[KZWestern]

Ok, well I'm just curious about this so I thought I'd post about it. Would you please tell me your age, what the highest level of dressage you are PRACTICING - not necessarily competing in - and then tell me what the highest level of dressage you have competed in, if you have? Also, for your first dressage horse that you owned did you have someone train him for you, did you train him yourself, or buy him trained? For those who do eventing, would you do dressage if it was not required?

Here's mine: I am 15 and am practicing training/level 1, I have not competed (yet) and I am training my own horse right now. I practice on other horses, and train my own. I don't event.

[Megs]

im 19, when i was about 16 me and my sister (a year older) were doing a lot of dressage (takin albright heidman clinics, the young rider coach that came from germany every 2 months to coach a select few students who were very seriouse about dressage) and coaching regularly with an awsome coach who trained in germany under schoemaker. i was practicing medium dressage on my sisters horse (travers, ronverns, leg yeild, lengthening, extended etc etc). my sister was practicing medium-intermediare (medium on her horse, and starting intermediare movements on a prix st georges trained horse...she trained her own horse, he had done basic dressage for eventing before she got him) and she was winning at basic 3/4 ready to move into medium. but as it turned out the trainer from germany was quite the ****** and decided he didnt want to do it any more (several people were disturbed by some of his methods, being they were harsh, but sometimes neccisary), and my sister gave up and quit riding because of this (he said there wasnt enough "good" students with talented mounts, crushed her becaus she WAS one of the awsome riders with one of the most talented horses there, albright said he would have bought him for himself for GP dressage if he wasnt already 17 y/o, thats how highly he thought of her horse)

currently i have only been doing jumpers, but plan to continue some dressage work on my tb joker, i did a year of lessons on him and had him going quite nicely, my coach loved him and said he would make a top level prospect if trained, even said she knew someone who would buy him in a heartbeat for dressage, but my heart lies in the jumper ring, and top level dressage is not an aspiration i plan to take up seriously any time soon, i will be happy do dabble in the medium dressage ring (whatever the equivilant of that is in the new levels im not sure) in the next few years, but plan to take him all the way in jumping (at least as far as his abilities allow me, which at this time i see 4'0 in his future)

[Dancinglite]

Age.........old enough to be mother or grandmother to most members here.

Practicing....currently practicing PST with moments of I-2 and GP

Competed at GP

First horse....I bought him as a 2 1/2 year old and unbroken. I did my own training mostly from a book and tips from judges. I believe I had 3 lessons during the time I owned him. I trained him to GP.

[ssurider9]

I'm 21. At home I'm working level 2 and 3. Competed sucsessfully in Training Level, I can't wait for spring to move up. I have a GP school master, who has taught me everything I know. I can't tell you how lucky I am to have him! I also have access to Jessa who has shown sucsessfully at 3rd level(he was HOY in 2000) and training 4th level and above.

[Stephanie W.]

I'm 15, I've competed first level (with a diffrent horse though).

But now with Tommy, who is still young, we've schooled first level and competed training. I hope to show first level next year and school second level. I would love to go up to 3rd level or higher one day.

[Lindsayanne]

I'm 23 and currently schooling.... I have no idea. I ride with a classical dressage trainer and I get the feeling sometimes things are very much out of order from the modern levels.

Although my horse and I started training dressage at the same time, Regal's very much ahead of me. With my trainer he's very balanced, collected and light, he shoulder ins, half passes, traverse, and even passages. When I'm in the saddle, I still very much struggle to keep him authentically collected 100% of the time and with doing simple circles.

I've done about 70% of Regal's dressage myself, but with my trainer's brain. LOL. My lessons are basically lessons in how to train a dressage horse.

We're solidly working training level right now, I'd guess.

[SammyDoodle]

I am 41 and am competing (non affliliated) at Prelim Level.

I am schooling my horse myself - I take a lesson when I can get one from a good flatwork trainer which is very rarely - the regular trainer I go to (once every two weeks) runs a showjumping class.

I dont do eventing - but if I did I would certainly do the dressage section even if it was optional. I really believe that solid flatwork is the basis for all riding disciplines.

[Cavalier]

I'm 23 and competing prelim/novice and training elementry.

Astro is my first talented dressage horse...before that, I had competed a fair bit in prelim/novice with various horses, but did a bit of jumping and eventing too and didn't really know which way I wanted to go. A few years ago, I decided I wanted to live and breathe dressage only, and nearly 8 months ago I got Astro.

I've done all his training and will continue to do so, under instruction of one of my wonder GP dressage rider/trainer instructors and another instructor who has gotten many horses to advanced/PSG.

[crazi4horses]

I'm 15, and practicing up to 2nd level(with various horses) I've only competed to Training Level, but that is because I bought my horse. If I had continued on the horse I am doing 2nd level at, we would have competed 1st level this year. My first horse was 11/12 when we bought her, and I am training her dressage.

[BaileynRum]

fun thread!

i'm 18 and school at about 3rd level, i havn't had a chance to compete at that level because my horse is no where near ready for 3rd level I havn't been very fortunate when it comes to riding "school masters", the most highly trained horse i've ever ridden was a 17 year old (very stiff) TB trained to PSG, he was the horse i took most of my lessons on. I love him but i just wish i had the opportunity to ride a horse i could really progress through the levels with, ya know? its hard to improve when you can't really practice.... but i have a ton of experience training younger horses, from greenies to 1st/2nd level.

My first dressage horse is the horse i own now, i've done all his training myself (although my trainer has overseen some of it) and we show training level and school 1st/2nd level. I acctually stopped taking lessons a few months ago and am very excited to continue bailey and my training myself, with the help of books, dvds and the occasional clinic or lesson