Blog Archives

TMC First Level Test 2

7/31/2017

The day before we left for San Diego, I attended TMC's Mid-Summer dressage show. While it was only CDS rated, the scores count for a variety of CDS awards and programs. Besides that, I am attempting to earn TMC's year-end high score award. As of right now, I think I'm in third place, but there's still one show to go.

Photo by Sue Dockweiler.

We weren't brilliant or anything, but we got the job done. We earned a 64.063% which was good enough for first place. While I am always looking to improve my scores from one show to the next, I try to look at my score in relation to the rest of the scores posted that day. The average score for the adult amateurs was only 58% which makes my 64% seem relatively high.

After watching the video, I suspect I am probably riding First Level about as well as I can. I've been focusing on getting a bend and adding leg which is helping me earn another point or two for each movement. The score sheet is filled with 6.5s and 7.0s which tells me I am on the right track.

Unfortunately, I did make a mistake that probably cost me as many as three points. I was thinking ... sit, sit, sit, as we were developing the working canter in preparation for the downward to trot. Apparently my work on the half halt has really paid off because Speedy SAT at C instead of at M. The judge gave me a 4.0 with the comment, "lost canter." We typically score a 6.5 or a 7.0 for our canter to trot transitions so that cost me nearly a full percentage point.

Still some curling ...

To the good, there was more that I liked about the test than I didn't. We're getting some lengthenings, both at the trot and canter, and our 15-meter canter circles (7s for both) are definitely proving to be a strong point.

I was also quite pleased with how well Speedy picked up the right lead canter (7.0). Going from left to right is easier than going from right to left (in Test 3). That's something we're definitely going to be working on this week.

The judge's further remarks hit the nail on the head.

Some really nice moments. I thought so and appreciate that he acknowledged and rewarded the good.
Need to rebalance more often to maintain level balance with poll as highest point and nose forward. Yep. Definitely an area I have been addressing.
Work for even better lateral suppleness, especially to the right. This is something that I've only just been able to address. Having more impulsion has helped.

We're working on rebalancing.

Our next show is in two weeks - the California Dressage Society's Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC). It's a fun show, but it's really competitive as everyone has to qualify to enter. We've won at our level twice (Introductory and Training). I don't ever expect to win, but I would sure like to do well.

With a few more points here and there and no silly mistakes on my part, we might do okay! Test 3 tomorrow.

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Sunny San Diego

7/24/2017

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We are on our way to San Diego for a week. It's not the two weeks we normally take, but since we bought a new house in October, we're a little poorer this year.

No matter. We've got a pretty nice week planned. We have tickets to see the Padres play the Mets on Tuesday. I am not a baseball fan, but I always enjoy going to a game.

The padres play at Petco Park.

We also have box seats at Del Mar on Thursday for some live Thoroughbred racing. We go to Santa Anita at least once a year and have been to the Breeders' Cup twice. We thought it would be fun to check out a different track.

It looks just as pretty as Santa Anita.

We're staying in the Gaslamp Quarter the first two nights, mostly because getting to the baseball stadium can be a bit tricky. Just like in any big city, parking can be a problem in San Diego, so it seemed easier to find a room within walking distance of the stadium.

It seems weird to move hotels while in one city, but we are. After two nights in the Gaslamp Quarters, we're moving to a hotel near the beaches of Del Mar. This will also be more convenient for getting to the track, too.

We would also like to take a tour of the SS Midway. I've heard great things about the ship and the things that you can see while there.

There are a million things to do in San Diego. I am not sure what else we'll find to do, but for this trip, we're happy to just play it by ear, mostly. See you next week!

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Forward, Forward, Forward

7/21/2017

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Izzy has waffled between too much forward and not enough. In other words, he evaded by bolting (too much forward) or balking (not enough). It's taken me a while to work through both issues.

I've been pretty frustrated with him this summer. I've come very close to putting him up for sale, but deep down, I KNOW this horse has huge potential. I am just not ready to quit. When I think about selling him, I always imagine it would be to a stronger, more knowledgeable rider.

That got me thinking. It's not Izzy. There's nothing wrong with him. It's really just me; I need to be a better, stronger rider. As I saddled up on Wednesday, I started asking myself what would a better rider do? All of a sudden, I remembered that super controversial interview with Katie Prudent. She said something that really resonated with me.

see if you can take that animal and get him to do what you want to do.

I decided to take her advice and see if I could get him to do what I wanted. I wasn't going to force him necessarily, but I was going to quite accepting no for an answer.

From our July lesson with Chemaine Hurtado

I started out with the shoulder in exercises that Chemaine showed me last week. But instead of asking him if he wanted to bend his neck, I took hold of the inside rein and did a shoulder in. And I didn't let him out of it until he softened to the inside rein.

And it worked. All of a sudden, I had some bend and he wasn't bracing against the rein. We walked all over the arena changing the bend from right to left. When I felt that he was supple enough at the walk, we did it at the trot. When he said no to the bend, I insisted with added leg.

And he did it.

Also from last week's lesson.

Then I asked for the canter. He picked it up grudgingly, but then he said no. He balked. He tightened his back and threw up his head, and cried about how he simply couldn't. I realized right then and there that a stronger, better rider would realize that the correct thing to ask for was more FORWARD. And I did.

I cowgirled up and kicked the crap out of him. He grunted and tucked his butt and pinned his ears, but with enough kicking, he shot forward. It dawned on me that softness or bend don't matter if he won't go forward. I quit caring what he looked like or even which lead he was on. The second he hesitated, I kicked the crap out of him again. And again. And again. And again.

There were two spots in the arena that he just didn't want to canter past. I was relentless though. I growled, and kicked, and made a lot of noise when he even thought about slowing down. Within a very short time, his neck softened up, and started to ask if he could stretch a little in the canter.

I am sure all of our problems weren't solved by a little kicking and yelling, but it sure did a lot for my confidence. The scales are tipping in my favor, if ever so slowly. I got his number this time, and that always helps!

8 Comments

Sock it to Me!

7/20/2017

4 Comments

It's official: I now wear Noble Outfitters Over the Calf Peddies exclusively. I know it sounds super choosy, but I am tired of my toes popping through the ends of every other brand of sock.

My toenails are kept short for those of you doubting my foot hygiene. I even get regular pedicures. If my toenails need to be trimmed, I am down at my local salon the very next day. No, it is not my toenails ruining my socks.

You are all out of here!

I have given every major sock brand a thorough try, but none of them stand up to the durability of the Noble Outfitters brand. I hated the Ovation Zocks as soon as I slipped them on. They're as thin as pantyhose; my boots aren't that snug. Why even bother wearing them?

The Horseware socks also left me feeling meh. They're cute, but I started seeing holes appear after just a few outings. The same thing happened with the Ariats. They're too short for starters, and they don't hold their shape. I was certain the Under Armour socks would be The One. They have a nice compression band around the arch of the foot, but the calf was so snug that it sort of hurt to put them on.

Well hello there!

My Peddies however, why they just keep on wearing. I still have my very first pair, and guess what? They don't have holes in the toes! The calves don't hurt, they're tall, and they come in cute colors. In fact, I am having a hard time wearing them out.

My very first pair, the solid purple ones tucked in the back, have started to sag, but only in my mucks boots and never in my tall boots. And when they do sag, it's only to the top of my boot, and it never includes the foot. That part stays put. None of the other older pairs sag though, so I am hoping that pair was just different.

For me, the Peddies check off all of my boxes: they have a cushy foot, a tall, thin calf, and they come in nice colors. Best of all, my toes don't poke through the end. I now have seven pairs, enough to ride in all week long.

So now, anytime I place an order and need to meet the shipping threshold, I toss in a bottle of fly spray AND a pair of Peddies. You just can't have too many pairs of socks!

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Shoulder In/Haunches In

7/19/2017

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Things have been going pretty well with Izzy. We're still not ready to show, but he's learning, and I am learning. That makes it a win in my book.

I mentioned a week or so ago that I had started experimenting with the Myler bit that is US Equestrian legal. Dale Myler suggested I try the bit out once a week. I popped the bit on and had a fantastic ride. I used it again the next day, but I had to put Izzy in the round pen for a while when he forgot that I was up there. We then had a pretty good ride. The third day I used the bit, all hell broke loose, and I realized I was on a version of Izzy that I didn't want to ride.

I took him back to the barn, swapped out the legal bit, and replaced it with the old one. It took about 25 minutes to remind him of the rules, and then we spent another 20 minutes working. I've decided that Mr. Myler's suggestion of once a week was probably a good idea. I got greedy. I am now going to try it every tenth ride. Once a week is too frequent.

Shoulder in left.

For last week's lesson with Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, I opted to use the non-legal bit since I knew I would need more control away from home. She agreed.

My biggest issues with Izzy are now solely about relaxation and accepting the contact. This might sound like no progress, but it actually is. When Chemaine saw Izzy last March, we were still fighting the jackassery moments. My goal back then was to be through with all of that for our next lesson. Mission accomplished!

Izzy was still tense of course, and he craned his neck to keep an eye on Speedy, but he went where I told him without any shenanigans. Right away, Chemaine had two new exercises to help get him to soften off the rein. In the first, she had me do a turn on the forehand where he turned in the direction of the bend.

From a right bend, I pushed his haunches in to make a comma or banana shape. I firmed up my inside rein, and pushed his haunches into the bend while minimizing his forward steps. The purpose of the exercise is to push his haunches until he learns to soften and accept the inside rein.

The second exercise was a variation of the first. Once he was giving to the inside rein, we picked up a trot and asked for more or less the same thing. As I bent him to the outside, Chemaine directed me to turn my shoulders to the outside. Then I slowly turned my shoulders back to the inside. As I moved my shoulders, I directed Izzy to do the same thing.

In the final exercise, we put it all together. Starting from A, I rode Izzy in a shoulder in and then turned across the diagonal maintaining that bend. As we neared X, I started to straighten my shoulders while asking him to do the same. As we approached S, I asked for a new shoulder in while making sure my shoulders were also turned. We rode the short side in shoulder in and repeated the exercise across the other diagonal.

In no time at all, Izzy was concentrating very hard on his job and forgot that he was worried and anxious about Speedy's whereabouts. He started flicking his ears my way and never even thought about bolting or exiting the arena.

We ultimately moved on to the canter work which was the best he's ever given me. Sorry, no video as we ran out of storage. What the exercises showed me was that I really need to focus on where Izzy's shoulders are. It's the same issue I have with Speedy.

I've ridden him at home a few times now since the lesson. We're not "there" yet, but I am riding him with a different feel now. I can tell when he's falling in or out on his shoulders. I've noticed that I need to be careful not to get him too over-bent as well. Sometimes he's actually right between my aids, so I need to recognize that.

We definitely need a follow up lesson for sure. In the meantime, I'll keep chipping away at it and see where we end up.

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My Five (Broken) Things

7/18/2017

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This post is really for my good friend, Jill, who has a few broken things of her own. Good thing her brother is an orthopedic surgeon. And yes, a horse did it. Her toes have been straightened, and she's now sporting a pretty hefty cast, but she'll be good as new in no time (or, I am fine to ride right now! if you ask any couch bound equestrian).

My broken things are much easier to fix than Jill's toes, so I've been asking myself why they are still broken. Specimen number one has been missing a tine for years. I refuse to replace it because I'd just break the new one, and it would probably be in the same spot!

Sort of like toes.

The next broken item, my dressage whip, did get replaced, but then it wore out, too. The only reason I bought a new one to replace it was because I was too embarrassed to take either one of those crappy things to the Hilda Gurney Clinic that I did in May. The one on the right is Izzy's. Speedy got the new one. I keep the one on the left in case I am ever in need of a crop.

Broken whip and a second broken/wore out whip.

I need to find a new style of dressage boots for Izzy. While not exactly broken, these boots have certainly seen better days. I need a pair that can be hosed off daily, but I want them to still look like dressage boots, not endurance boots. Anyone have a suggestion?

The other three look just as funky.

As much as it pained me, I did replace my Roeckls. In fact, they're sitting on my desk right next to me as I type. Did they just arrive last night? Why no, they did not. So why are they still sitting on my desk instead of being shoved into my helmet ready to be worn? They're just so pretty and clean that I hate to get them dirty. I am waiting for at least one more hole to appear in my old pair. It would be even better if I could get a finger blow out.

Now these, I did replace!

And finally, I present my fifth and last broken thing (not that I don't have more used up stuff crammed into bins and totes in my tack room, but these are the five that I use most often). It's silly, but I just can't part with this blue hoof pick. It has been my favorite for a very long time. Years and years.

It was only recently that I started pondering it's inefficiency. I was puzzled as to why it wouldn't dig down into the frog groove very well. I finally stopped and looked at it and realized that I've had it for so long that I have literally worn it down to a nub! I dug out a new one that I've had stored, but I don't like how the brush rubs me while I use it. I am now on the hunt for more like the blue one.

It's the blue one. Pictured with a hoof pick I hate to show the difference in the blade length.

It's funny how I'll pay almost any amount of money to keep my horses in good health, but I balk at replacing stuff that is still serviceable. I am pretty sure I'm not the only one that hangs on to stuff that has seen better days. My trainer, Chemaine Hurtado, shared this over the weekend.

That's a bit awkward!

She was at a show, too. She held them together with her spur strap and the snap at the top. Since Jill has already had her broken things fixed, maybe some of us need to have a Replace Our Broken Stuff Day!

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Move the Shoulders to Sit

7/17/2017

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I already mentioned that my last lesson with Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, was a marathon of a day. Getting two lessons in a single day is such a luxury though. I was able to work on one thing with Speedy, and then carry it over to my work with Izzy. And as luck would have it, we worked on the same issue with both boys: a drifting shoulder.

A real inside bend!

Speedy's a well broke pony these days. He knows what he's supposed to be doing and offers very little complaint. It's nice to actually work on the quality of a movement rather than just trying to stay on and in the ring!

Over the past few months, Speedy has learned that he has a rear engine and can push - yah! for some impulsion. Using his engine is also fixing the curling problem. When I get his butt in gear, he keeps his poll up.

For this lesson, we were able to tackle new and different things, primarily getting better bend by controlling his shoulders. Speedy loves to fall out on his right shoulder. It's not such a big deal when we're tracking left, but when I want to do a change of lead or track right, it's a different story.

I have a confession. Usually I take great mental notes and am able to convey what Chemaine taught in the lesson. This time, I was feeling pretty puny from a stomach flu. I am bummed that I can't really articulate what we did because the feeling that she helped me achieve was pretty awesome.

Still keeping his poll up, and the croup is still lower than his withers. Sit, pony, sit!

I have another round of lessons in a few weeks, so I am not too worried about not being able to remember every detail of this lesson. The one big take away I had was to not focus on getting him to let go of the rein, but to think instead of how to get him on the other rein.

When we track right, especially at the canter, Speedy gets really heavy on the inside right rein. Instead of thinking, LET GO, DAMMIT!, which hasn't been too effective, Chemaine had me flex him to the inside while at the same time opening the outside left rein to draw his shoulder out.

To the left, I kind of did the opposite. I took that outside rein and pushed his shoulder in by counter flexing him slightly. By moving his shoulders around, I was able to get a much better outside rein connection. Once he was more solidly on my outside rein, he was able to sit. Almost immediately, the walk to canter to walk transitions improved.

We have a show before our next lesson, but I think even the parts I can remember about this lesson will help our scores improve.

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Marathon Lesson Day

7/14/2017

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On Wednesday, best friend and I loaded both horses at 7:00 a.m. for the two and a half hour journey to Moorpark for lessons with Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer of Symphony Dressage Stables. It was the first time I've taken both horses to somewhere other than the vet.

They trailer together just fine and are amazing buddies while tied to the trailer. That's the reason I don't like to take both of them at the same time; they're too friendly. Best friend came along to run interference. I saddled Speedy first while she led Izzy to a nearby stall. He screamed. Speedy screamed. They all screamed. When I switched horses, the screaming began anew even though the horses could see each other the entire time.

While it was frustrating to deal with the separation anxiety, both boys ultimately worked fabulously. It was a long day though. Between all the hosing off, driving five hours, tacking up, removing tack, and eating lunch, it took twelve hours. For two lessons. I don't think I could have done it all without best friend.

Since I see Chemaine only about once a month, I always arrive with an agenda. For the lesson on Speedy, I really needed to address my position, especially at the sitting trot.

Hey! I am sitting the trot!

I explained to Chemaine that I could sit the trot as long as Speedy kept to a pretty slow tempo. The problem I am having is when Speedy does a lengthening. There is no way I can sit the bigger stride. As always, Chemaine had some very constructive ideas for helping me figure it out.

First, she had me look up. Doesn't that fix a whole lot of stuff? The reason is that you need to rotate your pelvis and tuck, tuck, tuck with your seat. If you're looking down though, you're stomach muscles are already somewhat engaged, so you have less room in which to move your pelvis.

The next thing we talked about was not following Speedy's motion. What? I thought that's what I was supposed to do - follow him. Chemaine pointed out that that is the reason I get left behind in the longer stride. Rather than follow him, I need to dictate the tempo with my seat. Boy, did that solve a lot of issues!

Chemine explained that for a more collected trot, I'll tuck my seat bone and kind of pull my pubic bone towards my belly button, kind of like doing a mini crunch. To get a longer stride, I'll drive with my butt muscles by engaging them along with tucking my seat bone.

It's hard, but I have a good start, and I truly am working on it each day. The lesson included way more than just the sitting trot though. And, I also rode Izzy. I'll sort through the rest of the video and share more on Monday. I will say though that Izzy was REALLY good!

Schooling some haunches in. Is he getting bigger?!?!?!

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Hey, There It Is!

7/13/2017

2 Comments

I don't get to see Izzy's RPSI (Rheinland Pfalz-Saar International) brand very often. But lately, his summer coat has gotten so thin that it's finally peeking through.

My Arabian mare, Montoya, was freeze branded. I knew how to read that brand. Sydney, an OTTB that I had before Izzy, was also branded; he was imported from New Zealand. HIs brand was also interesting, and once I knew the code, it was easy to read.

Since I only get to see Izzy's brand for a few weeks in the summer, I always forget how to read it. I know that the bridge represents the Zweibrücker bridge of the RPSI which tells us that he is registered with the RPSI in Germany. That means that the beginning of his registration number is 51.

It's a 36, but it's hard to see.

The numbers below the bridge, a 36 (hard to read, I know), are the final two digits of his personal identification number. His full registration number is DE 451516723608.

The DE means Germany.
The 4 means he was born after 2000.
The 51 refers to his breeding district (born in the USA but registered with the RPSI).
The 5162736 is his personal registration number.
The 36 is the number branded on his hip below the bridge.
The 08 indicates his year of birth - 2008.

Anyone in the know could figure out a lot of Izzy's registration number just by looking at his brand. A quick glance at his brand would tell someone that he is registered with the Rheinland Pfalz-Saar International registry, and that his individual registration number ends with a 36. The RPSI would immediately know to look for a horse with the number DE _51_____36__.

I think it's a pretty interesting system. I only wish that I could see his brand all year long.

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Self-Promotion

7/12/2017

6 Comments

I have a ton of respect for my trainer, Chemaine Hurtado. She's an excellent trainer who helps her students feel successful, empowered, and ready to do it all again tomorrow. Under her leadership, Team Symphony is a fun group where everyone gets to shine and be a star.

Team Symphony - which one is the trainer?

Sometimes though, this rising tide lifts all boats mentality means that her accomplishments and talents as a trainer get overlooked. She's the first one to brag on someone across Facebook, but she never self-promotes or points out that it was her training that helped the rider get to that successful moment.

Every member of Team Symphony gives her the credit for their wins, but we're preaching to the choir. For a trainer to grow her business, it's important for her to toot her own horn a little so people who don't already know her, can well, get to know her!

A few weeks ago, I asked her if she'd let me help promote her a little bit since she really stinks at it. I think she was a little wary of what I intended, but I think we're both really proud of the result!

www.symphonydressage.com

I spent the better part of a week digging through her Facebook pages, business and personal, and redesigned her web page and blog. It's easy to "self-promote" when you're doing it for someone else! I guess it's not really called self-promotion then, is it?

So with that, I am super proud to introduce Chemaine Hurtado's updated web site! You can find it at www.symphonydressage.com. I hope you'll check it out and let me know what you think. It's not often that a student gets to have her trainer as a client!

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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 and occasional trail horse. He is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.

May 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 Zweibrücker gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.

Second Show - July 2016

Bakersfield Dressage approved!

National Awards

USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015
USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 2013

Stuff I'm Working On ...

Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Scores
Second Level Scores:
Score 1: 63.485%
Score 2: 61.282%
Score 3: 62.879%

CDS Championship Qualifying
Second Level Scores:
Score 1: 63.485%
Score 2: 61.282%
Score 3: 62.879%
Score 4:
Score 5:

CDS Ruby Rider Award
Training Level Scores:
Score 1: 70.179%
Score 2: 72.600%

First Level Scores:
Score 1: 66.093%
Score 2: 68.750%

Second Level Scores:
Score 1: 63.485%
Score 2: 62.879%

USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award
Score 1 - 62.879%
Score 2 -
Score 3 -
Score 4 -

2018 Show Season

Show Rating
(***) CDS/USDF/USE
(*) CDS
(s) Schooling
(c) Clinic
(t) Ride-a-Test Clinic
(Q) Must Qualify

2018 Pending …
6/16-17/18 El Sueno (***)
6/24/18 Tehachapi (*)
7/22/18 Tehachapi (*)
8/11-12/18 RAAC (Q ***)
8/26/18 Tehachapi (*)

2018 Completed …
1/14/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
2/10/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
2/24/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
3/17/18 Hurtado Clinic (t)
3/18/18 GEAHS (*)
3/31/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
4/14-15/18 El Sueno (***)
5/27/18 Tehachapi (*)

TMC First Level Test 2

Sunny San Diego

Forward, Forward, Forward

Sock it to Me!

Shoulder In/Haunches In

My Five (Broken) Things

Move the Shoulders to Sit

Marathon Lesson Day

Hey, There It Is!

Self-Promotion

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

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About the
Writer & Rider