Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
When Chemaine was here in late February, she said that each time she sees Izzy he looks bigger. She didn't mean taller, although that is a horrifying possibility and one that I hope does not happen. We've sticked him at 16'3, but Chemaine flippantly refers to him as 17 hands - she doesn't get hung up on the details. What's another inch? In any case, she meant bigger around - not necessarily taller. Izzy seems to be the exact same size to me, but that's what happens when you see the same brown face day after day. It wasn't until I was sharing media of our last lesson that I noticed one picture in particular. It was the one where I asked in the caption if he was getting bigger. As luck would have it, the photo was sitting right next to Izzy's "About" photo over in the side column. Visit the link here if you want to see what I saw - you'll need to scroll down a bit. Izzy has grown! Maybe not up, but he is certainly getting thicker throughout his entire body. In the upper photo, he looks leggy, and when it was taken, I remember thinking he looked rather elegant. In the bottom photo, he looks like a tank crammed onto four legs. The dude's an absolute war horse. Maybe I don't need to lose a few pounds. Sitting on him, I look a lot smaller!
Izzy is definitely filling out. He has a lot more muscle than he did last summer. Now that I've helped him build all that muscle, I need to really make sure that I help him by elasticizing and suppling it. When I bought him, I was searching for a diamond in the rough, something that I could polish and (hopefully) develop into a fancy schmancy dressage horse. Looking at him right now, I am thinking I might have just got super lucky! Now if only his brain would start muscling up ... 3/3/2016 07:10:12 am
He's actually "older" than his training would suggest. He's almost 8! He just got a late start, but he is definitely in the "still growing" phase. :0)
jenj
3/3/2016 06:49:20 am
Dang, he really is such a TANK! And sooo handsome too!
Judy
3/3/2016 06:57:22 am
Izzy is looking amazing! 3/3/2016 08:30:34 am
Isn't it?!?!? I had no idea he was changing so much. It just goes to show how much "good" dressage can do for our horses. And to think we've just been working to master a 20-meter circle. LOL 3/3/2016 08:29:15 am
Yeeess ... most do, but I'm only 5'3" which makes riding such a big horse a challenge sometimes. I can muscle Speedy around when he's being a jerk, but Izzy is much hard to muscle. So realistically, it's easier to ride a slightly smaller horse. :0)
Yes to what you said... but also: 3/4/2016 12:55:46 pm
That's a very kind and generous assessment, Austen. :0) 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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