Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
I am sure everyone is sick to death of hearing what an incredible trainer I have, but she proved her worth yet again yesterday. Since late summer, I've been able to host a "mini" clinic almost every month. Our turnout is usually pretty small, 4 to 6 horses, but all of the riders have an incredible amount of fun and can't wait to come back for more. Chemaine's style of teaching is so encouraging that even the most inexperienced rider feels confident and successful when the lesson is over. I started the day off on Speedy, more about that tomorrow, but Wendy followed me on her horse, Bloo. Bloo is not your typical dressage horse. She's not a warmblood, and she doesn't even hit 15 hands. Even so, she and Wendy had a great lesson as they schooled the trot lengthening and walk to canter transitions. I rode Izzy next, more on that in the days to come, but our last rider was Kat on her Tehachapi Wild Horse. He was rounded up this past June where he was found with a small band of mares and foals. He was worked under saddle for 120 days and then put up for sale. Kat was brand new to horses having only been riding a leased horse for a few months. She bought him in October and has been learning to ride over the winter. Wendy has been helping her along over the past six months, but yesterday was her first "official" lesson. I am sure that Chemaine finds teaching riders to do tempi changes or canter pirouettes more stimulating, but even so she gives the same quality of lesson to a rider struggling to find the correct diagonal for posting or the rider trying to learn to sit the trot (me!). When she finished with us, Chemaine went to the second barn where she gave a second round of lessons. She'll be back at my barn this afternoon to give me two more lessons. Feel free to stop by!
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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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