Fight
I haven't been to the barn since my fall mainly due to extreme soreness but tomorrow I will get out there, and I'm so excited to ride! I will also be riding with one of my lovely riding buddies and her magical Arabian, Jasper. I love riding with them so I'm really, really, really excited! Other than sitting tight I've been trying to take stock of exactly what I need to do to keep progressing with training and my goals. Today was a minor setback unfortunately, an opportunity that I had been looking forward to fell through. And if I'm honest with myself
Falling
Today was not the greatest day for me. I fell off of Achates when I went out to ride him and wasn't able to get back on, not exactly the happy reunion I was hoping for. My fall resulted in a plethora of bruises, some more severe than others. I went to the doctor's after to get checked out since I had also hit my head when I landed. Thankfully I got the all clear and was told to take it easy this weekend and then reassess, going from there. Falling off horses and accidents in the equine world happen everyday, all the time.
Bonding
I finally made it out to the barn today, which definitely brightened my week. I share a car with my parents so my time was limited but I wanted to make the most of it. When I got out to the barn Achates was covered in with 5 days worth of mud, poop and other unmentionables. I could have cared less, as soon as I got him inside I gave him a huge hug, and I could tell he was just as happy. I decided to just clean him up a bit and make him look like an actual horse instead of a
Returning
Since Thursday I haven't been out to work with Achates. I had a minor lung infection that was aggravated by my asthma but everything seems to be back on track now. I'm more than excited to get back out there, make my return to training and continue the progress Achates and I have been making. When I'm not riding I miss it. Not just the riding part but everything about it, solving problems, working hard, and more than anything hanging out with my horse. Riding keeps me functional and sane, more than that though it just makes me feel better about what I'm
Lucky
I have mentioned from time to time that I have a wonderful support system. It consists of both friends and family but they are all people that believe and encourage me to do my best on a daily basis. I consider myself very, very, very lucky to have people like this in my life. This support system though would not be nearly as strong without the involvement on my family. They're loud, crazy, in my business 24/7 but without them I don't think I would have the self belief that I do. My parents and my younger brother have never told me "No,
Backwards but Forward
The barn Achates and I are at recently finished installing their outdoor arena. This is a VERY exciting development considering that our indoor arena is slightly larger than a 20 meter circle and I am more than excited to have some more room. The new arena isn't quite finished but I couldn't resist trying it out today. I decided to lunge Achates in it instead of riding him. Why? Because it's a completely new environment than what we've been working in this whole year and he deserves a chance to go through his emotions and let any steam he has out. The way I
Chetak
I want to use the post to explain exactly what the name Chetak means to me. Chetak is the name of a warhorse from India, more specifically the region that my family is from. The original Chetak gave his life for his rider, carrying him safely through the battle and then to safety after before succumbing to his own fatal battle wound. My dad told me this story several years before I got a horse and I classified it away with all the other miscellaneous information in my head. I didn't give it anymore weight at the time and definitely never considered the role
Processing
Lately I've had a lot of solo riding time, which has been a great opportunity for me to analyze what I'm doing. I decided to zero in on my half-halt and fix the issues I have been having with it. When I made the switch from hunter jumpers to dressage 5 years ago my trainer introduced me to a different kind of half-halt. One that not only helped with controlling my horses tempo but encouraged him lift his back and round up when used. Up until the past 2 month I honestly had no idea of how to use this aid in an
Better
So lately I've been mentioning goals. That I have them, that at times they seem completely insurmountable, and that they are the driving force of everything I try to pursue. But since spring I noticed that I haven't exactly been setting myself up for a huge amount of success with them. The amount of pressure I've been exerting on myself has been detrimental to any sort of success that came my way. So I forced myself to take a step back and evaluate exactly how I've been approaching my situation. I found that that instead of hyper focusing on everything I should only
Back to Work
As I mentioned in my last post I was kind of stuck in a rut for a bit when it came to my training, today I think I took a step forward. I've said multiple times that I have high expectations for my horse but more so for me, and in the past and sometimes present these expectations have been detrimental. I think the biggest lesson I have managed to learn so far is that sometimes it's those small inconsequential moments that matter more than the endgame. That enjoying the journey and staying in the present is far more important than over thinking