Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
Now that I realize that Izzy is not the one holding us back, I am studying my own riding through a completely different lens. When Izzy is good, it's a reflection of my riding. When Izzy resembles a camelephant, that too is a reflection of my riding. Instead of watching my weekly videos and focusing on what he is doing, I am now looking to see what I am doing. There's a lot that I can be doing better, but I am also making sure that I acknowledge what I am doing well. For most of this week's video, Izzy looked more and more rideable. We still have our awkward moments for sure, but the spooks are slowly disappearing, and the off balance moments are getting less frequent. And when he does lose his balance, he's able to right the ship more quickly. That means that I am doing a better job of navigating. So much has improved over the past year. His walk is looking much more relaxed, and his tail is even beginning to swing. His legs are also crossing farther and farther ... His halts and reinback are so improved that I can't believe I am riding the same horse. He halts square almost every time. I can definitely thank Sean Cunningham, own and trainer and STC Dressage for that. In Sean's world, every single moment of the ride should be achieving something, even if it is just learning to stand square. I have adopted many of Sean's mini lessons into my daily riding. It's always a work in progress, but Izzy is learning that he can carry his own head and doesn't need to push his underneck muscles against me. We don't have a medium trot yet, but Izzy is now able to cross the diagonal without completely bracing his neck as he does so. And if I really ride him well, he can actually reach a bit further and hold it for a few strides. Not always of course, but the jackhammer is nearly a thing of the past. Now that the trot work has improved so much, we're trying to improve the canter. Sean is encouraging me to use more bending lines, counter flexion, and especially counter canter to help Izzy let go through his back in the canter. The better I can ride these movements, the better Izzy feels. For a long time we had no right lead canter. Then we had a lovely right lead canter, so I worked hard on the left. Now the left lead is again better than the right. I am definitely not a Fourth Level rider yet, and it was only because of Speedy's giving nature that I could call myself a Third Level rider. However, I firmly believe that where there's a will, there's a way.
I may never get back to Third, and Fourth might only be a pipe dream, but at least I am enjoying the ride. 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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