NEWS BULLETIN

FYI: This is the best cream ever! For people, horses, and, as the name implies, cows. Very hydrating!
-K

Guilty!

So I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately. It all started when I came back from vacation several weeks ago. I've just not been able to get my bearings since then. It's not so hard to see how I got this way. I haven't been riding enough and that always leaves me feeling scatter brained. I've also been trying to play catch up at work and that's never fun or easy. Home chores have definitely been ignored and they will continue to get ignored until.....well... until they aren't ignored anymore. On Tuesday I was home by 7 and could have had a good long ride. I had plenty of time and the weather was decent. What did I do? I joined the Chronicle of the Horse forums and spent what seemed like hours posting until my status went from "Greenie" to "Training Level". When I finally looked outside I realized I had to step away from the computer if I was going to ride for even a second. Fortunately I had the strength to tear away as the computer mouse tried to wrap itself around my hand, and the power cable started grabbing my ankle. Later on I looked back and asked myself why I didn't get away sooner. The answer is that I feel guilty even when I do ride. Why is that?

I pulled Holly out of the paddock and quickly tacked her up. Aside from the horse flies hungrily hovering all over her she was actually very good for this part. She used to walk all over when I let her graze while I brushed her or tacker her up, or, god forbid, gave her a bath. As soon as she'd see me coming with something she'd start casually looking for a greener spot of grass. I guess she's finally learned that I'm a better treat dispenser if she stays put. Anyway, I was happy that I finally got to try out the big mounting block we just built. It's nice and sturdy and works a whole lot better than the buckets, coolers, and turned over water troughs I've been using. After mounting we went out to the big field. We walked around for a while as I tried to remember what I was supposed to be doing with my legs. Remember, the last time I rode was before I went up North and I had been running and exercising very regularly. Now....not so easy. It's amazing how quickly our bodies return to flaccidity. Anyway, Holly wasn't exactly thrilled about the whole "rush job" and was especially annoyed that the horse flies are impervious to any fly treatment I may have been able to provide. Our ride was, er, swift. Were not talking all out rocket jet but it was energetic to be sure. I really didn't care that much about her speed and I kept her a little more forward than usual as we trotted around. The whole ride was maybe fifteen to twenty minutes. It was not terribly fulfilling but at least made me feel a little bit better.

When I finished I realized that I felt guilty about having ridden. I felt that I should have been making dinner or doing chores around the house, or finishing up something for work. It's a strange conundrum. Either I do work, or chores and feel guilty about not riding or I ride and feel guilty about not doing chores and work. It's enough to drive a person completely batty! Well I guess I'll just have to kick myself in the rear and get caught up with work and (some) chores so I won't feel guilty about riding this weekend. I AM riding this weekend. I just can't stand it any longer. Clearly, not riding has put me into a tail spin and the only way to get out of it is to ride more. Right?

Long time no write...

I regret that I have been lax in reciting the latest adventures in my equine endeavors. I truly enjoy recounting for all, the trials of attempting to become a better rider or at the very least attempting to ride. I have to admit that when I started this journal I believed it would inspire me to ride more often. I probably have ridden more than I would if I did not anticipate writing about it but still my horses go for weeks unridden. They are starting to give me dirty looks. I swear the gray mare is deliberately getting as filthy as possible just so that I will take the time to groom her. Sigh.

The last time I rode The Lady Holly was just before I went on vacation to the lake up north. I recall that it was a lovely ride! You see I had been doing very well for myself by running nearly everyday and doing some exercises for my middle. I hadn't ridden for weeks before but had the benefit of being in better physical shape! I got on and tried my best to hold my legs into the position Kathy had wrenched them into the last time I saw her. I found it was a little less torturous than the first time I tried it. We began to trot (the true test of leg position) and I was so surprised at how little effort it actually was to keep myself from lurching forward and flopping backward as I normally do after not riding for so long! It was actually quite pleasant. Miss Holly seemed to be pleased with me as well for she was relaxed and trotting so smoothly without taking off like the demons were chasing her. What a shame I had gotten on so late that we could only ride for a few minutes.

The next day I went up to Buckland to ride my dear friend's horse. My poor friend had injured her knee a week or so before and I had been there when it happened. She had been riding yet another friend's horse as I was pulling into the drive. I saw the mare rear straight up. My friend is no ninny and was able to hang on although she was unseated. She needed a split second to get herself properly in the saddle but the mare decided to jump and spin. The two parted ways and the mare charged around the ring while my friend sat on the ground. I quickly parked and hurried to secure the mare, mindful of my flip flopped feet. My friend later learned she'd torn her ACL. To spare her knee she offered to give me a lesson on her horse. Fortunately she has lovely horses and I was happy to oblige. The gelding I rode is a plucky little chestnut thoroughbred who was fairly recently retired from racing. Crafty is a cute little horse and seems very content to observe other horses work whilst he is standing in the middle of the ring. He reminds me very much of Kathy's dear Peanut. We had a good easy ride and I was very happy to have ridden two days in a row. Of course then I went on vacation and haven't sat on a horse since. Actually I haven't picked anything back up since my return from northern lands. No riding, no running, no exercises, nothing but work. Now my gelding is sore footed and my mare lost a shoe so I couldn't ride if I wanted to. Well, chock it up to another rideless week I guess. The farrier will be out on Saturday so I better get to running if I want to be in any shape to ride come Sunday!