Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
Sadly, I am far more "in the loop" about out of town events than I am about what's happening in my own backyard. I depend on Facebook to serve as a conduit of horsey intelligence (both local and afar), but the flow of info only works if I vigilantly scour my Newsfeed.
Apparently, I haven't been very watchful this last few weeks as I missed the post about an upcoming Ride-a-Test hosted by the Kern River Chapter of the California Dressage Society (here in Bakersfield). A Ride-a-Test, for those who don't know, is a chance to ride a dressage test of your choice under the watchful eye of a "judge" while then having a chance to talk to the judge and then re-ride the test all at a very nominal fee. Kern River's judge is Mary Meyer, an "L" Graduate. When Mary judges the Ride-a-Tests, she judges the movements as well as she can, but she encourages schooling of the horse when necessary. In another words, if your 20-meter canter circle at A is a disaster, she pauses her judging to allow you to repeat the movement as often as you would like. Fortunately for me, the woman who hosts Kern River's Facebook page sent out a little reminder about the event just in time for me to get an entry submitted, thank you, Edyta! The event is being held tomorrow at Confetti Farms. I am taking Sydney of course, but I can't believe how tense I feel just thinking about riding him in an off the property arena. I've decided to ride just one test. If he's going to be a jerk, I want to just get him through it without him feeling terrorized for two hours. And if on the off chance that he is relatively well-behaved, I want him to walk away from that one test feeling some sense of success. I sent in my entry without really stating which test I planned to ride (sorry about that, ride secretary!). We'll either do Introductory Level Test C or Training Level Test One. Is that super short three-quarter canter circle at A better, or is the longer canter that begins just after A a better option? My gut says to do T1 because if he fusses during the Intro C canter, I don't have any time to work him through the movement; a few strides after we start, we need to transition back to trot. I'd rather work him through the canter, but I might I need more time than the three-quarter circle allows. So, if you're interested in seeing how we're progressing, come on down and watch some dressage tests. Sydney and I go at 12:30. I am quite certain that some of the local riders will be out working on next season's tests so you'll probably get to see quite a variety of horses and riders. Confetti Farms is located at 6855 Cottonwood Road in Bakersfield.
Unfortunately I won't be traveling the 2,261 miles to see you ride (although I'd LIKE to because CA weather sounds pretty great right now). Anyways, good luck and I can't wait to hear all about it!
Aw, I won't be making the trip out to CA either. But, GOOD LUCK! Try to calm those nerves and don't worry about impressing, worry about being the rider your horse needs. That's all that matters, 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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