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Not-So-Speedy Dressage

From Endurance to Dressage

Happy (Belated) Gotcha Day

12/28/2022

 
I've had Speedy a long time; 15 years to be exact. His Gotcha Day was December 8, 2007. I always remember Izzy's Gotcha Day because Facebook sends me a reminder in my Memories. Speedy doesn't get Facebook reminders because I hadn't joined Facebook yet. Facebook had only been available to the public for a year or so by 2007. I don't even have photos from his Gotcha Day because I didn't have a smart phone. Almost no one did. The first iPhone was released in 2007. A lot has changed in the world since I bought Speedy.
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December 2007
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September 30, 2008
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March 2009
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June 2010
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May 2011
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March 2012
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April 2013
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July 2014
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March 2015
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February 2016
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March 2017
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March 2018
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June 2019
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June 2020
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July 2021
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October 2022
Speedy and I have done a lot together, and he's made a lot of friends along the way. We've participated in two, completely different disciplines, and now he's  a schoolmaster giving lessons. In fact, he's meeting a new rider this afternoon. Speedy is now 18, and he's healthy and sound. I don't know that I am his forever home; I hope so, but I've always said that Speedy will let me know what he wants. The Universe keeps sending me ladies who want to learn and ride, so for as long as that lasts, that will be Speedy's job. When he's ready for something else, I am quite sure he'll let me know.

Happy belated Gotcha Day, Speedy!

Happy (Belated) Gotcha Day!

11/30/2022

 
My Facebook memories reminded me that eight years ago yesterday, Izzy joined my family. I actually think I might have paid half of his purchase price the day before and then the rest the next day when I went and picked him up. Either way, I still forgot about it until Facebook reminded me. I always remember that he joined my family near Thanksgiving, but I always forget the exact date.
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Eight years ago.
In some ways, actually, in a LOT of ways, my journey with Izzy has been quite disappointing. I was certain that he was going to outpace Speedy and quickly earn me all sorts of awards. We'd sail past First Level in that first year and quickly conquer Second. Third would be a bit of a challenge, but before I knew it, we'd be schooling Fourth. HAHA. What I was smoking? Nope. No. Hard no. Laughing Hysterically as I shout NO. None of that happened. Not even the First Level Part. 

But.

It's hard to remain disappointed as I look back at all that I have learned because of this horse. And even though none of it happened on Izzy, I did win all of the things including a USDF Bronze Medal. I just did it on the horse that I thought couldn't do it. The horse who is well bred, just not specifically for this sport. So while I haven't managed to be successful on Izzy, Speedy showed me how much fun showing (and winning) could be.
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Look at his baby face!
It's not like Izzy and I haven't done things; it's just that we haven't necessarily done them well. Feeling nostalgic, I decided went back and looked at some of the things we have done:
  • We've done 28 days of showing including schooling, CDS, and USDF shows.
  • We've ridden in clinics with Amelia Newcomb, Erika Jansson (Cavaletti), Barbi Green-Gurley, Ulf Wadeborn, Chemaine Hurtado, and Dr. Christian Schacht.
  • We've done a zillion trail rides that we trailered to including riding out in the desert.
  • We've worked in a western saddle.
  • We've crossed water a bunch of times.
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There's a lot this horse can do. If I ever want to go somewhere, I never give pause. Sure! I'll bring Izzy is my usual response. I don't always have complete confidence that he'll keep his hamsters on their wheel, but so far, we've never died or been maimed or even been kicked out. I often wonder what things would have been like had I bought the other horse - a petite warmblood that I looked at before deciding she wasn't right for me. She might have come up lame, she might have been boring, she might have hated working with me. You just don't know what might have been. And frankly, I don't want to know.

Regret is a wasted emotion. There are a lot of things that I wish I had done differently in my life, but when the what ifs rear their head, I quickly remind myself that it is the totality of my experiences that have placed me where I am today. Had one decision been different, I might not have had horses at all. For better or worse, blue ribbons or no ribbons, Izzy and I are a team. 

​I choose to celebrate his "gotcha day" with gladness that we met.

From Introductory to Bronze

5/2/2022

 
A few years ago, I saw this great video that someone put together where moments from the horse and rider's career were strung together. In the beginning, the horse was at Introductory Level, but as the video progressed, the horse was shown advancing through the levels. The video played like one cohesive dressage test with clips showing the horse's transformation from a green bean to a finished dressage horse at grand prix.

Someone shared it with me and said I should do something similar. I've certainly videoed many, many rides, but I don't have the time or energy to string together eleven year's worth of video, so instead, I picked favorite photos of Speedy in the trot work to see if I could spot the changes in his way of going.

I am certainly not an elegant rider, but even I can see the improvement in my position over the eleven years that Speedy and I competed together. The change in Speedy's body is even more interesting. I like seeing how his balance slowly shifts as his thrust and power grow. Maybe someday I'll be able to see Izzy morph from big brown horse to Wow, what a horse!
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2010
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2011
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2012
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2013
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2014
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2015
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2016
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2017
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2018
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2019
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2020
I don't know how I got so lucky with Speedy, but I did. This horse allowed me to learn so much. Together, we journeyed from Introductory Level to Third Level and a Bronze Medal.

It's hard to ask for more.

Guess Who is 18 Today?

4/15/2022

 
Happy birthday, Speedy G! Yep, today is Speedy's 18th birthday. He's now able to vote and be charged as an adult. Just kidding of course.
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Yes, you!
As each year passes, I appreciate more and more how very lucky I have been to be this horse's partner. I don't think I was ever grateful enough in the moment. While dressage is challenging in and of itself, having such a willing partner who never minded the atmosphere or stress of showing was a gift I never valued as much as I should have. Izzy is teaching me that lesson.

Over the past year and a half, since Speedy retired from showing, I have been able to finally appreciate what a rock star I have had in him. While he won't live as long as I want him to, I can promise that he will have whatever he needs to be happy and healthy.

​I love you, Speedy G! Mwah!

That's a Wrap

6/11/2021

 
Unbelievably, yesterday was my first day of summer break. I truly thought the day would never come. COVID has sucked on so many levels and for so many people that I hate to complain about the "inconvenience" it has caused me. I don't work at a grocery store - those people are saints for putting up with all the rigamarole with which they had to contend, and I am not a nurse or a doctor; they, too, have had a rough year.

When COVID first became a thing, there was an outpouring of support for teachers as parents suddenly had to spend the entire day with their kiddos doing reading and math and history and science and everything else. Once school resumed in the late summer, suddenly, the world hated teachers. We were all lumped in with "ban the police" crowd and the "we won't work" slackers. I guarantee that while that does describe some teachers (and waitresses and store clerks and mechanics and bankers ...), it was not how the majority of us felt. We wanted go back to work in person.
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Hours spent on our distance learning platform: 1,166
I've been a teacher for twenty-seven years. I have never worked longer days, including every weekend, than I did this year. Not only did the year feel longer than every other year, it actually was. Since the district didn't know how to handle distance learning, the kids started the school year eight days after we did. In order to meet state requirements (and earn the money that comes from ADA - Average Daily Attendance), the district stuck those missed eight days at the end of an already arduous school year. 

On Wednesday afternoon, most of my staff met at a local Tahoe Joe's for a happy hour celebration. I expected to feel the normal sense of freedom that final day brings, but in truth, it was a pretty low key event. We were all tired. Even though yesterday was my first day of vacation, I still had to get up at dawn  to feed all of the horses at the ranch - long story, not mine to tell. That afternoon, I finally took some time for myself. I got a much needed pedicure and stopped off at my favorite mom and pop burger joint. I plopped down on the sofa and watched a stupid movie and started to feel as though I might truly be done with this school year.
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Yesterday's early morning view.
Summer break is when I feel like my "real" life truly begins. As usual, this summer is already starting off with me being busier than I have time for.
  • ​Today, I'll ride Izzy early and then Speedy goes to the vet to check on his summer sore. I also have to stop by the feed store to get six bags of feed for the ranch owner, and then I have to be home in time to meet the appliance repairman; my dryer quit a week ago.
  • Saturday or Sunday I'll give at least one lesson on Speedy, maybe two, and ride Izzy.
  • Monday, and this one is HUGE, Izzy and I will be heading to STC Dressage for a lesson, but only I will be returning home. What? Right!? More on that to come.
  • Wednesday, my husband and I will be heading to Tennessee for a week. (And for those nefarious types who might be reading, don't even think about breaking in as we have a house/dog sitter and a really good alarm system.)
  • The Friday after we get back from the Volunteer State, I'll be heading south to SCEC for a warm up ride because Izzy and I will be showing that Saturday and Sunday.
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From our last show at SCEC.
Just typing all of that makes me tired. The end of the school year always feels like the true year's end; December 31st is just practice. So for me, it truly does feel as though this year is over, and the new one has just begun.

I really hope the second half of 2021 is a lot more pleasant than the first half was.
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    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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    Photo by Lori Ovanessian

    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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    July 2020 (PC AJSK Photography)

    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 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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    March 2021 (PC Tess Michelle Photography)

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    Bakersfield Dressage approved!
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    My favorite breeches!
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    FOR THE SMALLER EQUINE ATHLETE
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    I love her stuff!
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    Watercolor Artist and Friend

    National Rider Awards

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    USDF Bronze Medal - 2020
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    USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award - 2018
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    USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015
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    USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 2013

    State Rider Awards
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    CDS Ruby Rider Award - 2018

    State Horse Awards
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    Speedy G - 3rd Level Horse Performance Award - 2020
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    Speedy G - 2nd Level Horse Performance Award - 2018

    Working Towards:

    CDS Sapphire Rider Award
    Third Level: 63.514%
    Third Level: 62.105%
    Fourth Level:
    Fourth Level:

    2023 Show Season

    Show Rating
    (***) CDS/USDF/USEF 
    (*) CDS
    (s) Schooling
    (c) Clinic
    (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic
    2023 Show Schedule
    TBD

    ​2023 Completed …
    Pending

    2023 Qualifying Scores 

    Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC)  
    Qualifying Training Level
    3 Scores/2 Judges/60%:
    Score 1:
    Score 2:
    Score 3:

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Among other things, Karen is a Wife, Friend, Reader, Writer, Rider, Traveler, and Dog Lover
Contact her at bakersfielddressage@gmail.com
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