Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
It might not be super pretty, but I am doing it anyway. Why you ask? Well, my big brown horse is turning a very big corner. While I wouldn't call him dead broke or anything, we are certainly at a point where we do more dressage work than fixing naughty horse work, and that's worth dancing about. On Saturday, I caught myself bustling around as I tacked him up. For just a moment I paused and questioned whether I shouldn't be more cautious. After all, I wouldn't want to rile him up and push one of his freak out buttons. And just as quickly, I dismissed the idea. Izzy has really settled into being a riding horse. Tacking up and bridling are no longer issues.
In fact, I realized that most of the time, not all of the time, but most of the time, I am working on the quality of his movement and not whether he's moving. He has a confirmed right and left lead canter that I can get whenever I want - unless it's one of those times when we are working on naughty horse stuff rather than dressage stuff. All of this made me realize that it's time to step it up. Izzy now needs to learn to work under some kind of pressure. He does great when it's just Speedy and me there with him. What I need now is to figure out how to get him to work when someone else is in the arena or other horses are nearby. I've got a couple of ideas, but they require someone willing to give up their own ride. You know, someone willing to just putz around as I school my own horse without worrying about wrecking their "ride." If you live nearby and want some saddle time, Speedy loves to putz! Or if your horse just needs some new scenery, but you don't have a riding agenda, Izzy would love to meet you. We also have another steady eddy at the barn who would love to pack you around. Give me a call.
Tina
3/1/2017 10:37:55 am
YaY! I love those moments. Homer, my 4 yo seems to be coming to the party too! And I would love to have another place to haul to, if I can bring Homer. He too needs new scenery and another riding distraction. I can also bring my Steady Eddy, Cruiser too. It would have to be on a weekend or when the days get much longer. Let me know. I'm game!!! Comments are closed.
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About the Writer and RiderI 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. About Speedy GSpeedy 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.
About IzzyIzzy 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.
National Rider AwardsState Rider Awards
State Horse Awards
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: Archives
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