I'm going to leave my 2017 goals kind of loose because something always happens that screws with my plans... like his injury for the entire second half of 2016. I think I might try the 100 ride challenge again, but my main focus is going to be on getting us both back in shape and keeping us healthy. I have gained so much weight from sitting at a desk job and doing nothing active because I was too depressed with my horse being injured to get motivated. So here are my lofty goals...
1. Complete the 100 ride challenge
2. Lose weight for both of us (he looks pregnant still)
3. Get us both back in shape
I was also reading one of my favorite blogs A Horse Crazy American in Germany and she's working with her green Arabian Mag. She said in one of her posts "ride a green horse like he's trained and he will start acting like it" (paraphrasing because I have a headache and can barely think straight). I've heard this saying before, but I completely forgot about it! It really does work. I've seen it with my own two eyes lol. So I'm going to start pretending like Chrome is a grown up, fully trained horse and pretending like I actually know how to ride to see if we both improve. ;)
4. Pretend like we both know what we're doing until we actually do.
I've also been daydreaming since I found out I can ride again and one of the things I've been really excited about.... is cantering! I have no idea why I'm excited about it now instead of terrified, but I'll take advantage of it.
5. Do lot's of cantering.
I also feel like part of my problem is I lack direction or a goal... I do a lot of meandering around just to log saddle hours where we don't do anything productive. So I'm going to try to have goals... obviously I know horses being horses that I might have to change my plan or drop it altogether, but at least having a plan in mind should help keep us from wandering around aimlessly. I have two things I can focus on when we are riding around the house... me and Chrome. So I want to work on...
6. My equitation
7. Teaching Chrome valuable skills like half halts, turning on the forehand/haunches, neck reining, etc. Stuff I should have taught him a long time ago.
For improving our fitness and teaching him skills in our less than perfect riding area I want to also work on...
8. Transitions, transition, transitions!
I might even set up the round pen (get over my fear of circles with his stifles... he has to strengthen them someday...) or revisit the idea of an arena.
As usual my thoughts are all over the place, but this is just the stuff that has been swimming around in my brain. It's all just loose ideas, not concrete plans. I'm not sure I'm even one hundred percent committed to the 100 ride challenge or not, but I'm hoping it will be motivation to get in the saddle when I'm exhausted from a bad day at work (they are frequent unfortunately.. we're understaffed and I work with several idiots).
So for motivation I'm going to stare at old pictures of Chrome and I riding and having fun.
This is where cantering was finally getting fun.
This ride was SO FUN!!!! Riding in the snow is awesome.
Decorated for Christmas. So fun!
Cantering in a big open field for the first (or maybe it was the second) time. So freeing!
Boy can trot!!!
Just chilling.
This might have been the first canter in the field.
We were finally getting confident on the road... riding past other horses on the BUCKLE!
Heavy equipment is not scary at all. He was staring at horses, not the bulldozer.
The two point challenge (and pretending to be a jockey) was fun.
Riding tackless is terrifying and exciting!
Actual summer riding?? What?
He's so cute!
Sometimes so relaxed...
Other times so tense lol.
I had a hard time trusting him when we first started riding on the road at the new house.
And some really old pictures showing where we started!
His tenth ride (first in saddle).
His third ride I think.
Our first white Christmas ride years ago.
I miss having the lease land to ride on.
Goofing off pushing his ears forward because he was being grouchy.
Haha, I'm so lazy, napping on the job. ;)
These pictures definitely do make me want to ride again, so I guess it's working. Let's hope this year is much better than last. :D
