Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
I was cleaning out the photos on my phone the other day and realized that I was left with a bunch of very random images of things about which I had thought to maybe write but hadn't. Things that didn't seem important enough to write about on their own. So here they are all crammed into one post. #1 Um ... Get Out Please! Over the past year or so, Speedy's bravery has overgrown its pot. Way back in the beginning, he would stand with both toes outside of the threshold and lean way in to beg for a snack. Then his front feet started crossing the threshold until his whole body was inside and only his rear hooves where still planted safely outside. That lasted for several years. Suddenly, this fall, he has decided that it is safe for his whole body to be inside. This is new. He was completely indoors before I had the opportunity to stop him. So of course I had to take a photo. #2 Don't Forget the Water (immediately forgets the water) On a recent afternoon, I turned on the hose to fill Speedy's water trough. After peeking in, I realized it was full enough so I dragged the running hose back to the faucet and dropped it. The problem is, I forgot to turn off the spigot. I went back to the feed room and unloaded some feed, filled buckets, and puttered around. When I came back to dump Speedy's lunch bucket into the feeder, I was horrified that I had left the water on. Even more unfortunate was that it wasn't Speedy's paddock I had flooded, but the sandy pasture of the girls across the way. Oops! So of course I had to take a photo. #3 We Have Hair! During the summer's heat, Izzy rubbed out most of the hair on his shoulders, face, and croup, although how he managed to rub off the hair there is a complete mystery. While all of that was bad, worse was that he rubbed out his entire mane and nearly all of the hair on the top of his tail. In August, you could see his tail bone shining through like a bad comb over. Finally, the hair has begun to grow back in. He now has about two inches of hair up top which means that basically, it's a mullet. So of course I had to take a photo. #4 He Still Has Spooky Moments Well, this needs no explanation. The chestnut in the background was not too thrilled with something far off in the distance, so Izzy decided to offer her some moral support. Or maybe a bird chirped. Maybe a bird pooped. I don't know, and it doesn't matter. He hung a left, I laughed, and then he resumed walking as though nothing had happened. He's big and brown, but I've never said he's the bravest of fellows. So of course I had to take a screenshot. #5 I Have the Best Dogs I can't remember exactly how it came up, but my students were talking about eyebrows on dogs and whether they have them or not. I love dogs, and I am blessed to have a classroom full of dog lovers. As soon as we talk about animals - any animals, they all whip out their phones and tablets and press them to their laptop cameras so that we can all see whichever pet they've photographed most recently, usually a dog. I do it too, but it's usually a photo of one of my horses. On that day, I insisted that my labs have eyebrows and promised my students I'd show them the next day which meant ... of course I had to take a photo.
And that's how I ended up with some seemingly unrelated photos on my phone that seemed interesting enough to share. To me anyway. 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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