Today will be our sixth ride back.
While I've said that he doesn't seem to have lost a lot of fitness, I'm also still trying to take it slowly. I'm not so good at that. My goal was to gradually increase the workload until our ride time and distance were approximately the same as it had been before he had a three week vacation. And once we reached that, we'd start jumping again. I miss jumping.
Even our baby cross rails and verticals. Miss.
But I'm also trying not to be sloppy about bringing him back. It's not just the quantity, right? It's the quality of the work. So he's being asked to work harder for shorter periods of time. I've gotten really complacent and lazy since I lost my trainer. Settling for "meh", because meh is easy and I'm lazy and sometimes, I just don't feel confident enough in myself to ask for better. Then, of course, this was compounded when I lost OR and TE. Do you even realize how important it is to have people around that bolster and encourage and just silently hold accountable? Is this why I sat in a pasture for three years, trotting in circles and scared to death of the canter? Because it was just me and I didn't have the gonads to do better. Even if they never said, hey, how's that outside contact on the bend going?, just watching and being around other riders made me want to ride better.
So here's part of me asking for more from him, Wednesday night. I call it "swishy tail."
Obligatory stellar-quality video stills:
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| Not 100%, but I think all four off the floor. |
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| Definitely all four off the floor. Also, pissed off pony. |
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| I love that I still have issues with my right side being higher than my left. |
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| Just wanted to show how far he was reaching. |
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| Swish, swish, swish, little camel. |
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10 comments
He's looking so nice, even with some time off!
ReplyDeleteOh, nice and forward! I am just like you. If I don't have a trainer/people pushing me I just kind of settle for 'meh' and don't do anything. It's much easier with a team!
ReplyDeleteI think he looks great!
ReplyDeleteI think I am able to work harder on my own as long as I have a goal to work towards. I think about 80% of my rides are unsupervised and self directed. In college when I rode and wasn't on the team I had specific goals in mind. I'm also just a strangely fucked up person I think.. because I can't apply that shit to art but horses and working out, no problem.
ReplyDeleteIt's so much easier to have someone to ride with. Hope you can find a buddy.
ReplyDeleteThose trot pics...fancy! Fingers crossed you can find a friend to ride with!
ReplyDeleteWoo, he looks fabo!!! I know it can be hard if you have a goal, yet no one on the ground/around to share an eyeball (not the same eyeball, because that would be just wrong!). It is a constant learning curve for me to become more focused and correct when I'm riding on my own (i.e. basically always, rofl) -- it is HARD! Add in the ADHD and birds fly by and I have a pond and did you know that frogs breathe through their skin?
ReplyDeletesigh.
haha the little 'camel' is opinionated, no? he's looking great tho. the idea of shorter bursts of hard work is a good one too - bc he won't associate the tough work with lonnngg exhausting rides. like, 'if i can just go in and rock this trot, we will be good.'
ReplyDeleteI've been feeling a bit meh of late too & was thinking about that this evening as I forwent (new word for today) riding to just visit & pet my girls in the field.
ReplyDeleteI really need lessons or goals or something to work towards...I've been feeling kind of rudderless lately. Not really going anywhere & no plans to either - i needs to get out of this funk somehow!
Sorry forgot to say photos look fab & I love the saddle pad colours!
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Thanks!