Week in Review

My favorite shoes... four years in the making on October 1st

This week I set some new goals. Here is a little progress report, since a month can be a long time to wait for a little check-in.

1. Get to the barn three to four days a week to ride (preferably four). Rode Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.
2. Get back to the basics and really work on consistency, balance, collection in all three gaits, but especially at the lope. Riding with intention - paying more attention to cadence, collection, and consistency at all gaits. Trainer complimented us on our loping on Thursday.
3. Counter canter exercises. Check :) Still needs work, but am able to get her to slow down and stand up in her shoulder using my seat and leg with some strong rein aids at first, and then softening the rein and going more to my seat and leg.
4. Make sure to add in patterns and trail to break up the ride, because my little mare has ADHD just like me and just going in circles makes us a little nuts. Adding in lateral work, shoulder in, haunches in, circles, and counter bending to soften her lope departs.
5. Ride bareback a few times this month to strengthen my seat so I don't rely to much on my saddle. Rode bareback last week on Saturday. Got her to lope consistently until I asked her to stop (hard to do without a saddle and spurs!)
6. Participate in 2pointober http://suenostomanvuelo.blogspot.com/2014/10/2pointober-2014.html - Thanks L. Williams at Viva Carlos and Hillary at Equestrian at Hart for allowing me and my western saddle to participate :) We will see how this experiment goes - I have added posting trot work to our warm ups, so this will be a good addition to the routine that I am doing instead of lunging (unless she is being a big idiot, then the lunging resumes) First day of 2 pointing went well - need better video footage so I can make sure we are getting it right.
7. Lesson starting again in November or December. I love my lessons, but I want to find my internal motivation and make that stronger and be accountable to myself and my horse first. That and money - vet billz, ya'll, I haz them. Paying off vet bills - its a good thing.
8. Work on loping over logs. Worked on this Tuesday - she wants to rush in and hollow out - need to remember to sit down and not chase her over them. Look for my landings.
9. Side pass logs. We did some nice side passes on Tuesday - there was a trail course set up for Miss E, so we borrowed it :) Work on slowing it all down. Take a step or two, pause, settle, then another step.
10. Get better control over backing and maneuvering through and around obstacles while backing. Merp. Needs work. That ass is all over the place!
11. Hop back in line with my diet and exercise outside of the barn. Double merp on the eating habits. Crossfit twice this week - and it kicked my butt. Aiming for three days next week, and less chips.
12. Make more time for family and friends. People aren't what I am built to love - I do much better with the furry beings in my life, but the ones I do like probably won't stick around forever unless I hang out with them sometimes. Celebrated my four year wedding anniversary with the husband on October 1st. It's my first four year anniversary (was married before and made it to three, against all better judgment, so four years is kind of a big deal, since no one has ever been able to hang in there that long, nor have I been able to tolerate someone that long, either.) We have our ups and downs, but like all good things in life it is worth the work at softening my sharp edges and learning to share my space and time with someone who loves me for me most of the time, and who usually lets the crappy parts slide. He is the one who has helped me realize two of my lifelong dreams - becoming a successful, professional photographer, and owing my own horse, which turned into training and showing my own horse, so he's pretty much reach saint status in my mind. We took the motorcycle to pick up pizza, have a beer, and then went home to a bottle of my favorite sparkling wine and a few episodes of Sons of Anarchy. It was perfect :) Looking forward to a few weeks before I have to travel again for work, so hopefully more husband and horse time in there.

Wore these on my wedding day for the first time, and hundreds of times since. Just getting broken in the way I like them :)

 

And so it begins...