[Green Acres]

JBCool - of course you can brag!!!

I was on vacation for a week on a cruise! We got back on Sunday so Monday I rushed down to my trainer's farm to picked up my mare to bring her back home. My trainer rode her while I was on vacation...I call it sending her to boot camp!

So I left work early Tuesday to get in a quick ride. First time I had ridden in a week & half but it felt pretty good. I didn't ride yesterday since it was dark by the time I got home. Hopefully I can leave work a little early today to get a ride in. I need to ride as I will trailer my horse for a lesson this weekend.

I can't wait until December 21st which is winter solstice, then the days will start geting longer again! Not soon enough but I have to have something to look forward to! Of course it's been warm in Georgia but I hear next week is suppose to get cold again. I hate the cold!!!

What I want to know is how do some of you ride in the dark??? Am I just a chicken or a wimp??? Of course I ride in a pasture and my horse can be a little spooky....

[horsenuttyme]

I have 'some' light - one of those outdoor security lights that the electric company can install, I have some halogen lights on a big pole, and I flip the flood lights from my garage around on the arena. It is pretty spooky to the horses, especially when they hear things in the dark outside the arena. I have to admit that even with those lights on I am a chicken. I will ride at night IF I have company.

Cold + Dark + Alone <> Fun

[Trevelyan96]

Let the flaying begin, because I need it! Why is it that I'll get up 2 hours early to schlep up to my trainer every Thurs. AM for my lesson but can't roll myself out of bet 1/2 early other days during the week to ride my own horse at home? Part of it is fear about riding alone, but really - if nothing more, I can at least walk him in the paddock and/or do some groundwork!

I have a much better horse than I deserve.

[Appsolute]

Well, I am giving myself a pat on the back for being dedicated enough to strip stalls – wash legs – treat feet and hand walk every day for the last week due to our rain storms.

Looks like the rain has now let up, and the arena made it through pretty okay – going to give it one more day to dry, then I AM RIDING TOMORROW.

A 5 year old – that hasn’t been turned out for a week. Wish me luck!

[ivy62]

Well, I finally decided that I should wear winter clothes! I went to the barn hoping for a wonderful ride but I go out in the field and my horse has thrown a shoe! Oy... So hopefully, tomorrow after the shoes go on I can ride....

[SmartAlex]

Tuesday I cheated and longed instead of riding. My horse was a wet, muddy sloppy disaster and I couldn't bear to put clean tak on him, even after a half hour grooming session. Plus he was missing a shoe... lost it in the mud.

Today when I got to the barn he was CLEAN! So we went for a nice little stroll. What a treat. Bright sunshine. Decent footing. Clean tack. Clean horse.

[BeaSting]

Had a very sweet ride around the farm. It's about ~25 degrees colder than it was a couple days ago, but still not too bad. Probably won't get a chance to ride again until Tuesday, unless I hop on for a little bit after my trainer rides Sunday.

OP (Leo86) hasn't checked in lately - sending motivational thoughts.

[BravAddict]

Let the flaying begin, because I need it! Why is it that I'll get up 2 hours early to schlep up to my trainer every Thurs. AM for my lesson but can't roll myself out of bet 1/2 early other days during the week to ride my own horse at home? Part of it is fear about riding alone, but really - if nothing more, I can at least walk him in the paddock and/or do some groundwork!

I have a much better horse than I deserve.

Oh, join the club.

Maybe set a very modest goal? Perhaps the threat of "Eek what if I decide to CANTER or something crazy?!" is putting you off. But if you just commit to walking, or even just mounting, perhaps you can get the routine bit down before you take a bigger bite "I am going to get up, groom, tack up that beast, get on his back, and get down. DANG we are going to be good at standing still to mount!"

As for me, I got up at 5:15, played car-tetris with my roommates, and headed off to the barn. I had a good ride which involved a little chanting about how I was a good rider with a VERY sticky saddle. The sound of her own foot-falls echoing off the trees? "Eek oh I think I hear my mother calling!" But the bunny that shot out from almost under her feet? No problem. That crash vest my mom sweetly suggested sounds pretty good.

I wore: wool socks, thick cotton socks, Dafna tall boots, incredibly warm winter breeches, long-sleeved Underarmour, a cashmere sweater (I have two that are seriously purple, don't judge), a skiing jacket that a former roommate left behind, a riding-specific balaclava and SSG 10 Below gloves. Oh, and my helmet, of course. And THAT is how I smiled during my winter morning ride.

My horse was good. She felt *excellent* and would have been happy to show me. More practice on a consistent trot rhythm and transitions. More me-practice on staying very tall, very still, and leaving her the heck alone when she's stringing good moments together.

The motivator is the same as for going to the gym: I NEVER regret making myself go to the barn.

[Leo86]

OK...I've figured it out! The problem was, I didn't have a goal. I am super goal oriented and just HAD to have something to work for. So, I created a budget that would allow for me to go to a horse show in early February. Then I created an exercise plan for Leo alllll the way up until the day of the horse show! I'm on day 6 of the plan and have stuck to it!

Today I totally didn't feel like riding, but knowing that I had already written in my plan to do walk/trot transitions made me force myself to get bundled up and go!

I spent a lot of time googling different riding exercises, watching videos of good riders, found my 101 jumping exercises book and wrote a detailed plan for each riding session of exactly what I was going to do. It might sound crazy, and it took a lot of time, but it has been amazing!

[ivy62]

Even though I did not get to ride today, I did yesterday and had a big lightbulb moment. I have an awful time turning to the right. I am very stiff and just cannot get it right.. then I realized that I lock my right elbow! Once I figured this out turning to the right was so much better. Hopefully, tomorrow I will get to ride after the shoes go back on....
My trainer comes back from vacation Friday night and I will see her next week I hope she notices... I am not going to tell her I am just going to do it! heehee.. I hope she notices, that would make me feel great!

[Green Acres]

OK...I've figured it out! The problem was, I didn't have a goal. I am super goal oriented and just HAD to have something to work for. So, I created a budget that would allow for me to go to a horse show in early February. Then I created an exercise plan for Leo alllll the way up until the day of the horse show! I'm on day 6 of the plan and have stuck to it!

Today I totally didn't feel like riding, but knowing that I had already written in my plan to do walk/trot transitions made me force myself to get bundled up and go!

I spent a lot of time googling different riding exercises, watching videos of good riders, found my 101 jumping exercises book and wrote a detailed plan for each riding session of exactly what I was going to do. It might sound crazy, and it took a lot of time, but it has been amazing!

Yea Leo!!! I feel that I need goals or like goals so I know what I'm working for!!!

I'm trying to figure out what my goal is for 2013 but can't quite figure it out. I think part of my quandry is a goal that I can afford! I'm worried about what is to come in 2013 but want to show. Maybe I need to start a goals 2013 thread to help figure out what my goals should be.

[Green Acres]

Oh yea, I had a quick ride tonight...only about 20 minutes before it got dark. It was misting while I was riding which is lovely in glasses. Mare was pretty good but had moments of being spooky. Silly girl but in between that, we had some really nice stuff.

I ride in my back pasture and after hacking got off to move some ground poles to set some trotting poles. I had her standing nearby while I was moving poles and she decided to just follow me around. It was so cute that I smiled and laughed as I needed that after a bad day at work. It's funny something as little as silly mare following me around while I moved poles made my day!!!

[flogarty]

This is starting to get tough. Tuesday- Saturday, I usually have 3 horses to ride before being at work at noon or 1 until 10. Home around 10:15, in bed between 11:30 and midnight. Waking up between 7 and 7:30. Repeat.

The horses have been great, and I've been getting a lot of hours at work, which means more money, but I can't wait for holiday season to be over.

[Leo86]

Yea Leo!!! I feel that I need goals or like goals so I know what I'm working for!!!

I'm trying to figure out what my goal is for 2013 but can't quite figure it out. I think part of my quandry is a goal that I can afford! I'm worried about what is to come in 2013 but want to show. Maybe I need to start a goals 2013 thread to help figure out what my goals should be.

I know what you mean. For me, because showing was such a huge part of my life as a junior rider, I knew it needed it to be a showing goal. I sat down and figured out ways to set aside money (you know, pack my lunch instead of buy, stay home and RIDE on the weekend instead of doing other things) and budgeted for the horse show. It CAN be done!

So now that I have my fitness plan for Leo, I can't back down because I keep telling myself that if I miss one or two days, my whole plan to have him ready for the horse show will be ruined!

[SarahandSam]

I was thinking the same thing about having a plan... I have a little horse-themed date book and planner that I won at a tack shop raffle recently, and I'm going to start writing myself objectives and lesson plans in it, plus overall schedules for riding and running and fitness classes and so on.

I also got a jar on Wednesday to start keeping "workout tips" in. Yesterday I ran and went to barre class, so I earned $2. Only 125 workouts to go for new breeches! (;

[JBCool]

Had another great trail ride with my boy and our friends yesterday. Trying to use them to help get him fit again going up & down hills. He was very good, if a bit tired when we got back (we didn't really go that far, he just hasn't seen hills in a while). He got today off when my friend and I both texted each other "Uh...no" when we looked at the rain outside this morning.

[OneGrayPony]

Winter shminter. What this actually means here is rainy muddy muck. The one day that it was nice, I couldn't ride last week. So today I made sure I got on. My horse, ordinarily a bay, was mud-colored. ICK! We just hacked on the road today and he was good leaving and returning to the barn, plus a few little trots and it was getting dark so we came home. I wish it would either freeze or dry up or warm up or something other than this march-y sludgey mess!

[BeaSting]

Saturday's show was an all day affair. Enjoyed it, but did not get to ride. My trainer also worked all Saturday, so we agreed that Cookie would not be ridden Sunday, which is just as well, because I was definately under the weather -Sunday. My throat is sore now and I'm feeling generally yucky so yesterday and today I didn't do more than give the girl a quick swipe with the brushes.

[Leo86]

Just wanted to check in again. I'm so proud of everyone who is joining the support group!

I am still going strong and so happy about it! I have finally broken the "get home and sit on couch" habit and now have the "get home and put on breeches" habit! I don't even turn on the TV! Honestly I think the fact that it gets dark shortly after I get home actually helps me. I don't have ANY time to sit down if I want to ride before it gets dark.

The ONLY problem i'm encountering is that I am now sitting at work staring at the clock towards the end of the day because I can't WAIT to get home and ride!

[Appsolute]

Rode all weekend – rode last night in the dark – really need to buy a head lamp! Held a flashlight up and I could tell it really helped – need need that head lamp.

Superfantastic jump school on Saturday – Moved the jumps up a few notches – biggest jumps we have done yet! Mare proved that she will save my butt and jump from anywhere – love her.

Last night’s ride went really well also – nice trot lengthenings and better canter work.

Planning another night ride tonight if the rain holds off!