And we are bronze medalists!

We did it! With out first ride at NODA, Gadget and I earned our last score needed for the USDF bronze medal. Hani and I were thrilled and we toasted with our mimosas to a once far away goal accomplished. Although Hani is not a horse person, he has been my person during my entire ownership of Gadget. He has seen the many ups and downs, and he truly knew that this was once a very unlikely accomplishment. The rest of my rides were anticlimactic to the big achievement. Gadget is becoming such a steady eddy, and we are figuring out third level. One thing is for certain after this show -- no more second level. It's time to put that miserable level to bed.

Here's a video of the ride that got us the last score:

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When old becomes new - update to my old Pikeur Diana!

Here is the finished product! It was a plain black jacket so I added white and light blue trim with RHINESTONES! It's very sparkly! Here's a closeup of the collar, which looks better than the pocket. Now I am going to try to add coordinating trim (minus the rhinestones) to the saddle pad.

Catch-up Post -- Putting Together the Puzzle

It's been a long time since I have actually written any updates about Iggy. Partly, that is because it is difficult to write about things when you are still very much in the experimental stage. I think I have loved dressage since I was a teenager because of the constant experimenting, strategizing, and problem solving of every ride. I love the intellectual side of it. However, puzzles are more fun when you are making progress toward solving them. They are less fun when you spend a lot of time wondering if you have made progress, stayed the same, or actually screwed things up. From Iggy's first show - trying to keep the big canter in one piece! Iggy is my puzzle. He is a puzzle that makes my eyes light up and my heart sing when I see him. He has this sweet baby face and the personality of a labradoodle. When I look at him, he is everything I ever wanted. Yet, our journey has not been quite as straight forward as I thought it might be. When I sat on Iggy for the first tim...

New Near, New Goals - 2019!

NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS! I usually love reviewing my goals, progress and dreaming up new goals for the coming year, but this year was a tough one with the loss of my dear Gadget. I read a great set of articles on the Chronicle of the Horse by Matt Brown about how to shift your thinking about goal-setting. He makes the argument against fixed, outcome goals and to instead set more of "growth mindset," process-oriented goals. And here's a link to the first article: http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/a-case-for-not-focusing-on-your-goals-part-1 They are totally worth reading. I think dressage requires a strong focus on the "process" and I've always enjoyed thinking about the little things that build to success. However, I will totally admit to being outcome goal driven. I love setting specific score goals and even the goal of mastering a movement. Just as Gadget taught me lots of humility and patience, Iggy is going to drive those lessons home in a who...

Dressage Day by Day

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