All Categories

Update: Horze Juliet (fullseat) Tights

7/19/2018

In late April, I reviewed the Horze Juliet Full Seat Tights. I've been wearing them exclusively for the past two months and thought they deserved another review.

Riding Warehouse Photo

I have all three colors, but the gray is my favorite. Not that color has anything to do with performance. I bought these strictly for hot weather riding and wasn't at all concerned about making a fashion statement. Which is a good thing because these tights have no bells and whistles. They're pretty utilitarian and not likely to garner any "Hey! Those are cute breeches!" types of comments.

I wish they came in navy.

What I like most about them is how cool they are to wear. I almost don't even sweat in them. There's no shame in admitting that I have sweaty butt issues when I wear most of my other full seat breeches. Not with these bad boys. I still follow my beat the heat protocol - Body Glide is my best friend during the summer, but I have not had a single heat rash this summer.

Super soft silicone seat.

I was initially worried about the silicone seat, but it provides just enough texture to keep me from sliding around without glueing my butt in place. I mentioned before that the fabric is like what you'd get in a pair of yoga pants, and that is still true. What I didn't expect was that the fabric is holding up really well. I am wearing each pair twice a week before washing them, and they look the same as the day I bought them.

These tights are so comfortable that I don't strip out of them as I am walking in the door. My other full seat breeches - all of which I love when it's not 110, keep me wet and sticky until I shoehorn myself out of them. I am finding that I when I get home, I don't even feel the need to pull these off. Many evenings my husband comes home and asks why I still have my riding clothes on.

No sock bottom, but the whole leg feels like a sock bottom.

There are only two things that I don't like about the breeches, and they're both things I can live with. 1) They don't have a pocket. I already bemoaned this feature and have just learned to deal. 2) The fabric is so soft that hay sticks to them. I have a hay bag hanging where I tack up my horses, and I am constantly bumping into it. Hay sticks to these breeches like magnets. Again, it's not a deal breaker, but I do find myself constantly brushing off hay stems and other dirt.

Besides being cool and comfortable, they're also super affordable. If you buy two at a time and combine that with a 20% discount coupon, they're more than reasonably priced. The Horze website shows them in a gray/blue color, so maybe Riding Warehouse will add that color to the lineup for next summer.

Because really, I need 7 pairs - one for each day of the week!

0 Comments

New Award From CDS

7/18/2018

0 Comments

I've written about my USDF Group Member Organization (GMO) at least 5,000 times already. The California Dressage Society (CDS) really and truly cares about its membership and is always looking for new ways to motivate riders and reward their efforts. Last week, CDS launched a freshly re-designed website AND a new award.

Last year's awards from the CDS Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC)

As of now, the list of CDS awards that riders can already earn include:

An engraved plate which gets added to a large plaque (I have 6 so far)
The Gem Awards (I just submitted my application for the Ruby Award)
The Pony Award (Speedy's too tall)
The Sport Horse Award (not really my thing)

Now, CDS has introduced the Horse Performance Award which is similar to the award USDF offers.

Facebook photo

Horses may earn the award at Training through Grand Prix. In order to earn the award, the horse must earn 6 scores of 60% or better at Training through Fourth Level. The horse needs 3 scores of 60% or higher for Prix St Georges, Intermediate, or Grand Prix. Of course there is also the requirement that the rider must be a CDS member in good standing, and the horse must be registered with CDS ($10 annually or $100 lifetime).

Because the award is being announced so late in the season, scores earned earlier this year will count as long as the horse is registered with CDS. I dropped my registration in the mail yesterday. Speedy has five qualifying scores at Second Level already. He just needs one more. I am hopeful that we'll get it this weekend.

Speedy's "Plates" - we'll get our first plate from Second Level when the season is over.

The awards that CDS and USDF offer are a big deal for me. I don't care about ribbons, but I do need something to aim for; it keeps me focused. We might not be earning high scores this season, but we're meeting goals and checking off boxes. I don't know if Speedy needs the proverbial dangling carrot, but I sure do.

0 Comments

We Found Horses!

7/17/2018

2 Comments

No matter where we travel, I am always on the lookout for a chance to interact with horses. Even my husband has gotten good at spotting foreign ponies for me. This trip was no exception.

Carriage horse in Quebec City, Canada

We started our visit to Canada with a four-night stay in Quebec City. On the first morning of our visit, I heard that familiar clip clop of hooves on asphalt and the search was on. I am not sure who spotted the carriages first, my husband or me, but a tour of the old city was the first thing we did.

Before we even made it into the carriage though, I met one of the many vets who supervise the horses that pull the carriages. She explained that she examines each horse for wounds or injuries and monitors the number of hours that they work. Veterinarians patrol the carriage routes checking the horses multiple times throughout the day.

Area for tacking up and rotating horses.

The workday for the horses is strictly regulated. They don't work if it's too hot, too cold, or if they have any wounds or are thought to be ill. The driver explained that horses can be sent back to the stable for the slightest nick or wobbly shoe. He went on to say that the carriage horses in Quebec are the most scrutinized in all of Canada.

Water trough.

I am not sure if we just landed a good guide or if ours was particularly friendly because I had horses - we had chatted a bit before our tour began, but we had a very interesting tour of the old city. Throughout our stay, we noticed that most of the drivers were pretty quiet during the ride while the passengers wore an expression of boredom.

Fountain in front of the Parliament Building

It could have also been that we're curious travelers and were very interested in the history of Quebec City. Our driver seemed more than happy to show off his corner of the world, and we were an appreciative audience.

A view of the Old City's narrow streets.

We left Quebec City by train and headed to Montréal for five more nights. The carriages in old Montréal were even more abundant, and my husband asked if I needed another tour. I am sure I would have enjoyed it, but I declined. The city just didn't have the same relaxed vibe that was found in Quebec City.

The view of downtown Montréal from Chalet du Mont-Royal.

By about the third day in Montréal, we were tired of the noise and traffic and decided to spend the morning hiking around Parc du Mont-Royal, a 500 acre park within the city. From Chalet du Mont-Royal, we admired the view of downtown Montréal and then followed the trail to the 98-foot-high cross that sits at the top of Mont-Royal.

Cross atop Mont-Royal. There's a religious story here, but suffice it to say the cross was placed in thanks for the ending of a flood.

As we strolled through the forest, we came upon several large manure piles which my husband found strange since all of the carriage horses had worn bags to catch the manure. We wondered if the carriages could be found in the park or if trail riding was allowed. Within a short time, I heard the clip clop of a horse approaching.

Mounted Officer in Parc du Mont-Royal

To my delight, it turned out to be a female officer who was happy to stop for a chat. Her English was limited - French is the primary language of the province of Quebec, but with a shared love of horses, we were able to communicate just fine.

She explained that her job was to patrol the park, helping tourists who were lost or in some kind of distress. She also watches out for criminal activity. When I asked about a partner, she explained that he was on vacation so she was riding her own assigned horse as well as her partner's to keep him exercised. Unlike the carriage horses, the mounted officers ride in the heat and cold, adding studs to the shoes when it's icy and rump rugs to keep the horses warm.

Montmorency Falls

We had a great time in Quebec and found our Canadian neighbors to be friendly and very welcoming. We're already talking about next summer's vacation. Not sure where we'll go, but I bet they have horses!

2 Comments

ArenaKleen

7/16/2018

10 Comments

On the day before we left for Canada (blog post about that coming soon), the ranch owners did another application of their dust control product, ArenaKleen (by Dirt Glue). I blogged about this process before (and here).

Pretty much everything you'd want to know about the product is on the label above. If you read the label, you'll see that it's an organic blended severely hydrotreated dust suppressant. Yeah ... doesn't help me out much either, but who cares since the stuff really and truly works.

So glad the ranch owners care about dust control!

For such a hi-tech product, the application is super simple. You just spray it on with a garden hose. Getting it out of the container is the hardest part. The ranch owners used a portable, high powered water pump.

Just like hosing down dust.

When the ranch owners treated the arena nearly two years ago, they applied four containers. Since it has held up so well, they only needed to apply two containers this time. With two hoses dispensing, both containers were emptied in under two hours.

When they were finished, the footing looked wet, but it was rideable that same day. Even when dragged, the footing will continue to be darker than the dirt outside of the arena. Before this new application of ArenaKleen, there was no dust in the air when I rode, but some low-hanging dust was beginning to form with each footfall. No more. I rode yesterday and there were absolutely zero dust poofs.

Completely dust free!

Since the arena didn't need all of the second container, they sprayed the round pen as well. I don't use it very often, but since Izzy hadn't been ridden in two weeks, I started him in there yesterday so he could blow off some steam. That footing was also dust free. Not just mostly, but completely dust free.

Since DirtGlue's website doesn't list the price per container, you know it's expensive. But really, what equine related product isn't? This is probably not a feasible dust control solution for most backyard horse owners, but if you run a larger facility, the price of ArenaKleen might be cheaper than your water bill - especially if you live in California where water is in short supply.

Price per gallon? A lot.

After years of dragging sprinklers around to ineffectively water my riding space, it is so nice to just hop on without having to water or deal with dust. My ponies better mind their manners because I am not getting kicked out of this place! I'll get new ponies if it comes down to it. Kidding. Not really.

Since it only rains about 6 times a year here, the wait for rain strategy doesn't work for us. What do you all do for dust control?

10 Comments

O Canada?

7/4/2018

1 Comment

First of all, happy Independence Day! As a fifth grade teacher who teaches US history, I love this day. I like to think that most of my students will be talking about some of the stuff they learned this year - like who signed the Declaration of Independence and why. Who can forget Paul Revere's ride - gotta love it when horses are involved! Most of my students agreed King George III was a jerk and that taxation without representation was unfair. Some even thought taxes were unfair altogether - I let them make up their own minds. But what does that have to do with Canada?

There are 195 sovereign states recognized by the United Nations. I'll never hit all 195 of course, and there are a few that I'm not interested in visiting at all (sorry, Somalia, but you need to clean up your act first), but I'd like to see at least 10% (and more would be amazing!) of them before I am too old to hobble around.

So far my list of Been There! includes the Canary Islands (geographically part of the continent of Africa but belonging politically to Spain), mainland Spain, Costa Rica, Ireland, Peru, Canada, England, Scotland, Belize, Guatemala, Portugal, Italy, and Vatican City. That makes 13 (I am counting the USA as one of the countries I've been to) of the 195. In dressage speak, I've earned a 6%, still short of my goal of 10%. That's okay as I'm getting close.

Early tomorrow morning, my husband and I are off to visit Montréal and Quebec City in eastern Canada. We've already been to Canada once before - we visited the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island a few years ago, so this particular trip doesn't get me another mark on my list. Even so, I am excited about the trip. After Paris, Montréal is the second largest French speaking city in the world.

Carriage ride in Florence, Italy.

I've ridden horses, or done something with horses, in many of the places we've visited. I've ridden in the Canary Islands, Ireland, Scotland, Belize, and Portugal, and we've done a carriage ride in Italy. I'll be keeping my eye out for an opportunity in Montréal or Quebec City as well. My husband's always game for an equine experience, even if it's just dropping me off while he goes for a beer.

We don't really have a specific itinerary like we usually do, but we plan to visit Notre Dame Basilica and Old Montréal. There's really no end of things to do. We'll be gone for close to two weeks, so you won't hear from me again until the middle of July.

Enjoy your 4th of July festivities!

1 Comment

Filling in Some Holes

7/3/2018

1 Comment

Our jump to Second Level hasn't been an easy one, but we're not completely crashing and burning either. As I sit here and look at the rosettes on my CDS plaque, I remember how proud I was that every score we earned in 2017 was above 60%. I won't be able to say that in 2018. I am relieved, however, that we've at least earned a handful of scores above 60% to put on the plaque - five so far.

I have at least four more shows scheduled for this summer. Speedy and I have been working our tails off to boost up our scores where we're weak while polishing the movements where we shine.

One movement that I have completely neglected is the transition from halt to collected trot. There are two of them in the Second Level tests; three if you count the final halt from collected trot. As long as Speedy ultimately picked up a trot or finally halted, I've been okay with a few walk steps in between. Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, finally called me on it saying that we need to really tighten up that transition.

So for the past week, Speedy and I have been doing lots and lots of trot to halt to trot to halt transitions. Let me tell you, if you aren't doing those, START! Holy cow are those transition ever getting him sharper and more in front of my leg.

Unrelated photo, but he's really stepping up his game!

The other benefit to getting him in front of my leg with transitions is that our shoulder-in is looking more like a shoulder-in. I am sure that Chemaine has already said it 10,000 times, but at a lesson on Friday night she had me use a ton of inside rein to get the bend but then she had me use the outside rein to keep him from coming off the track.

It was like being struck by lightening. You mean I can use BOTH REINS?!?!? Why didn't someone tell me that SOONER?!?!?!? Miraculously, we now have a shoulder-in. When I rode yesterday, I started with a bunch of trot to halt to trot transitions. Suddenly he was bounding forward, so I turned his energy into a shoulder-in, and then rode it into the 10-meter circle followed by travers. It was all so good that I awarded myself a string a 7.0s.

Feeling like we're ready to kick some 5.0s to the curb.

Speedy was feeling pretty good about himself. He knows when I'm finally getting it. We took a quick walk break and then rode the shoulder-in and travers the other way into the rein back. He nailed the halt and rein back and marched forward with a really nice medium walk. I thought it all deserved at least 7.5s. I was feeling generous with the scores.

I am really looking forward to our next two shows later this month. I know we're slowing filling in some gaps in our training, and I am eager to see how well we'll be able to blend the movements together. Of course, different judges place a premium on different things, so our scores may not reflect what we've learned, but I'll know.

I am more amazed by this endurance horse turned dressage horse every day. Who knew?

1 Comment

Season Two of Free Rein!

7/2/2018

2 Comments

Have you heard? Season two of last summer's binge worthy Free Rein is coming back on Netflix. It starts July 6th. I'll be on vacation, more on that in a few days, but you can bet I'll be checking it out as soon as we get back.

Who's with me? If you haven't seen season one, you've got time as there were only ten short episodes. As soon as I am back from vacation, I'll definitely be watching!

2 Comments

A Horse With Opinions

6/29/2018

7 Comments

When I shared this photo the other day, I realized that I've been sharing a lot of these lately. These bucks and kicks are not hard to sit, and I in no way feel out of control. These are just Speedy's way of saying, quit asking me to work so dang hard!

No, I don't want to counter canter.

No, I don't want to canter to walk.

No, I don't want to do that either.

Hell NO! to whatever THAT was!

No I won't keep my haunches in, so quit asking!

No, Chemaine, I won't leg yield for YOU either!

I wish I had taken screen shots from our earliest rides because I know there have been many, many more of these physical expressions of his opinion. The dude doesn't have a middle finger, but who needs one when you can do that?

Have a great weekend!

7 Comments

Making Ends meet

6/28/2018

12 Comments

Speaking of showing ... Just how do we afford all of these shows anyway? Well, if you're like me, you supervise the children's version of jail. Kidding, of course. Sort of.

Pun intended!

You see, at my school (I teach 5th grade in case you're new here), we have lunch time detention. It runs for the 30 minutes of lunch recess. Students get approximately 30 minutes to eat followed by another 30 minutes to play.

Kiddos who get in trouble, either from our school principal or another staff member, serve noontime detention with whichever teacher has detention duty. Most often, that's me. I run detention every Monday and Friday. The other nine intermediate teachers rotate through weekly so that they serve Tuesday through Thursday about three times a year.

Why do I do it so frequently you ask? For the "money," of course. I make approximately $12 each time I serve as the detention teacher. During the course of the school year, I gave up my lunch twice a week, sometimes more if I "subbed" for another teacher. In June, I got my extra duty check for the second semester's detention as well as for serving as my school's Battle of the Books coordinator.

My check was a "whopping" $822. I used the money to pay my entries for both June shows, coaching at each show, and Izzy's new bridle. My husband was horrified that I would give up my lunch twice a week to supervise naughty children for $12. Looking back, It does seem like a lot of work for so little pay.

School starts again on August 16th. I have another month or so to consider whether missing my lunch hour two to three times a week is worth one or two shows during the summer. But you know, if Izzy doesn't break anything next spring, I could turn that check into three shows. My colleagues certainly hope that I'll continue with the Monday/Friday detention schedule as it means fewer days they have to serve.

Who wouldn't want to do more of this?

It's worth it, right?

12 Comments

Tehachapi Mountain Solstice Dressage Show - Part 2

6/27/2018

4 Comments

I always disliked First Level Test 3. It was hard and complicated and freaking long. Second Level Test 3 is organized, and it makes sense. What you do to the left, you do to the right. And you don't have to wait until the end of the test to do it. That always killed me about First Level. I always hated that the second trot lengthening came at the very end of the test because I always forgot about it until the last second. I actually like Second Level Test 3.

Medium trot 6.0

Like I said yesterday, we didn't break any records, but Speedy and I finally rode a very consistent test with no errors. Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer and Symphony Dressage Stables, said that we rode a test where she wasn't thinking more, more, more, and that's a good thing. That doesn't mean we don't need MORE, but now it's a subtle more.

A very sassy travers right (haunches in (6.0).

The entire test is a string of 6.0s with a few exceptions. We earned a 5.0 for the rein back, which I felt was pretty good. Apparently, we've been practicing it incorrectly. I've been allowing Speedy to trot into a walk before he halts. Oops! We'll be addressing that in our lesson on Friday. The other 5.0 was for our turn on the haunches left. We go better to the right.

To offset those 5.0s however, we earned a 7.0 for the walk to canter at K (go, Speedy!) and a 7.0 for our simple change at L which has a double coefficient (counts twice for those of you whose eyes are glazing over). We also earned a 7.0 for our final halt.

Collected canter with a poll that is getting higher and higher!

When I looked at the score sheet and saw a solid string of 6.0s, I told Chemaine that it's disappointing that it only adds up to 60% when it feels like a 70% test. I'll slowly (or maybe quickly) turn some of those 6.0s to 6.5s, and before I know it I'll have a 65%. My final score was a 60.732%. I'll take it! Here's the video.

4 Comments

<<Previous

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: 61.970%
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 - 61.970%
Score 3 -
Score 4 -

USDF Bronze Medal
First Level - 70.179%
First Level - 72.600%
Second Level - 62.879%
Second Level - 61.970%
Third Level -
Third Level -

2018 Show Season

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

2018 Pending …
7/22/18 Tehachapi (*)
7/28-29/18 El Sueno (***)
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 (*)
6/16-17/18 El Sueno (***)
6/24/18 Tehachapi (*)

Update: Horze Juliet (fullseat) Tights

New Award From CDS

We Found Horses!

ArenaKleen

O Canada?

Filling in Some Holes

Season Two of Free Rein!

A Horse With Opinions

Making Ends meet

Tehachapi Mountain Solstice Dressage Show - Part 2

About the
Writer & Rider

About Speedy G

About Izzy

National Awards

Stuff I Read

By Topic

Archives

About the Writer & Rider

About Speedy G

About Izzy

National Awards

Stuff I Read

By Topic

Archives

About the
Writer & Rider