Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
Maybe I am not completely lame afterall; I did remember to bring my ipad home last night and even remembered to upload some video clips of my lesson with Chemaine Hurtado. PSA - Chemaine is continuing to broaden her coverage area meaning she's willing to travel as a clinician. Did you know she rode with Robert Dover a few weeks ago? She happily works with all levels of riders from lntro Level to those in the international ranks, and she can do it all in the same day. If you are at all interested in putting together a clinic, contact her. You won't be disappointed. None of the video clips are particularly fascinating. The audio is terrible and you might feel nauseous at times as the camera woman readjusts her position or simply forgets what she's doing. Even so, I thought you might like to see Izzy in action. Most of the time I write about what a jerk he is, but he is actually a lovely mover with a ton of talent. See for yourself. First up, some baby leg yields. Watch it on YouTube here. Left lead canter ... Watch it on YouTube here. The right lead canter video is the most interesting. Chemaine asked me to canter the whole arena, but Izzy had other plans. He doesn't care for that far end, so as we approached it, he gave a hard spook, unseating me pretty good. I regrouped and sent him forward again. It took three tries to get through that spot, and even when he did agree to canter through, you can see his haunches swinging wildly. Watch it on YouTube here. You can see why Chemaine's homework for me involved slowing him down, working on leg yielding to supple his body, and getting control of his haunches and shoulders. I've had very productive rides on him this week and have been able to finally school him rather than fight over the throttle. Having Speedy parked in the arena has reduced a great deal of tension and changing out the bit to something a bit tougher has given me some brakes.
I have the entire next week off, and I'm putting it to good use! Have a great weekend. 11/18/2016 07:26:44 am
He is a little large. I keep wondering if he'll hit 17 hands. So far he's holding at 16'3. The other day someone commented - either here on the blog or on Facebook, about horses only being able to yank the bit from the rider if the rider's seat and arm position are weak (or something to that effect.). I tried to be polite, but has that person not seen him? When he wants to, he can yank a snaffle from me without even trying! The dude is just big and powerful. No amount of correct arm position can keep that from happening with a mere snaffle. LOL 11/18/2016 03:48:35 pm
Relieved is more like it. With the snaffle bit, he was becoming almost unrideable. :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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