Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
I did some tack cleaning over the weekend. At first, it was just going to be Izzy's every day bridle, and then I did Speedy's snaffle bridle. Then I looked at his double bridle, and my heart broke just a teeny tiny bit. It was covered in dust, and his beautiful Zwarovski crystal browband was sagging in a way that couldn't be good for the shape or the leather. I decided to clean it as well. Knowing that Speedy wouldn't be wearing it again, I decided to strip away the extras I had bought for it - the crystal browband, the Sanft German Silver Curb and Bradoon bits, and the Thinline reins. I dismantled the bridle, carefully cleaning and conditioning each piece. Once it lay in pieces, any sentimentality I had felt earlier disappeared. It's just a bridle after all. I located its original browband and reins and reassembled everything with the plainer weymouth and bradoon that I had long ago bought for Izzy. With it hanging clean and shiny, I figured that I may as well sell it. It's not doing me any good, and I hate to see useful things sitting around unused. Bridles and saddles need loving homes to keep them in good working order. There's a great Facebook page in my area for selling tack, so I typed up the add and uploaded the photos. I skipped the box for price. How much was it worth really? Not what's it worth to me, but what would I pay if I saw it listed for sale? I located the price of the bridle and bits new. I did some quick addition, and then I cut the figure in half. That's what I would pay for it. That's what anyone else looking would pay for it. I couldn't do it. I closed the page and hung the bridle in my office closet. I would rather sell it cheap to a friend or someone who knows Speedy's story rather than sell it to a stranger looking for a great deal. I've been that stranger so no offense meant. It's just that it means more to me whole than I thought it did.
In some ways, retirement is harder than it should be. 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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