Category: Third Level

Use the Energy

3/26/2020

What with all that's happening in the world right now, I am having trouble remembering what day it is. So when I say I had a lesson a week or so ago, it might have been two weeks or three days ago. I am not sure. A few weeks before that, I had a lesson, and in that one, we worked on getting Speedy's hind end very active. When we started this most recent lesson, my first question was how to use that new hind end energy.

Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, nearly clapped her hands in excitement. I think she'd thought I'd never ask. Right away, she had me get Speedy going. When I had trouble knowing how much to get him going or what get him going even looked like, she use the word excited. Get him excited. Oh, okay.

It sounded easy, but it wasn't. I just wasn't really feeling what she was asking me to do. Basically, she wanted me to build up the energy in his hind legs without letting it leak out through his front end. Then, we took that energy and used it in the shoulder in and half pass. When he felt too quick or heavy in the front end, she wanted me to use the half halt to tell his front end to slow down so that his hind end could catch up. When I kept him "short" front to back, he could carry and push more effectively from behind.

The videos have excellent sound, so you can hear Chemaine explaining it better than I can. And because I am nothing if not honest, you can see my struggle for yourself. We have some really pretty moments here, but some of them are not so pretty.

At the end of the second video, we got some really nice medium trot. Speedy loves that movement and tries his heart out. This is probably some of the longest reach he's ever given me. I have never been able to capture a photo of him with so much extension. When I first looked at the image below, I thought his hind end was not nearly engaged enough, so I did a little drawing.

The two yellow lines are exact matches. I drew a yellow line on his front leg first. Then I copied it and pasted it to the hind leg without making any changes in the length or angle of the line. I did the same thing with the purple lines. The lines show that his legs are moving nearly parallel with one another. The outside hind (yellow) could use a little more angle in his hocks, but otherwise, he's pretty even.

Here's another shot a stride or two later.

This year's show season may be not what we all had hoped for, but I just figure that I am using this time to get better and better. By the time we can show again, we'll have no problem getting the scores we need.

There's always a silver lining.

Show Prep Part 2

2/7/2020

When Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, came out for a lesson on Sunday, I was just expecting to keep chipping away at the movements we struggle with at Third Level, namely the half passes. Along with that though, Chemaine challenged us in the canter with a new exercise to soften our flying lead changes.

Still not as light and jumpy as the left lead, but the right lead is showing improvement.

Speedy struggles with the right lead canter more than with the left. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that he wants to fall in on his right shoulder and swing his haunches out. When he does that, he doesn't have to cary so much weight behind. Chemaine has really hammered it home that he has to be in self-carriage all of the time. And now that I know that, I am insisting on it.

Still behind the vertical, but his stride is getting more collected.

While we struggle with the trot half pass, we also struggle with the canter half pass, particularly to the right. Until Speedy is fully willing to carry himself, the work done in the canter - the half passes and the flying changes, will be harder for both of us. Fortunately for me, Chemaine always has a new exercise up her sleeve.

Nope ...

Not a fan at all!

To help Speedy sit down in the canter so that I can prepare for the half passes and flying changes, she had us do a brand new exercise. Be prepared for your brain to hurt a bit.

You'll use the same long side for both canter leads. We used H-X-K.
Pick up the left lead canter.
Ride the shallow loop from First 3 (H-X-K).
In the corner at K, do a canter pirouette and head towards X.
From X, head back to H on a counter canter, doing the flying change on the quarter line.
In the corner at H, do a canter pirouette and head towards X again.
From X, head back to K on a counter canter, doing the flying change on the quarter line.
And again, repeat the canter pirouette in the corner at K and head towards X.

Here's a video of me doing the exercise after a bunch of false starts. You'll notice my pirouettes aren't yet pirouettes. We weren't worried about that; I was just making that turn as small as I could.

This exercise could probably be used for a lot of different things, but what Chemaine was helping me do was get control after the flying change. Speedy loves to bolt forward after the change in a big yeehaw moment. After using some big half halts in those corners to really rock him back on his end, he quit pulling some much after the changes. I am surprised you can't really see it on the video, but I was using what felt like big, powerful half halts to get him rocked back off my hands.

He definitely takes the "flying" part to heart.

So instead of a keep working on it post lesson chat, we were suddenly talking about a USDF show next weekend. in some ways, going way sooner than I had planned makes it easier because I have a lot less time to worry about it.

Dude! He loves the extended trot.

And really, it's not like we're starting a new level, we showed Third last year, it's just that I am desperate to get that one last score ...

Ride a Square

1/24/2020

Squares are awesome. I ride them with Izzy all the time. They get him sitting and help him balance. I don't ride them as often with Speedy because they're harder to do on him. If you didn't catch yesterday's post, here's yet another photo demonstrating how much he hates to sit. This one is BRILLIANT.

Although, if I ever try to sell Speedy, I'll have to delete these blooper posts as no one would even think of trying to ride this out. Honestly though, his bucks and kicks are super easy to sit, and usually I bust out laughing because they're all drama llama. If you'll notice, I'm always smack dab in the middle of his back without getting pitched forward, backward, or to either side. You've seen me ride. I am not particularly talented, so me staying centered isn't because of my fabulous riding. Speedy just likes to voice his opinion, but he's never trying to unseat me or buck me off. He would be mortified if that ever happened.

Riding the square at the walk.

The lesson had one real purpose: get that inside leg to step under and over. To achieve that, Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, had me ride a square. A lot of squares. In the corner of each square, she had me compress Speedy's frame while riding with his haunches in with activity.

We started in the walk. First, I bent him around my inside leg and then opened my outside rein and brought it back to send his inside hind under his belly. At the same time, she encouraged me to tap, tap, tap him with the whip to keep the hind leg very active. Once out of the corner, she instructed me to give him a big release. The point was to show him that he can bend and push at the same time.

But without popping his head up.

Then we did it at the trot. All of the blooper photos from yesterday were taken when he refused to make the corner with his hind end underneath him. To the right, he desperately wants to "save" his inside hind by swinging his haunches out. Sorry, buddy, that's not going to work. That's okay, he nearly has it figured out. We used the same strategy, compress, compress, compress, followed by a release without letting him pop his head up.

The shoulder in benefitted from all that hind end work too.

After the trot came the canter. Since the canter is already a gait with more suspension, these corners were a lot easier, especially on the left bend.

Notice how compressed his stride is!

Compressing the stride in the corner where he takes smaller, but active steps behind will help later in the canter pirouettes, but for now, it will help our half pass. You can see how much harder it is for him to the right.

Not nearly as compressed.

Another way to do the exercise, especially when Speedy was feeling frazzled, is to walk the corner, and then either trot or canter out of the corner. When we did canter, walk, canter, his transitions got a lot crisper. I love this canter depart.

Now to get that on the right lead.

After getting him truly active behind, we did a few canter half passes. They still more or less suck, but at least they're improving. At the very end of the lesson, we took the energy that we had built and let it rip. Our very last medium/extended trot was heavenly!

Four off the floor!

Not as "up" as a few strides before, but I love how far forward he's reaching!

Speedy can do this - Third Level, Fourth Level, the FEI Levels ... It's just up to me to figure out how to convince him that he can do it. And of course, I need to learn it first.

A Lesson in Photos

1/23/2020

Over the weekend, Speedy and I got a long overdue lesson with Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables. With our move to Third Level this past summer, Speedy and I have struggled with bend and forward. He can either bend, or he can go forward. What he can't do, or at least what he thinks he can't do, is go forward with bend.

The exercise Chemaine set up for us attacked both of those things, the bend and the forward. Because Speedy was so adamant that he COULD NOT DO IT, I have to show you a series of photos, all captured from one, 10-minute video, and truthfully, most of the photos were from a 5 minute stretch.

They are hilarious, and they are posted in order. I can't guarantee that the statements below were what Speedy was thinking, but I think it was pretty close. It all started with a gentle warning ... his to me.

Watch it, lady!

Like I said, careful with that thing!

ARE YOU DEAF?

WTH?

I warned you.

Noe you're really starting to piss me off.

Hold my beer.

Oh, for the Love of God!

I am about to open a can of whoop ass, lady!

Grrrr...

I AM AWESOME!

Stay tuned for the actual lesson ...

A Lesson in Parts

1/3/2020

With winter firmly unpacked and having taken up residence, lessons have been a bit sporadic. Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, was finally able to make it into town for a lesson this week. Since I do the daily riding, she usually leaves it to me to let her know what we need to work on. I had a list.

Our Third Level game face is getting better!

The Half Pass
Okay, but when isn't that going to be on my list? Probably never. I feel about half pass like I did about the stretchy trot circle - hate it. Of course, stretching down is all he wants to do now. Maybe once Speedy is a Grand Prix horse, the half pass will seem easy. For now, it's our nemesis, especially the half pass right.

Think "Piaffe"

The half pass right is our harder direction because Speedy resists bending so completely. You put him in a straight line, and that boy is s-t-r-a-i-g-h-t. And when I rev him up correctly in the corner, he can really push through. That's why his mediums and extensions are pretty good.

I am not even going to apologize; he is CUTE!

Bend to the right AND push? Um, let me think about it. That'll be a nope. Says Speedy all day every day. No matter what he thinks about it, he still has to do it though, so Chemaine had me approach it a little differently. As we approached the corner, she had me work on half halting him while flexed. He can half halt when he's straight, but getting a half halt while bent around my leg is a new idea. For both of us I think.

Lots and lots of suppling

If I got him bending before the corner at A, it was easier to bend him toward the letter, H or M, as we started the half pass. It was also important to have him in front of my leg, with energy. That's the solution to everything though, isn't it?

The thing that really resonated with me was that Chemaine separated the half pass into several moments: bending with the outside hand open and back in the half halt phase and then let him carry himself forward. The second he wanted to fall in on the shoulder, half halt with an open outside rein to draw the shoulders in front of his hips and bring the rein back to sit him on his haunches so he can carry himself. That was pretty much the one thing she repeated all day: LET HIM CARRY HIMSELF.

Curb Rein or Snaffle Rein?

No, you do not get to bolt through the change.

Now that I (mostly) have control of both reins, I am learning when to use each one. Sometimes it's obvious, like in a flying change that has gone wild. The curb rein is really helpful.

Well, now, that's a little better!

For the most part, I've been relying on the snaffle rein except for when I really need him to sit and push. Like in the medium trot. The curb really helps me set him up to collect, but near the end of the diagonal, Chemaine pointed out that he was over-flexing in the front, like this.

Curb rein ...

As soon as I switched to the snaffle, his nose shot forward, and we finished the medium looking like this.

Snaffle rein just a stride or two later.

Carrying Himself
We spent the rest of the lesson on this. For Third Level and beyond, Speedy has to be in self-carriage ALL. OF. THE. TIME. It's hard, and I've let him rest on my hands for too long. It wasn't on purpose though. It's hard to know what light feels like until you really feel it. So we did a lot of half halting with taps of the whip when my leg didn't work.

This might be my new favorite picture.

With a horse like Speedy, one who likes to fake you out by curling behind the vertical, it's challenging to keep pushing him up to the bit without letting him dive onto my hands. It's a lot like riding a teeter totter. Or as Chemaine described it, towing a trailer: if the trailer's not connected (the hind end), it gets left behind. Keeping the "trailer" attached requires Speedy to really lift his back, drop his croup, and PUSH.

He looks great when he's carrying himself.

Our hey, that's nice! moments are getting longer and closer together. The show season starts in March, so we have two more months to improve his self-carriage, my control of the reins, and that bleeping, bleep half pass.

Hey, that's nice!

For today, I'll just focus on this particularly nice moment.

A Lesson in the Double

12/16/2019

I haven't had many lessons this past month or two. Speedy's recent abscess had everything to do with that. I had a lesson on a Tuesday, and two days later he was lame. The rain didn't help any either. Although, here in Central California we never lament a rainy day since we have so few of them. It took two full weeks for the abscess to heal up, and then I spent another week or so getting him back into riding fitness. This past Tuesday, Speedy and I were finally able to get another lesson.

Just getting the feel of things.

Normally, when Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, shows up, Speedy and I have been warming up, and we're ready to get to work. Not for this lesson. As soon as Chemaine walked up, I told her that I wanted a "double bridle tutorial." While I had hand walked Speedy for a week in the double and then ridden him 3 or 4 times, I knew I wanted some direct, explicit training in how to correctly ride him in the double bridle.

"Feeling" the curb bit.

The first thing she did was check the bridle to see how everything fit. While most everything looked good, she did have me tighten the noseband one hole and attach the curb chain differently so that it rested against Speedy's chin at a different angle. Once that all looked good, I hopped up and put Speedy on a 20-meter circle. As we walked, Chemaine watched my hands and overall rein length.

Snaffle rein first between your pinkie and ring finger.

I am going to be honest here: riding in a double bridle is not rocket science, but it's also not "easy." There's a lot more to it than just holding a second pair of reins. While I enjoy figuring things out on my own, I also recognize when I need a professional's advice. For the first few rides on my own, I experimented with how exactly to hold two sets of reins while keeping each one at the appropriate length. It's not easy.

Curb rein with your top two fingers.

I had already decided that my Thinline reins were going to be used for the snaffle, and my old Beta endurance reins would serve as my curb rein. The Thinline reins have stops while the Beta reins are smooth all the way down. This works for me as there isn't anything to snag the curb rein. Chemaine liked the set up and commented that the Beta reins drape nicely.

She did have me make one major change though. She suggested I pick up the snaffle rein first and carry it between my pinkie and ring finger with the curb rein above it, carried by the middle and index fingers. She explained that I would need the leverage for the snaffle rein, but by carrying the curb rein higher, I could use more finesse and a lighter grip with the middle and index fingers. It took me a bit to get comfortable with that grip, but she was absolutely right. It felt much more comfortable.

Feeling the curb rein.

With everything fitted correctly and my grip situated, we moved on to using the curb rein. First, she had me take up the curb and play around with it until I could feel it in Speedy's mouth. Up until that moment, I had been reluctant to actually use it. By the end of the lesson, I was well acquainted with the curb and much more comfortable using it.

Connecting with the curb on his own.

She also had me practice a few things like simply relaxing my grip on the snaffle rein to quickly access the curb rein when things were going haywire. She explained that this can be a great tool to use if a flying change gets too wild for example. By allowing the snaffle rein to slide through, I could access the curb rein more quickly.

A stride or two later getting the release.

After shortening both reins a little, she explained how if both reins are nearly the same length, simply coming above the snaffle, like in a transition, will cause the curb to engage, reminding Speedy to soften. She also had me teach him a little about the curb by asking for a more "abrupt" half halt accompanied by a bigger than normal release. He quickly started seeking that release by giving to me quicker and deeper.

Getting light in my hands.

She also had me think about his response to the curb. If the response was slow, I needed to ask more firmly and quicker. If Speedy's response was more immediate, I could then get him to come more through from behind because I wouldn't be holding him back so much.

Getting more impulsion from behind.

Another thing she had me think about was keeping the gas peddle on because Speedy wants to slow down instead of jumping through and collecting. When I got him soft in the bridle and reaching under, I got this trot to canter transition.

So much to love here.

Overall, Chemaine's main question to me was this, "How light is he? Use the curb to make him lighter." No matter how light I thought he was, she insisted he could be lighter and for longer.

I love how his poll has really come up over the past two years.

I really loved this getting back to basics type of lesson. By the end, I felt much more confident about the double bridle and ready to start schooling him on my own. I definitely have my homework for the next few months, but I think the double bridle is finally right for us.

Carrying himself even while getting a good boy pat!

We're still just one score away from a USDF Bronze Medal, but I think we're getting closer!

Score Stalking (or Almost There!)

11/14/2019

In all the hubbub of finding a new truck, I completely forgot about my newest dressage score. I mean, I know I earned it, but waiting for USDF to see that I've earned it feels like an eternity. On Monday, after I rode Speedy, it suddenly popped into my head that USDF had probably updated their scores. I barely made it in the door before I was checking my scores. I told you I'm a score stalker.

Bronze Medal Check

In case you can't read the pinkish box, it says, "Two scores at Third Level, must be awarded by two different judges. Rider has one qualifying score at this level." Rider has one qualifying score; that means I only need ONE MORE score for a USDF Bronze Medal.

You hear that, Speedy G? ONE MORE SCORE!

If you've checked my scores, no offense taken if you have, and frankly, I'd be disappointed if you haven't. How can you weigh the veracity or relevance of anything I say if I don't have the credentials to support what I write? My mediocre scores should prove to you that I am indeed what I say I am - a struggling adult amateur on a horse not bred for dressage but who is doing it anyway.

Median scores that won't knock your socks off.

I am kind of surprised by the sheer number of USDF scores Speedy and I have earned, 81 at last count. And those scores don't include schooling shows or CDS only shows. We're at well over a hundred if you toss those in. What we may lack in quality, we've made up for in volume.

I know a lot of people will look at my scores and tsk, tsk them. Yes, I would like my averages to be higher, but showing is how I get better. I don't have access to weekly lessons. Shoot, sometimes I am lucky to squeeze in a monthly lesson. Over the years, most of my feedback has come from judges. I ride a test, I read what the judge thought, and then I try to improve on what we did before. If you go back to review all of my scores, you'll generally see a progression from low to at least higher within each level.

I didn't stay at Second long enough to increase our average.

Once Speedy and I earn that last score for the Bronze Medal, we're going to hang out at Third until I feel that he has developed more lightness in his collected work. And that half pass has to improve before we even think about moving on to Fourth Level. Frankly, I need to get better, too. This level is requiring a lot more balance on my part as well.

Move along, nothing to see here.

I know I tend toward self-deprecation, but it's said in all earnestness. Seriously. If you have a goal, go for it. What I lack in talent and natural ability, I make up for in grit and determination. Most of the time, it ain't pretty, but it gets the job done. Dig deep, friend, and it will happen.

At least that's the pep talk I keep giving myself.

Dressage at SCEC - Part 3

11/1/2019

When we woke up on Sunday morning, the temperatures were MUCH cooler than they'd been the two days before. That went right along with my plan to get Speedy's hind end motoring. As much as I hate to annoy him by asking him to really engage, I was on a mission to do just that. The cooler weather did a lot of the work for me.

Some canter work in front of the judge,

In order for Speedy to develop a better half pass, he simply has to have more energy which means reacting to my leg when I ask. Besides reminding him with a tap-tap of the whip, the other thing I learned was that if we plan to do two Third Level tests in a day, I have to shorten my warm up. I realized that I am using too much of his energy before we even ride the test.

Way back when we were doing Training and even First Level, 20 minutes to warm up was all he needed. Essentially, he just needed to stretch out and loosen up. For Second Level, we needed more like 35 minutes to not only lube everything up, but Speedy also needed reminding that yes, he does HAVE to do what I am asking.

This flying change was PERFECT. You barely even see it happen in the video. We earned a 6.5.

For Third Level, 30-minute warm ups are just too long for us, especially if it's hot. That means I need to get in there and get him responsive to my leg in the first couple of minutes. Even with a plan of only doing a 15-minute warm up on Sunday, I still started a few minutes too soon, and then as luck would have it, things ran about 10 minutes behind. Add that up and you get another 30-minute warm up; just what I was trying to avoid.

I like the canter work at Third.

Since the warm up ring was adjacent to the test ring, I took a short break to watch the open riders ride 3-1. I was the only adult amateur showing Third Level on Sunday. One rider in particular laid down an awesome 3-1 test. I realized that was how the test was supposed to be ridden. I think she scored a 67%. After watching how she rode it, I made it my mission to sit up, keep Speedy's energy up, and get my scores UP.

Just before we went in, I took a minute to do a hand gallop. I also reminded him that I had the whip in my hand and that my plan was to meet a quota of tap-taps whether he needed it or not. I am just kidding. Mostly.

Our mediums for this show were not as good as they can be. Not horrible though.

We didn't score a 67%, but it was the best ridden Third Level test I've done so far. Not that that means anything because my Holy heck we did it! is still a far cry from where we need to be. Just the same, I was really proud of that 62.432%.

Here's the video.

My Third Level Test 3 ride was just two rides after my first. I didn't need to actually do anything in the warm up, but even just walking around I could tell that the test probably wasn't going to go well; Speedy was getting cranky and tired. Multiple taps with the whip will do that.

From 3-2, extended walk 6.0

We earned a frustratingly low 57.625%. After looking over the test though, I was pleasantly surprised to see a long list of 6.0s and 6.5s. We even had a 7.0 for our entry which was back to our normal. You know what got us? The flying changes. We had a 6.5 and a 7.0 on the test just minutes before, but Speedy knows how to get his digs in. He. Just. Would. Not. Change. It was deliberate. Booger.

"eff you, lady!"

For the first change, he gave me an emphatic NO. See above. I kept asking though which prompted a late change, a swap back in the front, more lateness, and then he finally got it at about A. It was supposed to be near centerline. Our score for that debacle was a 4.0 that was crossed out and renumbered as a 3.0.

The second change doesn't look too bad on the video, but it was a tad late behind. I think the judge was a bit sick of me by that point because she gave us a 4.0. Even a 4.5 would have been better.

Our combined score for the two flying changes on Test 1 was 26 points; they have a double coefficient. The next two changes? An embarrassing 14 points. Those two flying changes cost us a 60%. It was particularly frustrating because our changes are actually pretty good, maybe even our best Third Level movement. What can you do though? Try, try, try again. That's what.

Enough with all that drama! Here's something a bit quieter.

Here's the video with no editing out of the naughty moments. If you need to feel better about your own riding, this will do it.

For me, showing is worth while if on the drive home I mull over what I learned. I learned a lot at this show which means it was a success. My warm ups need to be shorter and quicker. I need to get Speedy bouncing and energetic. And finally, I learned that we can't do two tests a day for two days.

For our next show, my plan is to show 3-1 and 3-3 on Saturday. Then on Sunday, we'll do 3-1 again just to give me an "easier" shot at getting that last 60% for a Bronze Medal in case we miss it on Saturday. After that, our Sunday's will be reserved for 3-3.

It was a good show.

Dressage at SCEC - Part 2

10/31/2019

Just to relieve you of any tension, we finally got a score above 60% at a Third Level test at a USDF-rated show. Not a huge amount over 60%, mind you. In fact, we earned a 60.405%, just 1.5 points over the necessary 222 needed for a 60% at Third Level Test 1. Do I care? Nope. We earned it fair and square.

Two solid scores for our flying changes - a 6.5 and a 7.0.

As in everything Speedy and I do, Saturday's two tests, Test 1 and Test 3, were a mixed bag with both good and bad moments. Test 1 was filled with a very long list of mediocre 6.0s and 6.5s. We had a few 5.5s and a lone 5.0. Add that all up and you get 60%.

Canter work was just so-so.

For test 1, we didn't make any real errors other than one. I hate to show everyone in the warm up ring our "ugly." It's the ugly that Speedy needs though to put on a better performance. He needs to know that I am going to smack him once or twice if he doesn't get his butt moving. I didn't smack him like I should have, so we had a lackluster performance.

Not horrible, but not great either.

Don't get me wrong; I am not dismissing a 60% score as "lackluster." I have worked both our butts off to cross that magical line in the sand. In fact, when I got word that I had finally earned my first qualifying Third Level score, I burst into tears. Did I raise the roof, high five everyone in the barn, or do a happy dance. Negative, Buck Rogers. I bawled like a little kid.

Not the best we can do, but it's something.

Weirdo. I know, right? I am just so damn driven that getting my bronze medal is all I can think about. And it's not like earning it means I am done with Third Level and moving on to bigger and better things. All it means is that I can cross that goal off my list so that I can really focus on owning the directives at Third Level and getting better. Here's the video.

Our second test of the day, Test 3, is just hard. While I didn't make any real mistakes, I just don't know the test well enough to ride it with confidence. Not like that's the only reason we didn't earn a 60%. Did I mention that it's hard? My goal between now and our next show in December is to know that test backwards and forwards. The better I know a test, the more effective I can be in riding it.

3-3 - Medium trot

Our score for 3-1 was 58.375%, just 6.5 points shy of a 60%. Our entry and halt, one of the places we can easily score a 7.0, was not up to par. We earned a 5.5 for which I have no explanation. That was at least a 1.5 loss. Our trot half pass left was weird - we earned a 4.0. That score carries a double coefficient so we lost another 4 points. That's 5.5 of the the 6.5 points we needed for a 60%.

3-3 Halt, Rein Back

Could I have picked up another point along the way? Absolutely. Like I said, knowing the test a little better and not riding it while second guessing myself would really help improve my score.

3-3, Half-circle left 10 meters

It wasn't a great test, but it wasn't a disaster either. We just have to keep working at it. Here's the video for Saturday's Third Level Test 3 ride.

While earning 4 scores of 60% or better at a show is always my ultimate goal, Saturday's 60.405% meant that I earned my goal for the show. With it, I now have the first of the two scores that I need for a Bronze Medal. That score is also a qualifying score for next year's Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC). It also means Speedy has the fourth score of 6 towards his CDS Horse Performance Award.

3-3 Canter after a flying lead change

At the end of a show day, I always like to formulate a new plan for Sunday. What can I do better? What needs to change? What went well? As hard as it is to let everyone watch me "school" my horse, I knew I needed to get Speedy in front of my leg and sharper to my aids. That meant I was going to have to annoy the heck out him and expect him to "show up."

Sunday's rides tomorrow ...

Lack of Rhythm

10/15/2019

I am going to be totally honest here. Up until a few weeks ago, I wondered at how a horse could lose the rhythm. Most of the time when that word is used, I suspect most people (like me) mean tempo. Until just recently, I had never felt a loss of rhythm on Speedy. On Izzy, yes. When he gets tense in the canter he feels as though he loses the lead behind which is a major loss of rhythm. That should actually be termed scrambling for footing.

At Third Level, the horse is asked for more collection than ever before. There's a 10-meter canter circle and canter half pass. We're also schooling some of the canter work at Fourth Level, especially the 5-6 strides of very collected canter between quarterlines (test 1) and the partial pirouette at canter (test 2). All of a sudden, I felt what was meant by a loss of rhythm.

Inside right hind not stepping very deeply.

When we canter right lead, and I ask for a very collected canter, Speedy feels almost lame. It feels as though he is stuttering in the canter and about to drop to trot. At our last lesson, I asked Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, what we could do about it.

She explained that Speedy has less range of motion in his right hind leg. Over the years, he has successfully cheated by carrying that hind leg, his weaker one, slightly to the inside. As a result, that leg doesn't step as far underneath him. In the collected canter, the horse has to sit more deeply with that hind leg reaching even farther underneath his belly. Since Speedy doesn't use that inside right hind as well, the rhythm of the collected canter feels off.

Not quite the same angle as above, but the left hind steps farther underneath his body.

Chemaine gave me several exercises to help him begin to increase his range of motion. First, we're doing a lot more stretchy trot to the right wherein I ask him to leg yield out on the circle. I am doing the same thing at the canter. Another exercise is to canter a square with canter to walk transitions in the corners to insist that Speedy step over BIG with his inside right hind. Now that I am aware of the problem, I am constantly insisting that he step deeper through corners and that he carry his haunches correctly and not to the inside.

With a show coming in less than two weeks though, I am being careful about not making him sore. Just because I want him to bend over and "touch his toes," it doesn't mean he can do it in one day.

There is always something to fix, isn't there?

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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 showing Third Level 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 and showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.

March 2019

Bakersfield Dressage approved!

FOR THE SMALLER EQUINE ATHLETE

I love her stuff!

National Awards

USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award - 2018

2nd Level Rider Performance, 2018

USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015

1st Level Rider Performance, 2015

USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 2013

Training Level Rider Performance, 2013

State Awards

CDS Ruby Rider Award - 2018
CDS Second Level Horse Performance Award - 2018

Ruby Rider Award, 2018

2020 Show Season

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

2020 Pending …
4/26 TMC (*)
5/31 TMC (*)
6/28 TMC (*)
7/11-12 El Sueno (***)
7/26 TMC (*)
8/8-9 RAAC (Q)
8/30 TMC (*)
10/24-25 SCEC (***)

2020 Completed …
10/26-27/19 SCEC (***)

Qualifying Scores for 2020

Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC)
3rd Level Qualifying
3 Scores/2 Judges:
Score 1: 60.405% Atkins
Score 2: 62.432% Atkins
Score 3:

CDS Championship
3rd Level Qualifying
5 Scores/4 Judges:
Score 1: 60.405% Atkins
Score 2: 62.432% Atkins
Score 3:
Score 4:
Score 5:

Working Towards:

CDS 3rd Level Horse Performance Award
3 Judges/3 Shows:
Score 1: 63.514% Lindholm
Score 2: 62.105% Lindholm
Score 3: 63.243% Wadeborn
Score 4: 60.405% Atkins
Score 5: 62.432% Atkins
Score 6:

CDS Sapphire Rider Award
Third Level: 63.514%
Third Level: 62.105%
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 - 62.432%
Third Level -

Use the Energy

Show Prep Part 2

Ride a Square

A Lesson in Photos

A Lesson in Parts

A Lesson in the Double

Score Stalking (or Almost There!)

Dressage at SCEC - Part 3

Dressage at SCEC - Part 2

Lack of Rhythm

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