Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
On Saturday, Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, made the trek yet again to Bakersfield. Even though I feel really good about the work I've been doing on Izzy, I asked her to hop on him first. I wanted to hear what she thought about our recent progress. Let's just say, she was pretty happy! He wasn't Gumby or anything, but the bolting and spooking that plagued us for so long are distant memories. Sure, he still gets his panties in a wad, but now, he deals with the correction and moves on. After Chemaine warmed him up, I hopped on. I will say, having a trainer warm your horse up is a luxury that I could get used to. The only problem with it was that right away his stride was longer and his back was more accessible. Weird problem to have, I know, but I felt like I was simply managing what she had given me rather than creating the energy myself.
It took me a while to start actually riding my own horse without worrying about "messing up" what she had created. Once I started riding him like I always do, I became much more effective. As I worked him, we both agreed that he has loads of potential. The one and only thing holding him back now is getting him to stretch across his top line. This isn't going to happen over-night. He's lived with a tight back for many years. It's going to be a long and slow process to elasticize and reshape his musculature. The good thing is that someday, I will have a very lovely horse to show for it.
Dom
2/27/2018 03:35:44 pm
I recently had a client ask me to warm her horse up. I did. He went beautifully. She had a great lesson. And then she spent a week super frustrated because she couldn't get the same feeling on her own! She was a pretty new client, and I had to explain to her that she's better off doing it herself *first* and then having me check it for her (like you did in this post!) But yeah, having your trainer warm up can be a luxury, but it comes with a downside! LOL 2/27/2018 05:23:46 pm
Chemaine normally gets on only if I am really having a problem. Or, she gets on to see what the heck I am complaining about. This time, since he's gotten so much better so quickly, she was able to not only work out tension, but then she was able to get him really working over his back. When I got him, it was like riding a totally brand new horse. I didn't quite know what to do with him! 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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