Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
Part 1 of Sydney's Identity
The next day there was an email from a real person in New Zealand. Sydney's information had been found! His race name was Pick a Card. His dam was Cataluna (NZ), and his sire was Magic of Sydney (AUS). His birthdate is actually October 4, 2002. That makes Sydney 8 years old. I also discovered that Sydney, or Pick a Card, has a race record. It's a dismal record, which is probably a good thing for me. Had he been a successful race horse, he never would have made the trip to the USA. He wouldn't have been tried as a hunter jumper here, and he wouldn't have ended up at Sport Equine. Had he not made the journey from New Zealand to Clovis, California, he wouldn't be standing in my barn as you read this. Here's to the horses at the back-of-the-pack! Pick a Card was raced four times as a two-year-old in Catch Weight Races - (without restrictions as to weight). He finished near the back each time. Late in his two-year-old year he ran his first Maiden Catchweight Race (horses never having won and without restrictions as to weight), finishing second out of six horses. As a three-year-old he was raced in three qualifying races, and four actual races. Most of the time he was near the back, but he did manage a second place finish in one of his last qualifying races. Half-way through his three-year-old year, he was finished. He ran his last race in May 2006. I don't know much about horse racing, much less how they do it in New Zealand, but I did find some helpful information at Dummies.com. I have a post coming about my first "heart horse." I have a sneaking suspicion that Pick a Card might be a "Heart Horse." I didn't post this, but during the first several days of being in my barn, he brought me to tears. The kind that just come welling up when you let out that last breath of tension and worry. He may well be the kindest and most gentle horse that I've ever owned. I think it is appropriate that my "Heart Horse" is called Pick a Card. I'll take the King of Hearts please.
Val
7/7/2011 12:46:30 am
Love it!
Judy Turney
7/7/2011 10:46:53 am
Karen, I love Sydney! I hope I get to meet him someday! Can't wait to hear more about him.... 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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