I am 17 years old and I am currently employed at a dressage barn called Volte Equestrian. Val, my employer and trainer, has successfully competed through Intermediare I and has ridden all Grand Prix movements. She has also earned her United States Dressage Federation (USDF) silver medal. I ride horses and (of course) clean stalls and paddocks. I own two horses of my own, Isis and Grattitude.
Isis is 6 or 7 and I’m not sure what breed she is. I bought her as a 2 or 3 year old and trained her myself.
She gave me a big run for my money to start, but is an excellent horse now. She is currently a solid First Level horse and is schooling Second Level. Her hunky chunky quarter horse build and my (at that time) lack of training talent is the reason that her training had progressed so slowly to start. I used the Parelli Natural Horsemanship method with her and graduated Level 1. I gleaned many excellent insights from the Parelli programs and have learned to implement these insights into work with dressage horses. Val has also used Isis for lessons when she’s been in a pinch.
Grady was sold to me for an excellent price because of his difficult personality. Actually, Grady had been to several trainers, all of whom declared that they would not ride him anymore and kicked him out of their barns. His owners were to the point where they were considering putting him down. He came to me instead, and has led me on an extremely interesting adventure. Difficult doesn’t even begin to describe him, but he is beautiful and I hope that with continued, dedicated work he will come around the rest of the way.
I have been successful in the local show ring with both Isis and Grady. This year I will be showing Grady in Training Level and intend to bring him to as many shows as possible with the hopes of qualifying for (and doing well in) the USDF and Central States Dressage and Eventing Association (CSDEA) regionals. Last fall Grady went to only a couple small shows ,so this will be his first year showing in the big time. It will be very exciting.
I am also currently leasing a jumping horse at Birchbury Farm so that I can achieve my ratings in the United States Pony Club. (USPC) Until now I have been a member but haven’t achieved my ratings because I haven’t done much jumping. I am currently rated at D2. I have been taking lessons for about a month and a half and am already comfortably jumping 2’7”. I am now well on my way to achieving my pony club goals. My hope is to achieve my D3 through C2 ratings and then do my C3 through A ratings with a concentration on dressage.
I also rode one of Val’s horses and worked on my Second and Third Level dressage skills. Unfortunately the horse is older and now suffers from respiratory issues so I can’t rider her much anymore.
My parents have no interest in horses although they have supported me as much as they are able to. We are a middle class family, so there isn’t much money to spare for my dressage. I support my efforts largely on my own.
Although I am perhaps just an intermediate rider, I have excellent feel and I learn quickly. My dedication to learning makes up for any skills I currently lack. I ride every day, my own two horses as well as several others. Val has told me that I have an instinctive feel for riding and that what I need is to simply continue to develop it. The more I ride, the more inadequate I feel because I realize how much more I need to learn. But my answer to these feelings of inadequacy is simple: Ride More.
I am also currently attending college and have done very, very well. I intend to stick around here for another school year while I work on getting my Pony Club ratings. Then I plan on starting to search for other working student positions so that I can expand my knowledge as well as my dressage network. At the same time I will continue working on my Pony Club ratings and hopefully continue up the dressage levels.
My biggest road block and frustration is that I do not have an upper level horse to ride. I need a horse like this so that I can achieve feeling for the upper levels. Right now I am limited to Second Level because this is about as far as my solid training has gone. I know that if I were only able to ride a more advanced horse I could progress so quickly and I would also be a better rider for Grady. This is my biggest heart ache and desire. I do think that if I were able to ride an upper level horse I would be able to successfully compete in Young Rider competition. I would love to compete in Young Riders. Since I cannot afford an upper level horse of my own, I have asked several people if they would allow me to ride their horses - but have had no luck. When I say that I want to ride an upper level horse, I’m not just sitting around hoping one will drop in my lap. I have even gone so far as to call complete strangers and ask if they have a horse I could ride. If nothing else, I hope to find a working student position where I can ride an upper level horse.
The frustration I have suffered has only increased my desire to succeed. And if I do succeed, my goal is to shepherd other young, dedicated riders to success. I want to be able to provide them with the horses and help they need. I don’t want others to have to go through what I am going through. Although I want to have success in dressage, my desire for success is coupled with my desire to further our sport by helping others with lots of talent but lack of means. I am very passionate about this goal.
And so I invite you to come along and experience the journey. I may or may not succeed, but I want the world to know that I have at least done my best.
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