Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
I've already mailed in my entry for the HDEC Schooling Show that is on Sunday. Sydney will be making the journey instead of Speedy. Have no fear Speedy fans; Speedy will be doing the two-day USDF show at El Sueno the following weekend.
I've had to think long and hard about how to prepare Sydney for his second showing debut. Nothing good happened at the first debut so I am giving him another chance at a more sparkly entrance into the dressage showing world. He is now quite happy and relaxed at home and willing to go wherever I send him. His left lead canter is awesome and his right lead canter is not far behind. He is quite happy with a nice, steady contact, but we do need to work on shortening his neck. For Intro and Training Level 1, his level of contact is just fine. He can maintain the trot and canter in the twenty-meter circle, although maintaining the trot at the half circle when tracking right or left at C takes some encouragement and a lot of leg. The same is true as we come up the centerline. Overall, he is happily demonstrating the requirements of an early Training Level horse. At home. Away from home? I have no idea what I am going to get. The only way to know is to go somewhere else and give it a try. I never ride through the complete tests with Speedy. Instead, I ride pieces of the test and connect them with other pieces. Speedy is so smart that it wouldn't take him long to figure the tests out on his own while simultaneously working on a plan to foil my best efforts. Sydney's mind doesn't work that way. He wants me to be the leader and is quite happy to follow along with whatever I suggest as long as I genuinely seem to know what I am doing. In an effort to build Sydney's confidence, and to some extent my own as well, I've started riding the Intro C test from start to finish, but I am doing the whole thing at the trot. My thinking is this: Sydney will be used to working the whole arena at the trot; I will be more familiar with the test; Sydney will be confident that I know where we're going; and I am finding his sticky places. After I run through the test at the trot, I pick up the canter where we'll need to do it for Intro C, but I canter the circle several times to help balance, and then I turn it into the canter circle for Training Level Test 1 where we do a half circle at E and B. I don't know if this is a good test prep strategy or not. I don't think it will hurt though as I am feeling better and better prepared. I know for certain that if I feel confident and prepared, it will help Sydney to trust me. If he can keep his focus on me, he'll do just fine.
Judy
4/2/2013 12:06:08 am
Have fun, I know you'll do great!!
Karen
4/2/2013 10:26:32 pm
Thanks, Judy - we're going to do our best!
Val
4/2/2013 02:08:18 am
I like your test prep for Sydney very much and it shows that you are well in tune with his needs.
Karen
4/2/2013 10:28:06 pm
That's definitely a problem with those smarty tarties! I sometimes think horses like Harley or Speedy might even be smarter than we are! :0)
Looking forward to hearing how well Sydney does at his 2nd show! You have made such great progress with him - just know it will pay off away from home.
Karen
4/2/2013 10:29:17 pm
Hahaha! So true, Kelly. I am looking forward to how well Sydney does, too. I don't need him to be brilliant or anything, but I sure hope he'll give me something to work with. :0)
Karen
4/2/2013 10:30:04 pm
That we will, Lauren! And you're right: "Whatever happens." :0)
Karen
4/10/2013 11:06:45 pm
Ouch! Thinking about flipping the court around really hurts my head! I don't keep my letters out on the court anyway since my dressage court is just poles on the ground measured out to the correct size, width anyway. I am a little short on the length; I have only 48 meters. I think it's easier to go from small to big than the other way around! 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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