Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
I know you are bored with hearing about Izzy and his toys, but I feel as though I am now on one of King Arthur's quests: find the perfect toy. At this point, Izzy now owns two jolly balls, a feed pan, a traffic cone, a giant ball, a feed sack, and a rolling treat dispenser. He also repurposes his feed bin and water trough into toys on an as needed basis. When I got to the barn on Thursday afternoon, Izzy revealed that he can now fling a 30 inch ball up and over a five foot fence. Matilda suggested I try one of those treat dispenser toys, so I ordered one of those recently. He doesn't find it as entertaining as the giant ball, but it was empty of the hay cubes and rice bran I had shoved in there the night before. It was at least fun for me to watch him figure the thing out. The horse is smart. He knew there was food in there so he kept rolling the ball and snuffling along in the dirt behind it picking up what fell out. I don't know how he figured it out so quickly, but he did. Why this particular horse has such an active mind is a mystery to me. Maybe all horses sit around thinking of stuff to do but aren't creative enough to turn their stall into a playpen. I watch Speedy who seems perfectly content to stand in the shade swishing his tail at flies. He wouldn't come near any of the things that I've given Izzy over the last few weeks.
Izzy is only seven, a teenager in equine years. Hopefully he'll start to settle down as he reaches the maturity that comes with full adulthood. If not, my barn owner is not going to be too happy when the barn comes tumbling down around our ears!
jenj
9/25/2015 06:42:03 am
What a lucky boy Izzy is to have so many toys! The thing that cracks me up the most is how Speedy is often in the background of pics, giving the whole situation a big hairy eyeball! He is so cute! My guy is playful but not as playful as Izzy, I am thinking of getting him a toy though. He loves the collapsible barrels that the barrel racers at our barn use so I just ordered him a collapsible garbage can. Hopefully it stays in tact long enough to justify the purchase!
Dana
10/4/2015 09:28:04 am
What about somethingl ike http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15498+15511+25184&pcatid=25184 ? 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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