Welcome Back, Pollyanna!

I was recently accused of being a bit of a Negative Nelly of late. I would agree. In my defense however, I have been particularly worried about this upcoming show. I really, really hate to do poorly. Just recently, I heard Chad Knaus, Jimmie Johnson's NASCAR crew chief, put it this way: we hate losing more than we love winning. Yep, me, too.

Thanks to Tracy for reminding me of this - it's one of my favorites.

I get it though. Life is too short to spend all of my time worrying about how well my horse can perform a simple change. Once we get that mastered, there's the flying change to worry about. After that, there's something else.

In the spirit of not obsessing over simple changes and counter canter, I thought I'd remind myself how truly awesome my gray pony really is.

Neck Ribbon #1

In 2012, just two years after our leap into dressage, Speedy and I were Introductory Level Champions at the California Dressage Society's (CDS) Central Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC). The year before, we were the Ventura County Chapter of CDS's Introductory Level Champion.

Neck Ribbon #2

The next year, we were the year-end Training Level Champions at El Sueno Equestrian Center.

Neck Ribbon #3

In 2014, we were once again RAAC champions, this time at Training Level.

Neck Ribbon #4

At the 2017 Central Region RAAC, we earned Reserve Champion for First Level. It wasn't a blue neck ribbon, but I couldn't be prouder of that red ribbon. We worked really hard and were up against some great horse and rider teams.

First High Point Blue Ribbon

Since we started showing dressage in 2010 - our first show was three weeks after a 55-mile endurance ride, we've earned a Show High Point score seven times! We've earned the season average high point twice (for two different CDS chapters) and been reserve champion once.

We've also earned five scores in the 70s, three of which were at USDF shows. Three of the scores were at Intro Level, but two of them were at Training. I don't care at what level they were earned. I'll take a 70% any day of the week. 

Photo by Lori Ovanessian.

Speedy is truly an awesome horse. His heart is huge, and he just keeps on getting better. What I enjoy most about riding him is how consistent he continues to be. He shows up at every show always ready to perform and do his best.

​Why would our debut at Second Level be any different?