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Dressage and Adrenaline

Dressage
#1

I think there are some in the dressage world who prefer the relatively safer activity of dressage to say cross country jumping. So just out of curiosity and in a spirit of fun.

  1. What are your riding preferences (for example just dressage versus dressage and other activities)

  2. Where are you on the adrenaline spectrum (scale of 1 to 10. 1 low adrenaline to 10 high adrenaline)

  3. What is the highest “adrenaline” activity you have ever done?

  4. A "high adrenaline activity you would like to try (or definitely don’t want to try).

#2

https://www.brit.co/activities-adren…nkies-must-do/

I think they forgot about the squirrel suit flying though

https://sploid.gizmodo.com/video-fly…a-h-1715224589

and then keeping your feet on the ground a bit more with skiing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJdCpHG6V-U

#3
  1. What are your riding preferences (for example just dressage versus dressage and other activities)

Dressage, a bit of jumping and I enjoy trail riding.

  1. Where are you on the adrenaline spectrum (scale of 1 to 10. 1 low adrenaline to 10 high adrenaline)

My mare likes to keep me at 10 no matter what…

I’d like to try skijoring and marathon driving.

#4

  1. Dressage, trail riding, fox hunting.

  2. Not really sure, maybe a 5?

  3. Downhill mountain biking.

  4. No skydiving for me, please.

#5

I think cutting would be fun. I have no interest in skiing or skydiving or steeplechase or car racing or anything like that.

#6
#7

I started riding at 30 and have always had a healthy sense of self preservation (i.e low adrenaline person) so am definitely a dressage only type of rider. I’m okay with trail rides, cavaletti and jumping tiny, tiny cross rails but that’s it. Just watching Rolex on tv gives me serious anxiety. I honestly can’t watch it because I feel like I am taking every jump. Eventing aside, a high adrenaline activity that I could never ever do would involve something like sky diving, bungee jumping, anything to do with heights.

#8

  1. What are your riding preferences (for example just dressage versus dressage and other activities)
    I like eventing but haven’t been above Beginner Novice. I do dressage because it is good for us… like eating your vegetables. Love to trail ride. I am not sure how I feel about jumping giant fences. It seems like most folks who are comfortable jumping big fences did it in their youth. I never did. So the highest I have think I have ever jumped (single fence) is only 3’3 or possibly 3’6. However, with appropriate training and the right horse it would be fun to do 3’6 consistently. Not sure that at my age 53, I have aspirations to jump any higher… but one never knows!

  2. Where are you on the adrenaline spectrum (scale of 1 to 10. 1 low adrenaline to 10 high adrenaline)
    I think I am probably a 7 or 8.

  3. What is the highest “adrenaline” activity you have ever done?
    Being in a glider doing barrel rolls (as a passenger), I was definitely scared. Racing super G on skis fewer turns than a GS course but not the speed you would get on a downhill. I love to go fast. And jumping off of things going 30 feet through the air on my skis (not in the last 10 years though). I used to rock climb and that was a ton of fun. Love roller coasters too.

  4. A "high adrenaline activity you would like to try (or definitely don’t want to try).
    I would be up for bungee jumping, sky diving, galloping a race horse if I had the chance, I think the squirrel suit flyers are pretty cool but I think my sense of self preservation may be greater than that. Still it looks like a lot of fun.
    AND. I also enjoy mundane activities such as… reading a book.

#9

As someone who deals with panic disorder, I have all the adrenalin I can stand just getting up in the morning. I’m uncomfortable with anything that involves flying through the air, so that rules out squirrel suits, skydiving, bungee jumping, and to be honest, jumping a horse at times. I do love a good group canter/gallop. A helicopter ride on my honeymoon when the pilot turned the chopper on its side to show DH what the machine was capable of was my last helicopter ride and probably the highest adrenalin activity I’ve ever participated in.

#10

Riding preferences: dressage, trail riding & jumping. If we had fox hunting & hunter paces here, that would be my favorite!

Adrenaline level: I love risk, but I also get high from a good dressage ride, so…

Highest adrenaline thing: galloping racehorses–sooo much fun!

I’d like to try: riding a cutting horse, but I’d probably fall off! I would love to learn to surf.

#11

And thanks for this fun thread!

#12

So I am really enjoying dressage—but I still dabble in eventing. I usually do some xc schooling and a couple events a season with my older horse. My preference is a little bit of everything (dressage, jumping, trail riding, hunter paces).

I’m fairly risk averse—so as for my adrenaline “scale” —once I know the situation, and have done it before, I’m probably a 7. First time at something higher risk? I’m a 3!

I think high adrenaline activity (that I have done a lot) is the jump warm up for the lower level divisions at an event! :winkgrin: And, introducing a green horse to xc always involves nerves because you have no idea what they will do (make some ridiculous leap into the water, or stop and peer into the ditch---- so many possibilities for baby horse shenanigans). However, probably the highest adrenaline activity I have done outside of riding is whitewater rafting on Class 4 & 5 rivers. I also do some mountain biking—but I will admit to walking my bike down crazy, steep downhills.

I would like to gallop on a racetrack some time----unfortunately, the horse I’d like to do it on (my oldie–an OTTB) is too old for that now. Skijoring looks like lots of fun too!

#13

Dressage and we do some trail riding competitions she’s pretty fearless. Also own a fancy mini and we’ll be driving probably a road cart/ town horse. We were eventers but my mare doesn’t like the unpredictable nature of jumping she gave a clear preference for dressage so here we are

started horse life on arabs/morgans/saddlebreds

id say I’m a 5 on the scale. Love roller coasters etc but have a healthy self preservation. I was in the army and did plenty of things others would consider dangerous.

my mare’s nature makes dressage more heart pounding than one might suppose.

#14

I’m adrenaline-averse :lol:

I’m a dressage rider, and I like hacking.

For my weekly adrenaline kick, I have jumping lessons with a showjumping instructor. I’m mostly terrified, but pushing through that fear and getting something right is amaaaaaaazing!

#15

Fun thread!

  1. What are your riding preferences (for example just dressage versus dressage and other activities) - Dressage, I like to do low jumps, but no interest in jumping over 3’. I would like to do trail horse challenges given the right horse.

  2. Where are you on the adrenaline spectrum (scale of 1 to 10. 1 low adrenaline to 10 high adrenaline) - Maybe a 3-4? It seems the others in my family got the adrenaline gene; my brother is really into surfing, downhill mt. biking etc. and I’d rather grow vegetables.

  3. What is the highest “adrenaline” activity you have ever done? - Class 4 whitewater rafting, blue diamond downhill skiing (pulled my skis off at the bottom of the hill and informed my husband that my ski career is over). The whitewater is fun when I get dragged into going, but I never feel the pull to go of my own volition.

  4. A "high adrenaline activity you would like to try (or definitely don’t want to try). - I’d like to try low level cross country. Not really interested in other adrenaline sports; I’ll leave that for my brother.

#16

Double post

#17

  1. What are your riding preferences (for example just dressage versus dressage and other activities) - Dressage, though I do enjoy a good hack and hand-gallop in the fields on occasion. I used to do gymkhana events on my pony and she was a little rocket!

  2. Where are you on the adrenaline spectrum (scale of 1 to 10. 1 low adrenaline to 10 high adrenaline) - 5-6 I’m pretty moderate, but do like a thrill now and then.

  3. What is the highest “adrenaline” activity you have ever done? - Downhill skiing, stand-up jetskiing, and now riding on the back of a motorcycle.

  4. A "high adrenaline activity you would like to try (or definitely don’t want to try). - want to try: Dirt bike riding, riding my own motorcycle, maybe skydiving. I’m definitely not into the bungee jumping thing.

#18
  1. Riding Preferences: Dressage with some jumping and some trailriding
  2. Adrenaline Spectrum: maybe an 8
  3. Adrenaline Activities I have done: Skydiving, White Water Rafting, Scuba Diving
  4. Adrenaline Activities I would like to try: Water ski-ing, jet ski-ing, bungee jumping, surfing
#19
  1. What are your riding preferences (for example just dressage versus dressage and other activities)

Dressage, a little jumping, a little driving.

  1. Where are you on the adrenaline spectrum (scale of 1 to 10. 1 low adrenaline to 10 high adrenaline)

I dunno. 7??

  1. What is the highest “adrenaline” activity you have ever done? I ski (sometimes), I’ve rock climbed (annoying), I like rough water kayaking, driving excessively fast (only on the autobahn where it’s legal to do so, uh huh.) I’m limited with the kayaking because when I tried to learn how to roll one it wrecked my shoulder and took a year to heal. So I have to rely on beIng able to do a wet exit and entry- whitewater is out.

  2. A "high adrenaline activity you would like to try (or definitely don’t want to try).

I’d love to fly a jet. The problem with most high adrenaline stuff is that I’d have to be good at it to even try, and that takes time. Like skydiving- it doesn’t count to me if I’m strapped to someone, I’d have to jump enough to jump on my own. I have no need to make that happen. Dressage is time consuming enough and I already have a pile of sports equipment I barely use. No need to add anything.

#20

#1: Currently competing fei level dressage, trail riding (same horse) for fun & change of scenery. Used to event thru prelim (loved it!) And hunt a bit.

#2​​​​​: Not sure how to answer this. If high adrenaline = exciting and rewarding, I’m a 9 or 10.
If high adrenaline = scared out of my tiny little mind, I’m more of a 3.

. I don’t ‘get’ doing something that scares the cr*p out of me just for the sake of doing it, but I’ll do something I find frightening if first I can learn a skill that helps transform the fear to excitement. If that makes sense (??)

​​​​​#3: Galloping around preliminary xc.
Breezing out of the gate (best high ever!)

​​​​​#4. Like Salty, would love to learn to fly really really fast. This will probably have to happen in my NEXT life. I do NOT want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane for ‘fun’. (Pretty sure I could do it if the other choice was to crash, though.)

Fun thread!

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