Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
While the First Level Test 3 RAAC class felt wild and wooly, it actually doesn't look that bad except for one or two places. The judge sure nailed us on those movements though. We slunk out of the ring with a dismal 56.765% - nearly an all time low. I have some great photos, but I'll let you watch the ride first so you that you can decide if it was worth more or less than the 56% that the judge gave us. Here's what the judge thought ... (click images to enlarge). I didn't watch the video until late Sunday afternoon. I am glad I finally watched it because I drove home thinking it was a disastrous ride; it wasn't. Yeah, Speedy put up a serious stink at the first canter lengthening - did you see the buck? And that second canter loop on the left lead was a bit fussy, but all in all it wasn't horrible. I have to give myself some credit as a rider. It looks a lot more pleasant than it felt. He was ticked off about that judge's booth and was letting me know it. The reason he gave a buck as we started the canter lengthening was because I had to dig my spur into him to keep him as close to the rail at C as possible. He wanted to dive in and bolt for A. So yeah. It wasn't a perfect test, and I am kind of blaming Speedy for at least 60% of it, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. The judging was tough, but that's what you get when you enter at A at a big USDF show. Here's some eye candy. These photos are all courtesy of Edyta. Once again, we placed dead last in our RAAC class, but here's the funny thing. When we first showed at the 2012 RAAC, we won our Introductory Class with a solid 67.000%. The next year, we were dead last in the Training Level class with a 61.200%.The year after that, in 2014, we won the Training Level class with a whopping 72.600%. So really, things are looking good. If everything goes as it has in the past, we're looking really good for next year's First Level RAAC class! We finished eighth out of eight riders, but we still showed up for the honor round and cheered on those riders who had a much better day than we did. You're probably ready for some Izzy news by now, but I have one more post about the show to share. I really want/need to talk about all that I learned at this show. And it's a lot.
On tap for tomorrow... What I learned.
jenj
8/26/2015 01:12:17 am
Oh Speedy! They sure do keep us on their toes, don't they? And even though your score wasn't what you wanted, YOU WERE THERE! That's a really big honor in of itself, especially given how recently you moved up to First! Congrads! 8/29/2015 12:24:11 pm
That's one thing about dressage - we pretty much always get nice ribbons. :0)
SprinklerBandits
8/26/2015 02:35:47 am
I would be ok with 8th out of 8 if it came with that ribbon. 8/29/2015 12:26:35 pm
Sadly, I have its twin from two years ago, so I would have at least liked to get the 7th place ribbon which was a BEAUTIFUL purple!
Val
8/26/2015 06:25:55 am
I agree with SB. Is that a chocolate ribbon? 8/29/2015 12:27:51 pm
Yes, yes it is chocolate which is a much nicer name than CRAP brown. And thank you. Speedy is coming along nicely, slowly, but nicely. :0)
Carly
8/27/2015 06:29:42 am
Looking forward to reading about you guys scoring in the seventies next year! ;) 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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