Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Renee Miller on October 20, 2009 at 11:53pm

Yes, Yes, YES!! you are hooked indeed! Always remember this day, and learn to enjoy the journey...... Sometimes great, sometimes not so great, but always a fascinating trip! welcome aboard.

Permalink Reply by Regina Lynch on October 21, 2009 at 1:09am

I just love the motivation to constantly improve my riding, both for me and my horse. I want to be a better rider for her also. I think the journey will strengthen our bond. I might be babbling, but I'm very excited! You'll have to excuse me...

Permalink Reply by Grace Hopcraft on October 21, 2009 at 12:57am

Wow sounded like a lot of fun! I wasn't hooked, because I was a teenager competing in eventing who thought the fun began after the dressage test! Now in my 30's after breaking my leg dressage is the thing for me! I am looking forward to my 1st test and I think I will be hooked like you! Is Intro the Training Level? Good Luck!

Permalink Reply by Regina Lynch on October 21, 2009 at 1:07am

No, the Intro tests are below the training level tests. Just walk/trot. But challenging enough for me. It's funny, when I was younger I loved showing Western Pleasure and doing some gaming...but now that I'm older and coming back to horses after a long hiatus, the subtlety and challenge of dressage are very appealing. It reminds me of the martial arts I did as a teenager: every movement had a purpose and must be performed clearly and precisely. Anyway, I predict you'll be hooked also. Are you planning to ride a test soon?

Permalink Reply by Bobbie Werner-Hansen on October 21, 2009 at 3:39am

Congratulations on your achievements with your rescued Arabian. I love all horses, but Arabians are #1 in my heart - they seem to thrive on human attention and form a very close bond. I'm sure you will find a great partner in your Arabian.
Bobbie Werner-Hansen

Permalink Reply by Mary McGuire Smith on October 21, 2009 at 10:04am

Fantastic!! And congratulations! Showing is a lot of fun, and I am so glad you had a good experience. That is one reason why I got into showing in dressage (and my first serious dressage horse was an Arab--check out my blog http://iridedressage.blogspot.com there is a post about her from mid-Sept.--look through the archives). Also the atmosphere at the dressage shows are supportive and friendly...more so, even, than other types of shows I have shown in and I have shown in AQHA western, open hunter/jumper and some of the breed shows.

Welcome to the world of Dressage...I wish you a long and successful show experience. There really IS a lot of support out there, and even a lot of the really big-name trainers (and a few are members of Barnmice) are very generous with their time and expertise!

Permalink Reply by Mered30 on October 21, 2009 at 5:38pm

Yes I was. My first show was so much fun

Permalink Reply by Catherine Chamberlain on October 21, 2009 at 5:47pm

Congratulations! I was definately hooked my first show. I was nine and I think I drove everyone crazy because I was so excited! haha Now I'm 14 and I stil have a long way to go, but every show is a new chance to learn and improve. Good luck in future competitions!

Permalink Reply by Regina Lynch on November 4, 2009 at 11:14am

Tee hee! This made me giggle. I know exactly what you mean. My little mare can be a bit challenging on her days. The people at the rescue named her 'Diva' for a reason. When I made my mind up to show her I thought, "Whichever horse shows up, that's the one I have to ride." Fortunately, she was pretty businesslike. I won't let it go to my head though; I know I just got lucky.

Permalink Reply by Janet Henderson on March 12, 2010 at 5:18pm

Congratulations Regina!! Depending on where you live, there could be an Arabian group that is involved in the sport horse division, which offers opportunities to show in-hand, under saddle, as well as dressage. If you go to www.arabianhorses,org, under the competitions drop box, there will be a calendar available by region. The Arabian Horse Association is North America wide.
I hope you are progessing nicely with your Arabian and dressage!!

Janet Henderson

Permalink Reply by vickie lawson on March 13, 2010 at 2:20am

don't remember if i was hooked my first time. likely scared my 1st 30x, more like it!! but i love it too!! well done!!

Permalink Reply by Emmy on March 18, 2010 at 2:52am

My first dressage show got me hooked - I went out and rode T1 on my trainer's Grand Prix horse and got a 67% :D. After that show I expected all of my scores to be that high, and I was very upset when I began to receive scores in the 50s on my next horse. Great score or not though, I was instantly hooked!

Great job! Arabs do it better ;p jk