MISSING MOMENTS

"Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy." ~ Leo Buscaglia

A Wise Woman once told me that life is filled with moments in time and by savoring that moment is truly what brings life alive!   And to really live, one needs to breathe those moments to life as if resuscitating joy itself!

Last night, I missed a moment filling it with worry and fret over the weeks ahead.  I could have breathed Sugar's sweet smell, a combination of fresh pine woods and newly mown hay.  I could have enjoyed the pleasure of a hard grooming of an itchy coat.  And I could have kissed a very kissable nose and loved being alone with my Lil' Pinto Pony.

Instead, I greeted the evening like an obligation and duty that must be performed.  As the curry greeted her skin, I spent that moment worried about whether she was losing her topline, or weak in her hind end which led to whether or not we will ever be ready for the season.  And if she's ready, will I be?

And so begins the endless planning, self derision and loads of overthinking... Until...

It's all about the moment!  Sugar looks fantastic and is the soundest she's ever been.  Her muscling is even and her body is strong!  She is happy and healthy... We are both lucky to have each other...

Work is hard and life is filled with changes... Some  now and some in the future.  The weather has been brutal and even with an indoor, riding regularly has been challenging.  

Worry and fret hasn't solved anything.  It continues to rob one of that moment...  Like kissing the kissable nose!

What will be will be!

WORKING FOR A LIVIN'

Wow, that was an amazing vacation and one that seems like ancient history.  Two whole weeks of just doing what I wanted to do, mostly when I wanted to do it while surrounded by family and friends.  It was a magical time so, so long ago in a distant galaxy. 

Fighting doesn't help

Enter the Polar Vortex and a return to work filled with chaos and change.  I wonder, where is my sense of peace and utter calm?  Where are the delightful moments riding my lil' pinto pony?  Where is that life of routine filled bliss?   Oh where art thou?  Oh where art thou?

So for those of us who really do know me, I am a Facebook junkie.  Bring it on!  Today, someone posted (and I shared) the following "peace/love/charity" statement:

The kissable nose!

"Everything in life moves in its own rhythm and in its own time." 

 

And, James Van Praagh added, "When you resist change, you are trying to hard to control the outcome and not paying enough attention to the process.  Enjoy the cosmic dance of life and its changes. When making changes, always seek the higher vibrations of love, peace, joy, patience, and abundance."

Somehow, that little post eased some of the craziness of this new year.  Sugar is happy, content and well cared for at the Lil' Country Barn.  And, if weather and work make it difficult for me to achieve my goals, I must remember the pleasure of just smelling the sweet scent of her very kissable nose and the real satisfaction of grooming the white coat clean.  And, how good it feels to the both of us to curry an itchy spot with her body leaning in for more.

Ah, its winter.  The weather is cold and work is hard...  I can stay with this or move graciously into the higher vibrations of what I can do and not what I can't...  The choice is mine...

{{{{I think I'll go to the barn and buy lottery tickets on the way home!}}}}

OOOPS! SHOULD'VE DONE THAT!

Did I ever tell you that I've been on vacation for two weeks!  That's right... two whole weeks.  Here it is Sunday night and I've given up the ship!  There is absolutely no way, at all, that I can complete ALL of those things I had planned to do that Friday afternoon as I waived my coworkers goodbye.

Gotta seize the day!

Instead, I plan to finish this awesome cup of chai tea, stroke the silky ears of a naughty hound draped across my lap and thank god for all the wonder in my life.  Oh, I may take a moment out of this pure pleasure and yell at the Convict to stop licking his paw but as he then crawls up on the napping couch to curl close, all is at peace.

Yeah, I should've have had that project ready to be emailed to the vendor first thing tomorrow morning.  And, I should've have done more research on the even bigger project pending.  The house is a wicked mess and every coat I've worn these two weeks sit piled up on a chair... yeah, I could've have done that too...

Youthful exuberance!

Did I tell you that Sugar is back?  That we had a magnificent dressage lesson with the amazing Niall Quirk?  She was lovely to ride, a willing partner that, when put together, floated like a big, wiggling/swishing dressage horse.  Did I tell you that I spent the morning watching my barn mates achieve beauty as they too, lifted their horses into light, fluffy, fancy prancing?

Ooops, maybe I should've cleaned out my car and put away all the trail cleaning supplies cluttering up and making the back seats unusable.  And, darn... I forgot to cut down those stupid Norway Maples taking root in my overgrown garden beds.  Yes, I know the Christmas decorations do need to come down soon, lest annoy friends and neighbors alike.

Those ears don't miss
anything!

Before I forget, did I tell you of a fabulous New Years Eve jaunt with the Brave Barn Peep?  Oh, the gloriousness of an event horse releasing her pent up energy as we attempted to "gallop" around a field.  Did I tell you...  Sugar is back?  And, can I tell you how fulfilling it was when my lil' pinto pony finally cantered without a leap into the air?

And, I did not clean my bedroom and organize my closets.  And, ok, my laundry is piled up still unwashed...  Thank god, my work clothes are back from the cleaners and I did buy new underwear as a "Christmas present".  Shhh, some folks may still get Christmas cards since I managed to not finish them before New Years....  ooopsie!

Oh, yeah, one more thing...  Did I tell you that Sugar is back?  And, that I grabbed Newbie Eventer, some fabulous Hunt Peeps and ran out before the snow storm to get that one last gallop in.  It was heaven on earth when the two of us actually galloped with nary a spook or a leap.  (I was sure she was colicing.)

Life is short!  You gotta do it while you can!  And, I am so grateful to have so many fabulous compadres willing to live it with me!

TYG! 

FEELS LIKE A MILLION BUCKS

And as the lottery creeps upward and the dreams of being a billionaire dance it's the devilish dance, I sigh with a level of contentment from actually winning the dance of a devilish mare...

All sweetness

You see, as I begin to consider my next (and second) horse, I dream of a plain bay with decent gaits, a level head who just wants to "jump the jumps".  I see "him" as a handsome horse who can take a lot of bling (oh yes... you just wait and see how my inner pre-teen comes out then). 

And then the fantasy takes shape...  I saddle him up on a cold, snowy day to gallop around our field as puffs of snow billow around his strong legs.  I'm laughing at the sheer joy of two beings, together as one. 

Or feeling that moment when I get a call from the Bestest Eventing Buddy, Sugar's Twenty Something Friend or the Newbie Eventer, "let's go XC schooling and jump some jumps!" and being excited and thrilled to jump some jumps!

I'll keep her for that nose!

Yet sometimes, when my lil' pinto pony can not keep her feet on the ground as we finishing her rehab by cantering.  And, I ride her airs above the ground into something that looks like a canter, I feel like a million bucks.  Somewhere in my fantasy world, I am a cowgirl - wild and free!  I am a goddess! 

And, when I ask for that last canter transition and my lil' Mariah Carey impersonator says, "Ok... I'll do it and I'll do it well!"  I feel like a million bucks.

I just hope that when looking for said second horse, I don't fall too much in love with that kind of million bucks! 

{{{Special note of apology to the lessoner and the fellow boarder also sharing ring with the diva princess.  I promise that Saccharine has not been a frequent visitor these past few years...  Sugar will return and it will be good again!  I promise!}}}

BUT, I FORGOT!

"Forgive me father, for I have sinned... It's been over four weeks since my last posting."   And this is one that just keeps circling my brain...  I forgot! 

Christmas is a beautiful time to celebrate!

No, I did not forget to write.  Work obligations, a "busy season" and maybe a tad bit of malaise is at fault for that.  I just never got to it. 

And, as I walk into the dark side of a middle-aged life, forgetting can be a bit worrisome and perhaps, a reflection of a mind already too full to add more tidbits without causing a slight spill of other such thoughts. 

You see, it came to a head, shortly after getting the proverbial "green light" to canter and progressively return to full work, that I have forgotten how to ride my lil' pinto pony.  12+ weeks of traipsing around the indoor with nary a move off the outside tract, I have become the epitome of a beginner rider.

Loving the canter!

I forgot the hundreds of tools I've been given to loosen up a tight, naughty girl...  (hmmm, that doesn't sound quite right for a G-rated post).  My brain is like mud as I try to remember the difference between renvers and travers.  And, is a leg yield done with the hips or shoulders leading?  And, can someone tell me why I am slumped over like the worse eq rider?  Am I flopping about?  WHERE ARE MY SEAT BONES?

Dear god, have I no skill left?

Sug and I had a lesson last night.  Our inner DQs', buried deep under the cob webs of "rehab" felt a fluttering... Could it be the memory of what was forgotten?  Of a past dressage experience worthy of a superstar? 

Wait...  who's blog is this?  I believe what I was recalling as a memory is, in fact, a fantasy...  I forgot...  Sugar and I rock the warm up as we practice our Beginner Novice/Novice/First Level Test while demonstrating grand prix (lower case intended) airs-above-the-ground.  

Oh well, 2015 is a new year and who knows?

Psssst, I also forgot how much I love to write!  Let's git 'er done!

WHAT IF? REHABBING REAL LIFE

What if real life, like you know... housecleaning, career, school, dating...  you know real life was like rehabbing your Lil' Pinto Pony?  What if, instead, of throwing yourself off a cliff, changes can be made in increments?  What if?
 

Keeping busy photographing our
Hunts

REHAB STAGE 1 - STALL REST/HANDWALKING

• I am pretty sure that Sugar did not spend this time reflecting on her issues, meditating on life's next steps and truly resting for any and all future decisions.  She fought it like a good, co-dependent alpha mare until we relented and let her stand with her UL Dressage Lover with her promising to be quiet.

{{Note, she also did not clean her tack well, polished her brass or cleaned out her closets at home.}}

REHAB STAGE 2 - WALKING QUIETLY UNDER SADDLE

After a bit of time whining, complaining (quietly) and fighting restrictions, one finds gratitude and begins to enjoy the quiet solitude of our new found freedom.  These twenty minutes allow the reflection necessary to move forward (or accept) with life.

In the later phase of this stage, you begin to see the future more clearly and yearn to make changes but are still inhibited by restrictions.  Sugar chose to deal with this with occasional leaps and bounds - leg said GO! 

REHAB STAGE 3 - ADDING TROT

Release the Hounds!

The eagerness to move forward is exhilarating.  Yet, change must happen gradually or you risk further injury or a set back.  The first set is dull and lifeless... is this the right thing?  Do we need to wait?  Then the second set is brilliant, each stride more enthusiastic then the next.  This where we need to be! 

Still, while boldly moving forward, we must do so incrementally - 6 minutes week one, 12 minutes week 2 adding lateral movements, 18 minutes (ok to hack outside with no limit on walking), 24 minutes week 4 (still no 20 meter circles or turns on forehand).

 REHAB STAGE 4 - CANTER/JUMPING

Happy Thanksgiving!

The world opens up again...  To be determined

There is so much going on in my life now.  What if I rehabbed it as gently as we rehabbed the Lil' Pinto Pony?  What if I had a guide as good as my vet?  What if? 

Hmmm...  Still, Life is, indeed, Good!

"DON'T WORRY"

First, let me say this, Ingrid Klimke is a goddess!  That's right, this is a woman who excels at the highest level of two demanding sports - Eventing and Dressage.  And, after auditing the New England Dressage Association's (NEDA) Fall Symposium on "Methods for Training the Classical Way Through Fitness & Gymnastic Exercises", I would also say that she is the ultimate horseman.

Grand Prix rider on an UL Dressage
Horse

I really want to inundate you with great quotes, particular exercises and lots of her tips to help you become a better rider.  Alas, it was 38 degrees and my ability to write notes quickly deteriorated into indecipherable scrawl.  (See, that word, once again hypothermia.)

What I can do is give you a few things that, after 3 days, remain crystal clear in my brain.  Here you go:

Area 1 Eventer & Ingrid

"Don't worry!" - No matter what happened, no matter what mistake, no matter how awkward something looked, her response was always, "Don't worry!" Mistakes will happen and, you have to let the horse figure it out and keep doing it.

Repetition helps the horse gain confidence.  Once you're successful give them a big pat and allow them a walk break.  Then move on to something else.

Cavelletti exercises done regularly will improve a canter, develop a weak hind end and will break up the routine of a dressage horse.  Eventers, these are low impact exercises that will just improve everything - jumping and dressage.

"Ride him like he's a 4 year old" - For horse who easily goes into a frame but isn't quite on the bit or a horse who has been collected or worked in a frame, allow the horse to flow easily forward on a longish rein to find their rythym and balance.  Use this as a break in your collected/medium gaits.

On Training Aids (like draw reins) - maybe some horses might need them but she never uses them.  "If I did, I know someone (Reiner Klimke, her father) is looking down on me and he wouldn't be pleased." 

"If you make a mistake, you must continue"

Another Area 1 Eventer doing us proud!

"Be brave and try" - This is one for all you dressage riders who participated in this clinic.  I watched the exercises and they were hard.  You were brave to do this with your dressage horses and the results were stunning!  Keep trying (and maybe try the dark side).



A girl can dream... one day...

"Reward your horse by doing something that they think is fun" - One rider did 3 tempe and then 1 tempe changes and another entertained us with passage.  And, you could see the horse's enjoyment.

And, for us Eventers, she talked about safety, bridging the reins for XC and then showing us how and why you should bridge your reins for dressage training.  She was a phenomonal clinician.  I wish I had more to offer you but the chill won out that day!

Shhhhh, Sugar doesn't know that I told our trainers that winter training will be cavelletti training...  lucky girls!  "Don't worry!"  We'll figure it all out!