Sunday, March 16, 2014

Best. Week. Ever.

I did not totally forget that I have a blog. I did, however, stop having things that were worth writing about for a while. I had a low couple (few?) weeks, and no one wants to read about a pity party. Through the amazing support of my family and friends, I have crawled out of my hole and am back to a manageable 85%. It certainly doesn't hurt having the promise of spring right around the corner...who wouldn't feel better with warmer weather and longer days?

My birthday was last Saturday, the 8th. I gave myself the gift of a better attitude towards life. I am trying to remember that even though things are not perfect, I am still very fortunate. I suppose I am adopting the Jungle Book mentality: "Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative." I began this new endeavor by losing miserably at the game of Life. Fantastic. To be fair, I was drunk and playing against a very sober 8 year old. To be unfair, my "adult" friend Sarah rubbed her victory in my face. My mom had a laugh, but she knows better; after all, she raised this $2.4 million failure!

This week kicked off by going out to breakfast with Kate and Maddy. Buffalo home fries for the win. Afterward Maddy and I went to the barn and I had, by far, my best ride on Lucy to date. The light bulb finally went off, I remembered how to breathe (throughout the WHOLE ride), and Lucy demonstrated how happy she is that I have at last figured out how to ride her. Maddy was proud, as she well should be, since this would not have been possible without her guidance and peer pressure. I had talked with her and Kate the day before about some Lucy-isms, combined their advice with what I already know, and now it's like riding a brand new horse.

I also rode Tuesday,  Thursday,  and Saturday, for more of the same. Saturday we even ventured outside for the first time this year. Walking to the arena was interesting, and Lu put on quite the show while lunging, but once I saw in her eye that she was ready, I got on to just walk and trot, to see how she felt. Next thing you know, Maddy is asking me where I left my balls (aka why I was not cantering), so I took a deep breath, applied a little outside leg...and we cantered uneventfully in a circle around her and Brantley. :) Came back to a respectable trot before calling it a day with a nice little hand walk on the trail. That is, until Lucy invaded my personal space enough that I tightened the girth and made her carry me back home. ;) I cannot say enough how happy I am with this horse, she has come so far in just a few months. I have always been a supporter of ground work, but now more than ever I think it is one of the best training tools and a necessary component for any discipline.

I can't wait to get out of work today so I can go ride!