Karen McGoldrick’s vivid odyssey through the upper ranks of American dressage continues with “The Dressage Chronicles II: A Matter of Feel.” Her protagonist, working student Lizzy, travels with her employers to their Equus Paradiso summer training center in New Jersey. Once she arrives, it’s back to the show ring where McGoldrick’s trainer character, Margot Fanning, continues to impress the judges with her classical prowess.
Lizzy gives us a wonderful narrative from the sidelines as we see the impeccably maintained tack, lush showgrounds and farms and glossy warmbloods through her eyes. This time around, Lizzy’s struggles involve a big-for-her-britches Young Rider and a rival trainer who has his eye on Margot’s irascible but brilliantly talented ride, Wild Child.
RELATED:
What to read: Katy Had a Little Farm
What to read: The Secret of Blackwatch
What to read: Low Country
Once again, McGoldrick does a masterful job of integrating real-life descriptions of dressage into Lizzy’s story. It’s clear she’s drawn from her own experience as a trainer – the Southeast gets to claim her as she rides and writes on her own farm in Alpharetta, Ga.
As Lizzy struggles to learn the ins and outs of the walk pirouette, we find ourselves learning right along with her. One of Lizzy’s most pithy lessons comes from the operation’s resident young horse trainer, Deb, who allows Lizzy to ride her older mare, Regina, a veteran dressage horse.
“Feel how the shoulders always have to stay in front of that inside hind, just a smidge,” Deb explains. “You gotta’ always feel that in every pirouette, every half-pass. Lose that and you are so screwed. That’s what makes the bend. That’s what makes the balance. That’s how you load the bending joints of the hind leg. That’s engagement, Lizzy. That’s dressage.”
It’s passages like these that make McGoldrick the sport’s literary ambassador; she’s able to integrate the nuts and bolts into her narrative in a believable way. If you haven’t read McGoldrick’s original “The Dressage Chronicles,” do yourself a favor and pick it up first so you’ll be up to speed on Lizzy’s story. You’ll be begging for more after breezing through the second novel. Fortunately, McGoldrick’s third book is presently in the final stages of publishing.
