Dressage Day by Day

So I had a terrible ride on Friday before the clinic. I started with playing with halfsteps on the ground before the ride, and Gadget was not in the mood. I had watched a youtube video to try to make the steps more on the spot and do a few steps rein back to get the horse on the haunches. Gadget gets fairly pushy during halfsteps, so I thought this would be a good idea. Wrong. He was so frustrated by not moving forward that he just opted to buck or rear. I gave up and moved outside to ride. I think we just couldn't shake the negative beginning and we just could not get on the same page. After a good stretch and attempting a few exercises, I called it quits. I am at least proud of myself for just ending the session and saving him for the weekend instead of trying to make a point. So on Saturday, I really didn't know whether Gadget would still be holding a grudge or sore from his antics. Lucky for me, he felt fine, if not a touch tired. He spent the night turned outside, so ...

Baby horse brag- just did at least 10 saddle changes and test rides while testing saddles and Iggy was a star! ⭐️ No lunging and he stood for moving stirrup leathers each time (in the heat with the flies pestering him). He was actually the best he's ever been. He offered the canter and stepped right into it each time (instead of trying to rush). I think he appreciated being in saddles that fit! ❤️ Picture is of Iggy in Gadget's saddle, but we'll have pictures of him in his own. soon!

Gadget and I went to the VADA dressage show in Leesburg, VA with some friends a few weeks ago, and it was not quite the experience I expected. He has been feeling so reliable at home, so I was hopeful that I would get that in the ring. However, the PSG still proves to feel disconnected once I get in the ring. I have been practicing riding the pirouettes bigger at home to gain control of each step. I think this has been a great startegy (thank you, Ryan!), but I failed to close them up in the tests. I guess bigger is still better than spinning. However, the biggest buggaboo is the darn tempi changes. I think coming out of the pirouettes, I don't get Gadget back in front of my leg and straight before the tempis. Anyway, I only had one line with the correct count through the whole weekend. So frustrating, when we can clock them off fairly easily at home!  Over the last couple weeks, I've been unsure how to school to fix these issues. Afterall, the tempis feel pretty good at ho...

Spoiler -- I bought a horse! After being home from Holland for weeks, I still thought about my favorite horse by Dream boy. I watched the video of me riding him almost every day and I wondered if I had made the right decision. To satisfy my own worry, I decided to find an independant sport horse vet, someone that knows dressage, and have that vet look at the films. My vet, who has done such a fabulous job keeping Gadget sound, admitted that he doesn't look at warmblood rads all of the time and knows they are different than his usual customers. So I found a vet who specializes in sport horses, does lots of lameness work, and is married to an upper level dressage rider. He reviewed the x-rays and immediately noted the same small issues on the x-rays, but said he was not concerned and would tell his wife to buy the horse. To be extra careful, he decided to request a few extra views. When Ryan called to see if the horse was still available, someone was flying from Canada s...

So the remaining days of the trip in Holland were amazing! We looked at a total of 40 horses, and that was after I nixed all three year olds after one ran off with me in a round pen. Thank God Ryan was on the end of the lunge line as  I spun around like a horse/human kite! The feeling of the "click" definitely occurred for me. I rode a beautiful Dreamboy gelding with the most amazing canter and I just smiled (and bounced, there was a lot of bouncing during this trip). On the ground, he was a love bug. For a young horse, he was polite and loved being scratched and loved on.  He was the first horse that I had under contract and then did not pass the x-ray review. It was a bit shocking, really. We actually had three vets give opinions because he was far and away the favorite. The vets were sort of all over the place, but ultimately, he had three separate concerns on the x-rays, so taken together, it just didn't feel like the smartest move.  Below is the Dreamboy -- yes, I...

So day two, Wednesday started with breakfast at the hotel (delicious croissant, fresh chopped fruit, eggs and coffee). We then traveled with the agent we are working with and set off to the barn first. Barn 1: We arrived to see a horse That arrived at this barn only five days previously. It was a 6 year old bay gelding. He had a very attractive type. We watched him be ridden and then it was my time to try him. He has suspension in his gaits, which makes them feel bigger than anything I am used to riding. He had a very solid feel in the hand and was very honest to ride. Despite bouncing away on him, he was excellent. Ryan then rode and got him to do a green, clean change each direction. He played with seeing what he would do if compressed in baby collection, and his hind end stayed very nice and active. Great first horse. Horse 2 was a beautiful three year old chestnut only two months under saddle. I loved his look - definitely my type. He had ridden in the indoor first, then out...

Although this was a last minute trip, only booked a week ago, I have nonetheless been counting down the days, hours, and minutes. Finally, I woke up on Monday and thought, "this is it!" With cold, rainy weather in the forecast for Amsterdam, I struggled not to over pack. Adding tall boots and a helmet is my excuse for having a carry-on in addition to the normal suitcase -- and I wanted to leave room for purchases! Lin and I had a great time chit-chatting on the fight from Pittsburgh to Chicago. Then we met Ryan, and it started to feel real. The flight to Dublin was light, so we were able to spread out and have some room. Unfortunately, a delay in departing caused us to miss our connection to Amsterdam. Despite running full tilt from one end of the Dublin airport to the other, we had a 3 hour layover. It was actually nice to sit and talk to Lin and Ryan about their experiences buying horses and particularly what Ryan looks for in a young prospect. Admittedly, when I see...