Quick Update

 

Thank you all so much for the encouragement this past week - I survived my meeting, but not without some incredible stress. Like many of you, I don't function well without my horse time, or my gym time, and add to that eating like crap and too much sitting for a week-and-a half in preparation for my meeting and then the actual meeting - yuck. The meeting was hard. I had to address a long-standing project that had been left unfinished for the larger part of the past four years. There are a lot of reasons why, staffing, shifting priorities, blah, blah, blah, but ultimately, it falls on my shoulders. And, like most things in life, these big, difficult, monster projects are conveniently pushed aside in favor of the easier-to-address, more urgent tiny fires. But, just like a fire, the hottest part isn't the flames you see, it's the embers that can reignite with enough oxygen and fuel.

 

A huge pile of embers was uncovered recently, and so now we are finally forming a bucket brigade to quench what feels like the seventh circle of hell in the inferno (being a bit dramatic, but, ya know, sometimes ya gotta). It's all going to work out fine, but it is going to require dedication to detail and a lot of Sherlocking to get all of the last four years of mess sorted out.

So with some steps made in a positive direction this past weekend at work towards sorting out that pile of yarn, I took a step in the right direction and got back to the barn last night. My husband actually insisted I go, since it was projected to be the last day above 70 degrees until next March or April (so, really May or June. le sigh). Abbey has had two weeks off after her shoes being pulled, and trainer is at Appaloosa Worlds, and I was MIA, so holy dusty pony, Batman. I groomed, we lunged, and even lunging she looked quick and short in front, but not lame. I asked some other barn people for a second opinion, and we all agreed that she was not her normal self, but okay to ride.

I kept it short, and it wasn't pretty, or amazing, but it was sure nice to be back in the saddle again after that long of a break. The best part is that I don't really care that it wasn't a great ride as far as getting work done and refining our technique. How could it have been? But, it was a great ride because after two weeks off, no trainer rides, a distracted pony with funny-feeling feet, and a floppy rider, Abbey had moments of focus and moments of collection. It was a win. She is a horse that needs routine, so two weeks from now after four or five days a week of riding, we will both be back to more of our normal selves. And, it was nice to be back in the barn, period. Nice barn peeps, a job to do, and a routine that helps my mind let go of all the stress it latches on to throughout the day.

And, after all, time spent in the saddle is never wasted.