Category:

Hitting the Reset Button

10/10/2018

Alright ... Speedy's not fired, but he's on probation.

I am of course just kidding about all that. The dude has earned the right to live out his days with me or move on to someone else. It's his choice, really. In the meantime, I decided to take Chemaine Hurtado's advice and just hit the reset button.

Yesterday, I grabbed my riding rope halter - it has rings to attach reins, and my helmet. I didn't even change into riding boots. I wore my muck boots instead. After running a brush over Speedy's back and picking out his feet, I hopped up on him bareback.

We spent the next 40 minutes walking around the neighborhood. Speedy got quite saucy when we passed the Haner Family Farm - none of the horses like walking by there, so we did a little bit of collected work as he pranced down the road.

I am not sure one ride was enough to hit his reset button, so he may get one more of those bareback with a halter rides before we go back to full work. I think we have a lesson on Friday.

Back to the grind, my friend, back to the grind.

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Where's Izzy?

9/13/2018

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The last you heard, he was a complete jackass. I am not going to say he's turned into a sweetheart - oh my God, that would be great; but no. In his defense, after that first ride with shoes, he settled right down and was actually quite a nice boy to ride.

From this summer.

I am only ever frustrated with him when he forgets that he's 10 years old instead of 3. Those are the days when we have to have a come to Jesus ride. Those involve a lot of praying - probably by both us. Since we had several very submissive rides in a row earlier this week - and it was hot as hell, I decided to take him up to the old golf course.

It's private property, but the owner doesn't seem to mind that I ride out there. He keeps it mowed and watered, but there are still places with tricky footing (gopher holes, etc.). There are some small undulating hills and a copse of trees that I like to weave him through. It gets his mind off being anxious.

From late spring.

He was a bit of jerk, but it was fun to canter out in the open over terrain that wasn't flat and smooth. Once he started focusing on where his feet were going, he seemed to enjoy himself; for a minute anyway.

Even though he was wringing wet, his own fault, I rode back to the ranch and put him to work in the arena. We did a minute or two of trot work and then picked up the canter both ways. It was almost funny. His trot and canter suddenly got very relaxed and supple. I could see him thinking, oh, thank God it's so NICE to be HERE. The arena suddenly seemed to be his happy place.

Big baby. That's okay. A win is a win.

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Endurance 101: Check Your Gear!

5/11/2018

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Oh, how quickly they forget, and when I say "they" I mean me. Endurance riders learn early on that all tack and gear must serve a very real purpose. Nothing is worn simply because it looks good. The distances traveled - 50 to 100 miles in a single day, are just too long to have unnecessary tack or gear weighing you down.

Training ride - June 2009

Last weekend, I did an hour and a half trail ride with a group of friends. As I was packing my gear into the trailer, I grabbed everything that I normally use: saddle, pad, girth, bridle, helmet, gloves, and leg boots. And that's where I made my mistake.

Fleece below the belly is a no-no.

When I untacked Speedy at the end of the ride, I groaned. His fleece boots were completely covered with embedded foxtails. That's when I remembered that endurance riders don't use fleece below the belly; no fleece on bell boots and no fleece on leg boots.

I spent a solid 30 minutes picking those little boogers out muttering under my breath the entire time.

And since I am so out of practice, I'll probably make the same rookie mistake next year!

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Spring Trail Ride

5/9/2018

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Speedy doesn't get to do much trail work anymore, neither does Izzy for that matter, so I was particularly glad to hear that Summerlane Farm was hosting their annual trail ride and potluck lunch this past Sunday.

Ranch owner drove so I got to be the passenger for once. Speedy is in the front stall.

Summerlane Farm is about a 35 minute drive from the ranch. It's situated in the middle of rolling hills covered with citrus groves, blueberry bushes, pistachio orchards, and more. There isn't a paved road for miles. It's a great place for trail riding, especially for groups.

Speedy was quite happy to have a friend.

Summerlane Farm's trail ride has been known to have as many as 20 riders or more, but this year's event was more cosy than crowded. There were seven of us on Sunday. Summerlane Farm used to breed Arabians, but they now breed and show Borzoi dogs. Even so, six of us were still on Arabs.

Lowell managed the local dressage show in March.

Lisa's a longtime endurance friend and Arab lover.

Ready to hit the trail.

Speedy was his regular good boy self for most of the ride. He stood patiently at the trailer and ate and drank with gusto. About halfway through the ride he kind of lost his marbles though; his trailer buddy was ahead of us, and he didn't want to get left behind. I think he was worried that we'd have to walk home!

We had a few come to Jesus moments, but for the most part, I took advantage of his willingness to be in front of my leg. We cantered in place, did some passage, schooled our canter to walk transitions, and leg yielded back and forth down the road.

Speedy "cam"

While he was a bit of a stinker the last 20 minutes or so, it was fun to be out in the open with friends. I know he enjoyed himself.

You try and ask a bunch of horses who are enjoying a brisk spring day to line up, hold still, and look at the camera.

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Casual Friday

4/2/2018

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I don't make enough time to do fun and easy stuff with my boys. I should; we all should. When you work full time, and you're a perpetual under achieving over-achiever, there's simply no time for taking it easy. I don't know who makes those rules, but I broke one of them on Friday.

A new friend, KM, sent me a text asking if I had Saturday open for a ride. She rode with me a month or so back, and I had told her to call when she up for round two. I had a Chemaine Hurtado Clinic to put on on Saturday, but I told her that my Friday was free. As luck would have it, so was hers.

Learning Archie's saddling preferences.

My selection of trails is quite small. If you want to get an hour ride in, there's basically one loop. You can ride it clockwise or counter clockwise. We have a single paved road with a good shoulder and no traffic that circles around the neighborhood which is comprised of two to ten acre properties. There's also a small section that winds through some nice trees and then down along the river. The ranch itself has a nice circle, but even if you tie it all together, that's all there is.

Fortunately, KM is not picky. She had seen it all before, but she was more than happy to do it all again. She's a lady after my own heart. Four sound legs, a long swinging neck, and a piece of leather under her bum were all she needed to be happy.

Two gray ponies and two happy ladies.

We spent some time grooming and tacking up and then walked up to the arena for some get re-acquainted time. After that, we spent a lovely hour just enjoying the nice weather and the musical sound of eight hooves beating out their rhythm.

On the way back to the ranch, we discovered that the sandy beach along the river had been smoothed out and cleaned up so we walked the horses down to the water and let them put their toes in. KM had been sharing how she was looking forward to an upcoming beach ride with her husband and friends. The Kern River is not quite the Pacific Ocean, but it was a beach ride.

After we had cleaned up the horses and given them some treats, we spent some time chatting. I learned that KM is quite an accomplished artist, like people would buy her stuff kind of good. She especially likes to paint animals.

Oh, boy ... I've got a couple she can paint!

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Joke's on Me!

3/25/2018

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This must be the season for baring it all. A few weeks ago, I shared that post about my fear of being a hack, this week, another let it all hang out.

I've been doing this dressage thing for quite a while now. I did my first show back in the summer of 2010. Holy Moly, has it been that long? Since I'd never shown before, and since Speedy had only ever done endurance, we started at the very first step - Introductory Level A.

Our very first show.

We had great fun, but I wanted to move up a level. You've heard this story a thousand times. Making it to Training Level was my all encompassing goal. Once we hit Training Level, I wanted to get to First Level. That's where I thought you became a legitimate Dressage Rider. Making it to Second Level wasn't even on my RADAR.

Our last First Level show.

From my lowly perspective, Second Level riders had to be amazing. You could only get there if you had a fantastic horse and you yourself had an amazing seat. HAHAHAHAHA. Boy, was I ever stupid!

Fantastic horse, not a fantastic rider, but it's Second Level!

I guess what I am trying to say is that if I can make it to Second Level, YOU can make it to Second Level. I am living proof that the riders at Second Level don't have to have an amazing seat, although I am sure it would help, and an average, plucky horse can get the job done. He doesn't have to be a fancy warmblood.

My plucky horse. Not for sale.

All of this occurred to me on Saturday while I was riding Speedy bareback with just a halter. We were hacking out around the neighborhood after a week off. It had rained nearly all week, and I thought some time off after our debut at Second was warranted. Since I can just hop on him bareback with a halter after a week off, that means that he is amazing. Just saying.

So there we were tootling around with the lead rope draped loosely when my plucky and amazing Second Level horse launched forward. I said he was amazing, not perfect. I grabbed wildly for my rope and managed to bring him back to a walk, but I was unbalanced and knew I was coming off. Cringing, because I knew it was going to hurt, I dug deep and tried to stay on anyway.

Instead of hitting the dirt, I landed on my feet with Speedy's lead rope in hand. I had to laugh. There I was, proof yet again that Second Level riders are no better than that endurance rider giving Intro Level A a try.

Oh, Third Level, where are yoooou!

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Taking a Break

2/6/2018

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Saturdays are nearly always my crank it out, bust our butts, hammer it home riding day. It's the day I don't have to be anywhere else, and it's not going to get dark before I finish what needs to be done. I take my Saturdays seriously.

Not this Saturday. I got a text from a new friend, KM, asking if Saturday would be a good day to come out and meet my boys. For a split second, I remembered how much work needs to get done on Speedy before our first show of the year and thought about saying no. But then I realized that taking it easy for one day might actually do Speedy some good.

KM meeting Archie - her mount for the day

KM's husband is a local publisher. My husband and I met him a few times because of the magazine, and the next thing we knew the four of us were having dinner together. It didn't take long for the topic of horses to come up. KM rode as a girl and has lately been trying to reconnect with that particular passion. I invited her to give me a call when she had a free weekend.

People never take me up on that offer, so I was a bit surprised to hear from her this past week. She had mentioned that she'd taken a few lessons at Los Angeles Equestrian Center and that she occasionally rides with a friends up in Bear Valley. I hate to offend, so when people say they can "ride," I always nod politely and act like they've been to the Olympics.

People who spend a lot of time in the saddle have a way of communicating their riding ability without needing to say much. We jump 2'6", I show at Second, we've completed a couple of 100 milers, we just did a 14 second barrel run over the weekend ... In just a few short words, you know those people can handle just about any well trained horse on a 45 minute trail ride. Outside of that, it can be kind of risky if your horse is only well trained and not dead broke.

Well trained, but not dead broke.

When I mentioned the ride to the ranch owner, she graciously offered to let me borrow Archie, her senior citizen who happily packs anyone no matter their skill set. Unlike Speedy, who has buttons installed all over the place, Archie's buttons are hard to hit accidentally. In fact, you have to press his buttons quite authoritatively before he'll believe you did it with intent. I texted KM the night before with her riding options.

KM's a pretty smart lady, and she's honest about her riding ability. I don't often find that. As we rode, she was glad that she had opted for the less reactive horse. Even though I was able to ride him on the buckle for most of the ride, Speedy did get a bit excited as we passed the Haner Family Farm. Archie barely looked at the grunting pigs and the honking geese.

Last minute tack adjustments.

We had started the ride in the arena so that KM could get a feel for Archie before heading out, so when we got back to the ranch I asked if she wanted to pick up a trot or canter back in the arena. She declined, but she did say yes to hopping up on Speedy.

As they followed the fence toward the far end of the arena, she quickly called out that he was too much for her and that she thought she should get off. He had coiled himself up and was getting quite tense. I hate to see someone get off out of fear, so I quickly led Archie down to Speedy and had her head back toward the gate.

I encouraged her to ride a small circle around me and Archie, but I gave her a few small directions. I showed her how to bend him to the inside and sponge the inside rein. Once Speedy had some bend, I instructed her to use her outside rein to slow down his run-away walk. He was simply unbalanced and tense because of it.

Almost immediately, he relaxed, and his walk got much prettier. KM felt it, and the tension left her body as well. After walking both directions, she felt confident enough to pick up a rising trot. She was able to change her posting diagonal and keep Speedy on the circle.

By then, KM had been in the saddle for an hour and a half and was ready to be done; Speedy, too. KM thanked me for not letting her get off while she was scared. I was really impressed with her ability to be honest about how she felt, and because of her honesty, I think she added a bit more knowledge to her riding toolbox.

I hope she comes back to ride with us again; even if it's a Saturday.

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Dressage on the Trail

1/2/2018

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I am not sure I've mentioned this yet or not, but I've been on winter break for a week. Today starts week two. After being so sick for so long, I put last week to very good use. While I may be on break, Izzy is most definitely not. I've worked his not-so-little caboose every single day. I've worked him so much that he's actually gotten tired, and that's just the way I like him!

Not as tired as I'd like him to be.

Given how sluggish he was on Wednesday, I decided to ride him around the neighborhood on Thursday. I couldn't remember the last time we'd done that. He hadn't even been off the property since early August.

Early August - look how tan his coat was!

I knew he'd have cause to be spooky, but I decided that a trail ride was the perfect way to reinforce the no looking around no matter what strategy. It's not like he hasn't been around our neighborhood plenty of times, and on top of that, it's a horse friendly area with plenty of other horses around to offer confidence.

As we headed out the front gate, he was pretty timid which showed up in the slowest walk ever. I just kept banging him with my legs, and when he threatened to balk for even a moment, out came the whip with a loud thwack to remind him that shenanigans would not be tolerated.

He was actually pretty willing until we got to the Haner Family Farm which abounds with turkeys, hogs, geese, and other farm animals. They're housed very near to the road, and when we walk by, they are always busy honking and grunting. It's a scary spot. I didn't care. I made him march past with his head mostly down and his haunches behind his shoulders.

From there, he was tense and bouncy. I cut him zero slack though and insisted he march forward in a relatively straight line. When we finally got to the old golf course, I decided our quiet walk was done. If he had enough energy to piaffe his way home, he was going to work.

He really can piaffe with ease.

The first few trot steps were a bit zoomy, but he quickly remembered that no bullshit was to be tolerated and got to work. We picked up an easy right lead canter, and I grinned. All was well until I started working to the left. Suddenly, he forgot what the left lead was.

I tried every trick I know: haunches in, counter bend, stay on the incorrect lead until he switches. Nothing worked. When I did get a left lead canter, he would doing a flying change the instant I tried to get some inside bend. The more he picked up the right lead going left, the hotter he got. I finally brought him back to a walk, took a deep breath, and tried to figure out where I was losing him.

Within moments I realized that the whole thing was about the outside right shoulder. I firmed up the right rein and thought about straightness. When he picked up the left lead, I sponged the inside rein for flexion, but I didn't let the outside shoulder go for even a moment. And that was it. He held a left lead canter. After several laps around, I brought him back to a walk with a lot of praise and pats.

He's a pretty good boy when he wants to be.

As we walked home, I once again insisted on a head and neck that weren't looking around. When we got back to the arena, the ranch owner and neighbor were just getting ready to ride, so I stopped to chat. Within a moment, Izzy relaxed.

While he wasn't perfectly behaved on our trail ride, he was very rideable, and he stayed focused on me. He's getting broker by the minute!

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Hanging With Friends

9/6/2017

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Speedy and I spent all summer busting our butts at First Level. We made it to six shows and several out of town lessons. And when I wasn't riding him, I was working with the big brown horse. We did zero trail riding this summer.

Speedy couldn't believe he was going to have company!

The week following our last show was wicked hot, so I didn't even bother trying to ride. Saturday was just as hot, so rather than even pretend that I was going to get any kind of schooling done, I asked my ranch owner if she and the neighbor wanted to hit the trail.

Laurel and Willi

To my delight, both ladies were in! Speedy couldn't have been happier. He and Willi live together, so getting out at the same time was a real treat for both boys.

Deborah and Archie

It wasn't like we did anything wildly difficult or long. In fact, we were only out a half an hour, but the horses seemed to really enjoy themselves. But even in that time frame, Speedy worked up a damp sweat, and he never sweats!

I jokingly referred to our group as the three amigas!

It was the first time that the three of us have gone out together, but I hope it won't be the last. Sometimes, it's nice to take a break from the intensity of schooling and showing. I know Speedy enjoyed getting out of the routine as much as I did.

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Bareback

8/2/2017

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It got really hot again this week. We had 28 days of triple digit high temperatures in July and at least 15 in June, so it's not like it hasn't been hot. It's just that it suddenly got hotter. We're driving to the Ventura area for lessons with Chemaine Hurtado today even though they're poised for record heat too. Knowing that today was going to be a long one, I opted to hop on Speedy bareback yesterday with just a halter.

As I was hunting for his riding halter, I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I'd ridden him bareback. It must have been at least six months. He's always such a good boy, but I wondered how good he'd be this time.

I shouldn't have even given it a second thought. As I hopped up, a big smile hit my face. I had forgotten how broad and sturdy his back is. I settled in and enjoyed the feeling of his muscles rippling around beneath my seat.

I also realized that my bareback seat could use some work. I thought about doing some trotting and cantering out in the nearby field, but doubted my security. It wasn't that long ago that I felt comfortable popping over small logs bareback.

Once I go back to work in the next week or so, I'll be forced to ride in the hot afternoons again. Those are perfect bareback days. I am sure I'll be popping over those logs in no time!

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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.

Second Show - July 2016

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

2019 Show Season

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

2019 Pending …

4/12-14/19 - AA 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 -

Hitting the Reset Button

Where's Izzy?

Endurance 101: Check Your Gear!

Spring Trail Ride

Casual Friday

Joke's on Me!

Taking a Break

Dressage on the Trail

Hanging With Friends

Bareback

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About Speedy G

About Izzy

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