives to that rein.

For the last few weeks I've done something similar with Izzy. I've bent him to the inside as we spiraled down to a smaller and smaller circle until he made the circle without any tension on the inside rein.

It's a subtle mental shift to leave the inside rein alone in order to focus on the outside rein. My job is now to be very firm and supportive with that outside rein without letting Izzy drift out or be counter bent. This is where my seat and legs come into play. If I use too much inside leg, I will push him out so it's important to keep my outside leg and rein there to say not out this door.

The argument: I don't want to go forward and soften - forward OR soft, but not both.

We had a bit of an argument yesterday that included the biggest rear he has offered. It all started because he didn't really want to work and was behind my leg. When I closed my outside aids and put my inside leg on to say bend around it, he went up instead of forward. While that was certainly not the right answer, I liked that he knew drifting sideways wasn't an option. The correct answer would have been to push forward with the inside hind and give to the outside rein.

A few moments after that discussion, he launched straight forward into a huge bolt. Again, that wasn't the right answer, but at least he went forward instead of up. And again, I know that he was just trying to figure out the easiest way, meaning least amount of work, to do what I was asking.

After getting told quite sternly that rearing up and bolting forward were not the correct choices, he finally got the answer right. There was still a fair amount of tension in his neck, but by using Chemaine's strategy of compressing his stride with the outside rein and asking him to soften to it with the inside leg really started working.

I held that outside rein firmly until he gave, and then I softened and asked for a slightly bigger stride. We did it over and over down the long sides, across the diagonal, and while doing 20-meter circles. While this softening exercise is about getting more throughness at the trot, the effects can also be seen in the canter. Izzy can now pick up the canter both directions without exploding. Mostly.

Using both reins to keep his shoulders straight.

Chemaine suggested that I ask him to compress and soften right before the canter aid. He now understands the aid (mostly) and can pick up the canter more or less when I ask. I have to be very aware of keeping his shoulders even between my aids, and especially while tracking right, I have to make sure I keep even weight in both hands until he softens to the outside rein.

Left is all about softening the outside rein.

I think that in another couple of weeks, the canter departure buttons will be pretty firmly installed, and we can start finessing and improving the quality of the trot/canter transition. He's been an interesting horse to school because he's not nearly as linear in his development as Speedy. Izzy can already do some of the movements from Intro all the way to Second Level. I feel like we just need to continue building his foundation, and before I know it, he'll be wowing me with all he can do.

3 Comments

More Bull Than Ballerina

3/24/2016

4 Comments

My best friend likens Izzy to a bull in a China shop. A truer characterization could not be made. He doesn't intend to cause trouble, but he's a little oblivious to his own size and frankly, he doesn't know where all of his parts begin and end.

Is that you, Izzy?

I was actually quite pleased with how Izzy handled this most recent road trip. He wasn't bored, but his tension level was much lower which let him do some thinking. Kathy graciously toted my tack and essentials in my new cart while I led Izzy up to the ring and cross ties. For previous trips, there was a lot of snorting and carrying on, but this time, he was a Looky Lou, but he remained calm and carried on.

We warmed up in the short court with two other riders, the first time I've ridden him with anyone else in the ring. He was tense and hollow-backed. Despite his tension, I still rode in and around other horses who were spooking and cantering, and I was able to use the whole ring. So even though he was a bit of a mess, he showed me that he can handle a warm up ring.

At about the 30 second mark, Jackie's horse gives a big spook at A, and it takes Izzy a few seconds to see what is going on. Once he sees Dempsey being naughty, he starts thinking about getting the heck out of Dodge. Here's the video:

The spook didn't phase me at all, we had only been riding for a few minutes, and he was high as a kite. What I love was that after a quick pat, he got right back to work.

A little bit later, one of the horses in the barn gave a nice snort as we were trotting by, and Izzy did an awesome reining rollback.

Sit deeply ...

Give it the stink eye ...

I'm outta here!

On the video, you can hear me laughing. While his spooks are pretty hard, he's not trying to unseat me. I never felt like I was even close to coming off, and he always regroups and comes right back to me.

I am not sure what he was fussing at in these next photos, but in all likelihood it had something to do with softening (or not) to the outside rein.

Um ... no.

Still no!

There were some video fails as well. In the end though, he finally said yes.

Right in the very beginning of the video, you might have seen him stop short. That was the second time ... in a row. My best friend was bummed that she missed the first stop, so she quickly turned the ipad back on in hopes that he would do it again. She squealed in delight when he gave me the exact same body slam in the exact same spot.

Screeeech!

But then we both rocked forward ...

Izzy is definitely not a beginner's horse, but none of these spooks or naughties are in any way scary. He never gives me a reason to think oh, crap. In fact, when he's being balky or kicking out, I feel perfectly safe giving him a good old fashioned pony club kick or whack with the whip.

Holding it together.

Izzy is actually a lot of fun to ride. He's powerful, pleasant to look at, and a pretty decent dude. So even though he's a bit of a bull in a China shop right now, deep down I think he's really a Ferdinand at heart.

4 Comments

More Educated

3/23/2016

2 Comments

As usual, I had a great lesson with Chemaine Hurtado yesterday. That woman can really teach. If only I lived slightly closer, like say within 100 miles, Izzy and I would definitely be farther along than we are.

When we finished the lesson, she told me that I am doing a great job with Izzy. While I love to hear that, I am always waiting for her to qualify the compliment with the addition of "... for someone who doesn't know what she's doing." I know that she doesn't really think that of course, but I do feel like his progress would be much faster under a better rider. And of course it would, but he's got me, so our progress is what it is.

Connecting the inside hind to the outside rein.

So what kind of progress are we making? Steady, monthly progress. Each month I have been able to achieve what Chemaine is looking for which allows us to move on to the next step. Chemaine's word for the day was educated. As soon as she said, "now that Izzy is more educated," I understood exactly what she meant. He now has a training foundation that we can start building on.

Up until now, it's been about giving him some rudimentary skills: go, stop, turn, etc. Now that's he's more educated, I can start really working on the dressage pyramid. For this lesson we started focusing on throughness and even some straightness.

Softening to the outside rein.

Last month, Chemaine had me focus on getting a good inside bend while also doing lots of changes of bend. To do this, I used the inside rein and spiraled in or out while also doing a lot of counter bending. Now, she wants to me to use less (or almost no) inside rein and instead start to build an outside wall with my outside leg and rein. When my outside aids are firm and steady, I will be able to push Izzy's inside hind deeper with less sideways movement and more forward movement.

This took me a little while to understand. Essentially, I have to be very firm in my outside half halting rein while using my outside leg to keep him from drifting all while asking him to give to that outside rein with my inside leg. We all know this as inside leg to outside rein. As I asked him to soften to the outside rein with my inside leg however, I kept losing his shoulder to the outside.

To help both of us understand the concept better, Chemaine had me compress Izzy's stride with my outside aids, effectively slowing him down, while asking him to soften with my inside leg. Once he softened to the rein, I could give him an inch and ask for a longer, more forward stride. Each time he lost his balance, I again compressed his stride, and asked him to soften to the outside rein.

Compress, soften, lengthen, repeat a 1,000 times.

When we moved on to the canter, the idea was very much the same. We had already worked on quieting my canter cue the other day, so for this lesson, Chemaine had me really focus on firming up my outside aids. By establishing an outside wall with my outside rein and leg, I was able to keep Izzy's shoulders between my aids rather than letting them blow out (which is why he gets the wrong lead).

My video quality was pretty poor for this lesson so you can't hear what Chemaine is saying, but essentially, she's having me get him soft to the outside side rein before I ask for the canter. She had me think, compress ... soften ... canter. You can see both of us struggling, but once we get it right, the canter is really nice and soft. In the video, I am deliberating patting him over and over during the canter because it helps me release the inside rein and it confirms for Izzy that he's doing exactly what I want.

We weren't able to capture the best of our canter work, but Izzy finally offered a canter that wasn't explosive. To the left, he got so soft that I was able to canter the whole arena all with a super soft inside rein. To the right didn't get quite as nice, which you can see in the next clip, but we were finally able to canter the whole arena without losing the lead in back or doing a flying change in front.

Two months ago, we couldn't get a right lead canter, and the left was pretty iffy. Last month, we finally got a right lead canter, but it was wild and wooly. So while this clip shows a total lack of straightness down the long sides, I am really pleased that he can now hold the lead without galloping off into the sunset.

Holding the right lead canter!

More on the lesson tomorrow with some funny blooper photos!

2 Comments

Another Set of Tires?

3/22/2016

8 Comments

To say I go through tires quickly is an understatement. I'm worse than NASCAR teams Hendrick or Petty. Maybe I ought to give those guys a call and see if they've got some extras laying around.

My "easily" accessible records only go back to 2011, so I don't have data from earlier than that, but since 2012, I have bought a new set of tires annually for one vehicle or another.

July 2012 - tires for my truck
August 2013 - tires for my car
January 2014 - tires for my horse trailer
July 2015 - tires for my car (again?!?!)
March 2016 - tires for my truck (again)

I had my truck's tires rotated in December when I had new brakes installed. At the time, the tires looked great. I drove Speedy to Expo in February and everything felt fine. In Early March, I took both horses to the vet and noticed a worrisome roughness on the way home. It was a sensation I felt the last time my tires needed to be replaced. I checked all eight tires (including the trailer's) and couldn't find anything that looked suspicious.

Since we're heading to Simi Valley this morning for a lesson, a trek of about 125 miles over California's busiest highway, I gave my tires another visual inspection yesterday morning. Thank goodness I did. The problem finally showed up - blown out sidewall.

This looks like trouble.

I keep my vehicles a long time which means I do a lot of regular maintenance and replacement of parts. The one thing that I can't prevent is weather damage. The sunny side of the trailer and truck have wheel covers to protect the tires, but when you drive less than 5,000 miles a year, weathering happens as the truck and trailer sit.

Plenty of tread left ...

I called my trusty tire guy and asked him to get some tires ready for me as I was headed his way. The truck rode so roughly that I drove the entire ten or so miles at no more than 30 miles an hour. It was only slightly embarrassing to wave drivers past me as my hazards flashed on and off and on again. I didn't care though as I've driven behind slower drivers who didn't have the decency to move over like I did.

New tread and no holes in the sidewalls.

Once my new tires were installed, I took advantage of Blue Truck's freedom and zipped into the corner gas station and drive through car wash. These things are not easy to do with a trailer following wherever we go.

Blue Truck loves a good shower.

I hooked Blue Truck back up to the trailer, "fixed" another little thing that's busted on my trailer (I have got to get that fixed sooner rather than later), and loaded some hay and tack. We're leaving fairly early today as long as the weather holds. Here's to solid tires with no blowouts!

Spit-shined and once again road worthy.

See you all tomorrow!

8 Comments

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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 -

Change of Plans

Straighten Up, Mister

Awards From 2015

More Trailer Repairs

Happy Easter!

How Could I Resist?

Which Makes Him a Bullerina?

More Bull Than Ballerina

More Educated

Another Set of Tires?

About the
Writer & Rider

About Speedy G

About Izzy

National Awards

Stuff I Read

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About the Writer & Rider

About Speedy G

About Izzy

National Awards

Stuff I Read

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About the
Writer & Rider