Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
I haven't seen a video of my riding in quite some time. I still have a mental picture of this: My leg has always been fairly good, but boy oh boy, did I struggle with my upper body, arms, and hands. I was over bent at my pelvis; my wrists were always "broken," and I had no bend in my elbows. I did have a great deal of enthusiasm and a tremendous desire to learn though, so I am not going to beat up on this lovely woman. For someone with zero professional help through three decades of riding, she has managed to come far in three years. I was lucky to have someone around recently who shot a minute of me riding Sydney. It's not a great video, but it is enough to let me see how much improved I am over the last few years. My upper body is really nice, and I can now see my elbows bending and moving with an elastic connection. My wrists are no longer bent, and my thumbs are on top. If you watch until 0:51, you'll see a lovely downward transition that shows us both being very balanced in our work. 5/20/2014 11:26:29 am
Thanks, Katharine. :0) He is very relaxed at home, but getting that away from home has been a lot of work! 5/20/2014 11:30:07 am
He does have an unbelievable canter, Austen. And yes, it is very fun to ride. While we can't do a true canter pirouette, we're not too far off. He really loves that gait and can carry a lot of weight on his hind end. I could just canter him all day - I always get a huge grin on my face as we school the canter, especially to the left. Now if only our trot work was as good ...
Sandra
5/20/2014 01:13:13 am
Those two riders are night and day from each other! Well done! You look amazing!!!! 5/20/2014 11:31:30 am
Very different, huh?! Riding a hundred miles takes a completely different skill set than does dressage. I feel a little behind the eight ball, but I am catching up. And thank you for the kind compliment. :0) 5/20/2014 11:33:32 am
Thanks, Lauren. I know I am not *terrible,* but I simply can't walk around saying what a great rider I am. Next to a nobody, sure, I look great, but stick me next to almost anybody else and my holes stick out quite clearly! :0) 5/20/2014 11:39:54 am
Thank you, Kelly! He is definitely the hardest horse to ride that I've ever owned. He has forced to me to up my game - no gimmes here. :0) 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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