Dressage heroin? No, I am not talking about hard drugs or anything that would involve the World Anti-Doping Agency! I heard the term Dressage Heroin from one of the dressage competitors at the World Equestrian Games. She said that being at WEG and having the opportunity to watch the best dressage riders in the world, in the warm up and in the competition ring was such a high. It was dressage heroin!
“It was so inspiring! ” She said. “To be able to watch all the best riders and see all of them, watch them warm up and watch them compete. I want to be like them! I want to ride like that!”
Let me just tell you that this rider has already ridden in four World Equestrian Games and two Olympic Games representing her country, Canada, and is already a beautiful rider. I know this because she is my coach Belinda Trussell!
I understand just how she feels. For me, an amateur rider, I am not aspiring to ride like these top professionals but it was a thrill to see them ride, to see how they tackled the difficult moves of the Grand Prix level tests with such fluency and ease. It certainly inspired me to come home and up my own game. I have been discussing this with my horse Biasini this week. He has his own opinions but no doubt he will post something about that in a Biasini Speaks post before too long. But in the meantime I am still on a WEG ‘high’ myself. What a great experience it was, to see this quality of riding, to be part of the international media and to be inspired. The photo below is one of my favorite moments of Tryon WEG; Carl Hester leaving the arena to a standing ovation and thunderous applause and cheering. Not just for his test ride but for a career of horsemanship, training, riding and being such a great ambassador for dressage.
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