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Not-So-Speedy Dressage

From Endurance to Dressage

California Barn Life

12/21/2011

 
I finished my barn chores in a TANK TOP on Sunday.  This is not typical in the part of California where I live. It's not unheard of, but it's certainly not the norm.  California is a large state with quite a variety of weather patterns.  The state is divided into four main regions that every fourth grader knows well: the Coast Ranges, the desert, the central valley, and the Sierra Nevada Mountain range.
Picture
Thank you, Wikipedia!
Each of California's four regions have vastly different climates.  Even within the region the climate can vary. The northern Coast Ranges have very mild climate, but it rains a fair amount in the winter (Eureka, San Francisco).  The southern coast is even more mild with a warmer and drier climate (Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego).  

The Sierra Nevada Mountains hold our state's summer water in the winter snowpack that they accumulate. Mount Whitney, whose peak is over 14,500 feet, is the highest point in the lower 48 states.  

The desert is very dry, as expected, and very hot in the summer.  Death Valley, our nation's lowest point, is not only blistering hot in the sumer, but is also freezing in the winter.  The Mojave Desert is considered high desert and actually has snow dustings throughout the winter.  

The central valley, where I live, has rich, fertile soil, but has very little rainfall.  We typically get less than six inches annually.  Bakersfield lies at the very southern end of the central valley.  Our fertile farmland is fed by creeks and rivers that drain from the western edge of the Sierra Nevada.  Our summers are extremely hot (highs are in the low 100s, lows can frequently be 80 - 85 degrees), but our winters are generally mild (highs in the 60s, lows in the 30s).

In the central valley, Coast Ranges, and desert, you can ride nearly 365 days a year.  It might be relatively cold, but it's not impossible.  I grew up along the north coast and rode whether it rained or not.  And even in the summer, when the valley's heat reaches 110, we still ride.  We may have to do it at 6:00 a.m., but it's doable. And like Sunday afternoon, there are winter days that are more like summer for some parts of the world.  Our skies were brilliantly blue, and the sun shone down warmly.  The rest of the month will probably continue to be chilly, but the dry air means lots of winter riding.

Welcome to California Barn Life!
Sanay Orloff
12/21/2011 02:56:35 am

i can totally relate to the tank top on Sunday. On Saturday I froze at the stables and then Sunday i was cold, hot, cold and then the sun came out!

Sandy

hammerhorses link
12/21/2011 05:02:23 am

Lucky ducky!!! We've had freezing (no snow yet) weather for almost 2 months now, ugh! I really need to talk my dear husband into moving somewhere else in the country, lol! But then I'd miss my beautiful mountians and lush greenery. I guess there are perks to living anywhere!

Erica link
12/21/2011 08:55:06 am

I think the only thing that really stops me from riding (whether in Bakersfield or San Luis Obispo) is the rain, mud and the pea-soup fog--a Bakersfield exclusive!
Great read! You captured the essence of California.

Karen Sweaney
12/21/2011 11:22:09 am

Sandy - Thanks for "visiting." Sunday was great. Once I got hot, I stayed hot, but it was fabulous to be so warm!

Hammer Horses - I enjoy the cold, but it does get tiresome. Californians are lucky in that we get frequent breaks from the cold. Those warm days come at just the right time.

Erica - I don't mind the fog, but the mud, when we have any! can get pretty sticky! BTW, Are you going to the ride-a-test? If so, we need to do some face to face!

Karen

Erica link
12/21/2011 11:33:34 am

If all goes according to plan, I should make the ride-a-test! I'm looking forward to it since it sounds a little different than a regular horse show. Plus there will be plenty of time to chat!

Karen
12/21/2011 11:35:39 am

Erica - great! Can't wait to see you. :0)


Comments are closed.

    About the Writer and Rider

    ​I am a lifelong rider. 
    I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
    ​Welcome to my dressage journey.
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    About Speedy G

    ​Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
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    Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
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Site Designed and Managed by: Karen Sweaney

Among other things, Karen is a Wife, Friend, Reader, Writer, Rider, Traveler, and Dog Lover
Contact her at bakersfielddressage@gmail.com
  • Home
  • About
  • My Horses
    • Horses
    • Imperioso
    • G Ima Starr FA
    • Sunshine
    • Nakota and Gideon
    • Corky
    • Sassy
    • Montoya DSA
    • Mickey Dee
    • Sydney
  • Show Results
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
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    • 2011
    • 2010
  • Dressage Organizations
    • Dressage Organizations
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    • 2019 Dressage Tests
  • Local
    • Shopping List
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