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Not-So-Speedy Dressage

From Endurance to Dressage

The Aftermath

3/2/2023

 
After the torrential deluge that California suffered on Friday and Saturday, we started putting things back together at the barn. Speedy's blanket was completely dry so I returned it to the tack room. Izzy's was nearly dry, which surprised me, so I flipped it over and let the inside soak in the sun while I puttered.

There wasn't much we could do about the lakes that occupied many of the paddocks, but fortunately, all of the horses live in such large enclosures that there is always dry land somewhere in the wetness. The big thing we had to work around was Pixie. Up until very recently, Archie and Pixie had lived directly across from Izzy. When Archie was euthanized a few weeks ago, Pixie was left in the double large paddock by herself. Rather than upset her even more, the ranch owner decided to see if having Izzy across the way would be company enough for her.
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Pixie
As it turns out, without Archie in the way, Izzy has fallen hard for his neighbor. When Pixie began to shiver too much, the ranch owner moved her temporarily to the mare motel which has more shelter from the rain. This did not please Izzy at all. He was pissed and pouted the entire day. On Sunday morning we decided to fit Pixie, who has never been blanketed, with a blanket so that we could move her back to her regular paddock. While the blanket was not the best fit, she stood quite bravely as we fiddled with the buckles and straps. Once it seemed secure enough, we turned her loose. Both she and Izzy called back and forth as though they had been apart for weeks instead of hours.
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Pixie up close.
When we were comfortable with the modifications we made to the blanket, we pulled it, folded it up, and stored it in the barn for quick application if needed this week. With his gal pal back where she was supposed to be, Izzy got to work on his breakfast. Pixie was still rattled, so we turned her loose, fed her an extra flake of hay, and left her to decompress. We had a second horse who needed some extra support.

Dollar, Pixie's sire, had chosen a very bad place to lay down the evening before. The ranch own found him laying on the slope of his paddock, unable to get up. Apparently he had laid down with his feet on the uphill side and couldn't roll himself over. With the help of a new tenant, they were able to flip Dollar over so that he could get back up. After scouting out the least muddy spot in his paddock, we decided to dump a bag of shavings down in the hope that he would choose to rest in them rather than on the slight grade in his paddock.
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Pixie's sire, Dollar
Horses being horses, Dollar decided that they shavings were his lunch so we spent even more time coaxing him out of the shavings with a bucket of senior feed - which he turned down, a fresh flake of hay, and a bucket of beet pulp, which finally distracted him. 

When you only get six inches of a rain a year, four inches in a single weekend requires some creative thinking.


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    About the Writer and Rider

    ​I 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.
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    Photo by Lori Ovanessian

    About Speedy G

    ​Speedy 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.
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    July 2020 (PC AJSK Photography)

    About Izzy

    Izzy 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.
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    March 2021 (PC Tess Michelle Photography)

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  • Home
  • About
  • My Horses
    • Horses
    • Imperioso
    • G Ima Starr FA
    • Sunshine
    • Nakota and Gideon
    • Corky
    • Sassy
    • Montoya DSA
    • Mickey Dee
    • Sydney
  • Show Results
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
  • Dressage Organizations
    • Dressage Organizations
    • Memberships
    • 2019 Dressage Tests
  • Local
    • Shopping List