Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
I've been waiting to share this post for a while; today seemed like a good day to unveil my blog's new title. The clinic went really well, but it also served as a gentle reminder that, for me anyway, dressage is a very slow journey.
In the beginning, I created a website for a dressage group, but when I realized that I really wanted to write, not just maintain the website, I snuck in a blog at the bottom of the website's drop down menus. Not being particularly focused, I called the thing Karen's Dressage Blog, and the title of the blog just stuck. It certainly wasn't a very creative title from someone who needed an outlet for her creativity. I published my first blog post on February 19, 2011 as more of an experiment than anything else. I just wanted a place to create and wondered if this might be the place for doing so. I had started using the "Notes" thing on Facebook, but that didn't give me the right audience. I had also been keeping a scrapbook/journal for many years, but I was quite limited in what I could do and there was no audience to provide feedback. That original website didn't last long; it's a really long story. Once I passed on maintaining the group's website, I realized that Bakersfield still needed an online dressage presence. While there weren't a lot of people like me out there, I knew there had to be at least some riders interested in joining the dressage community who weren't sure how to do it. So I built www.bakersfielddressage.com and used Karen's Dressage Blog as the site's home page where it's been ever since. I've had a lot of fun writing this blog. My domain server isn't as blog friendly as some of the other sites (Blogger, Word Press, etc.) so it doesn't give me some of the stats that other bloggers can use. Like, I don't know exactly how many blog posts I've written, but I know it's close to 1,000. I publish daily except for the occasional weekend that we're out of town or when we travel abroad. Anyway … It finally occurred to me that Karen's Dressage Blog is a ridiculously boring title for a rider who has some pretty cool ponies and does some pretty cool stuff. So I sat at my kitchen counter and prepared to be enlightened. I sat for quite a while browsing Facebook and then reading other blogs before I gave up. A few days later, I sat again prepared to have this awesome lightbulb moment. Nothing came to me. As I sat waiting, I realized that writing and riding were both endeavors where the learning can't be forced or rushed. Suddenly, I had a new name for the blog. While it might not be clever, Not-So-Speedy Dressage definitely describes my journey. It's still Bakersfield Dressage, and it's still Endurance to Dressage/Everything From A - C, but now the blog's title is more representative of who I am. Thanks for reading and sharing your own stories with me.
Judy
12/15/2013 10:06:24 pm
Love it!
Sharon T
12/16/2013 06:30:36 am
Love the new name. 12/16/2013 08:44:46 am
Aw … thanks, ladies. :0) I really, really hate change so this was a hard thing to meddle with, but it was time.
martina peterson
12/16/2013 09:14:59 am
Karen your title is perfect! You can still have your creative outlet and tie it in to your horses and dressage and as you say your progress to learning perfection can be sometimes slow and then every once in awhile you get to experience those Eureka moments and that is when the "speedy" kicks in. At least that's how I enterpret your new title. Hurrah for your new title. I know your're my daughter but I know you are very gifted in writing interesting stories that are filled with real emotions such as despair and humor. They are quite entertaining and usually leave me either chuckling to myself or down right laughing. Sometimes I worry but doesn't every mom? So...keep up the good work. love mom
Phyllis
12/17/2013 09:17:07 am
I am a friend of your mom's and just read your writing. You do a great job. Keep up the good work. 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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