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Not-So-Speedy Dressage

From Endurance to Dressage

Ever Onward, However Slowly

1/21/2014

 
You may need some of this ...
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cheese
To go along with a bunch of this ...
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whine
In the two and a half years that I've owned him, Sydney and I have come a long way together, but there is still so far to go. And while it seems like we've had plenty of time to master at least the basics, I try to remember that I've had Speedy for six years and we're just beginning First Level. (Although, his first three years were spent on the endurance trail and not in the dressage court.)

When I first started with Sydney, he was able to canter, but I didn't have the skills to control his canter, which meant that it always spiraled out of control. He either launched himself into a full rear, or he bolted sideways with me clinging on in terror; sometimes he did both. It took a full six months for me to realize that I needed to learn a lot if I was going to keep and ride him. 

I spent the next year learning how to manage him at the trot. I had to learn to keep the contact steady: not too heavy, not too light, and definitely no pulling back. For the most part, that went pretty well. There were still moments of out of control bolting and some rearing, but those moments grew farther and farther apart. I began to feel relatively safe while riding him.

Over this last year, we've begun the canter work. We started to the left, Sydney's stiff side. For the left lead canter, I really just needed to gain control of his outside shoulder to keep him from fleeing the scene. Once I understood that it was the outside rein and leg that made the turn possible, we were well on our way. We can now do lovely canter work to the left. I know how to use the inside rein to soften his neck and poll while keeping him on the circle with the outside rein. He picks up the left lead consistently, sometimes from the walk if I've prepped him correctly, and he's learned how to rock back on his haunches carrying himself in a more uphill frame.

While our trot work and left lead canter work are getting quite solid, there are still some gaps in our training as none of this happens once we leave the property. There is no relaxation in an "away" venue which makes showing more than a little difficult. I am working on this, but my opportunities for working somewhere else are limited. 

Our other huge hurdle is the right lead canter. I have to stop and remember that we have improved in that area as well, but we still have a long way to go. We are at the point now where I can get a right lead canter, but there may be some ugly steps while we do it. When he's relaxed, there is no issue, which in and of itself should be seen as a positive. Three months ago, I couldn't get a right lead canter departure unless it was by accident.

Now, I can feel exactly what he's going to do before he does it. I can feel the tension in his body, and I know that he's about to rear or pivot to the inside. When he's stiff to the right, I simply plant my outside hand and gently work the inside rein until he softens. This is relatively easy. But once he's soft to the inside, the real trouble begins.

Once I can get an inside bend, I then have to guard the outside rein as he will gladly snatch it and whirl to the inside. This combination of stiff-to-soft is a recent development. Now, I have to ride both evasions at the same time: nose bent to the outside to avoid bending and whirling to the inside to avoid stepping under with the inside leg.

My trainer's explanation is that Sydney has developed a liking for doing what he wants to do and is less than thrilled with doing what I want him to do. Great. I understand that as I close each escape door, he will ultimately be left with one route, but learning how to effectively shut those doors is extremely hard work.

Here is where we used to be; all ugly with lots of escape routes. Who wouldn't want to flee this scene?
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Closing all of the doors of escape
Here is where we are going - sterile and methodical but with a purposeful and clear path ...
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No way out but forward
Which will hopefully lead to something more elegant.
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Where does that last door lead?
SprinklerBandit link
1/20/2014 11:26:48 pm

Sydney is a complicated horse. I had one like that and I ended up selling her. Everyone was happier. First Cuna and now Courage will try their hearts out for me and actively seek what I want to do. Sure, they have their moments, but they don't push every button before they give in.

It depends on what you want. Do you love him? Are you excited to see him every day? Do you still enjoy riding him, even though he challenges you? Are you willing and able to put in the time/money/trainer rides/lessons to deal with this and come out on the other side? Is it safe and enjoyable even though there are challenging moments?

The answer is different for everyone.

To me, it wasn't worth it. That mare is a lovely horse for someone else. By letting go of her, I found what I always wanted and I will never regret that for a second.

This is one of those questions that only you can answer, but you'd be well advised to ask your trainer for some very candid input. Best of luck.

Bakersfield Dressage link
1/20/2014 11:51:52 pm

Thanks for the input, SB. To answer your questions, YES to all of them. Am I frustrated sometimes? Absolutely.

In some ways, I have several advantages over many riders: I have an easy work schedule which gives me LOTS of time at the barn, I have 3 decades of horse experience (I am 43), I have a second horse who is "easy" and keeps my show calendar filled, and I have the finances to permit excellent training and coaching.

I really enjoy this horse, and he likes me a lot. He whiskers at me the entire time at the barn; he WANTS to come out and play. :0)

If he were my only horse, the "work" might overshadow the "play," but I get to mix it by riding and showing Speedy.

And I have thought about selling him MANY times. That option is certainly on the table. I fully agree that not every horse and rider can make a team. For now, Sydney is helping me to become a much rider than Speedy ever could. I look forward to the challenge of getting through "this" and moving on with him. We're getting somewhere. It's just slowly. :0)

Amanda link
1/21/2014 01:33:56 am

Really lovely metaphors. Loki isn't quite like that but we do have a lot of the same issues especially at the canter. Learning to turn on the outside rein at the canter has been a huge challenge for me but it is a challenge I have enjoyed for the most part. And challenges like that do make you a better rider if you are able to stick with them and get through them.

It will be interesting to see how far you and Sydney go. Good luck!

Oh and there really wasn't much whine in that post, just an honest assessment, I think. :)

Bakersfield Dressage link
1/21/2014 01:46:42 am

Thanks, Amanda. Sydney is the first Thoroughbred that I've owned, and maybe the last. I didn't know anything about TBs (especially OTTBs) before I bought him. I thought Arabs were tough! TBs definitely have a unique way of looking at the world.

My trainer feels that as long as I am willing to put in the work, we'll get "there." She has a lot of TB experience which has no doubt made the difference. Without her help, we wouldn't have made the progress that we have made.

No horse is perfect, or if he is, he's well out of my price range. I don't mind challenges, for now. As I get older (I'm 43), I'll want the challenges to be less physically involved of course, but for now, you're right: challenges can indeed make you a stronger rider.

Lauren link
1/21/2014 01:49:25 am

The doors visuals are very nicely done. Good job!

Bakersfield Dressage link
1/21/2014 10:45:12 am

Visuals really help me with dressage. The doors keep me focused! :0)

Angela
1/21/2014 02:57:12 am

SprinklerBandit's comment is very sobering and freeing (for me). I appreciate her perspective and I'm glad she shared it :-)

Your visual of the "hall of doors" is spot on!! My lil' grey quarterX has been slipping out those doors and even going backwards- literally. I have now accepted my role as 'Hall Monitor' and, like you, I will begin closing each door one by one. We have just begun our journey, but boy is it different than with the old Good Will. Not nearly as easy and definitely a whole lot slower.
However, I am thankful for both horses, because I am learning and experiencing so much from each of them. The joy really is in the journey!


Comments are closed.

    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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    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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    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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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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