Thursday, September 6, 2012

Half-Halts and other musings

So school this semester is no joke.  So much to do and too few hours in the day to accomplish everything that needs to get done.  Such is life.

Life has been steamy and I find that to be a serious demotivator.  I am OVER the heat.  It just needs to stop.  We just went for a walk around the neighborhood last Friday and I didn't ride Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.  Sunday and Monday were 12 hr shifts in the ER which pretty much means no riding as I have to be there by 6:30 AM and I wouldn't be able to get to the barn before 7:30 PM.  I might be able to swing a quick ride afterwards if I really feel it's necessary but it would be a quick hack as it's pretty much dark by 8:30.  I rode on Tuesday and Charlie was quite good although I forgot to drop my stirrups at the end of the ride.  Oops! Wednesday was a dressage lesson with Carolyn.  The focus of the lesson was pushing for quicker response to the half halt.  Carolyn really wanted Charlie to understand that the half halt was there to package the frame and encourage him to round his back.  My job was to keep after him to get the correct response in a timely manner.  I need to not let his fussing talk me out of getting tough.  My habit is to accept mediocrity instead of pushing through the crap to get to the good stuff.   It was, as usual, an awesome lesson.  And lucky for my, Mom came along for the ride and videoed!  Is that a word?  It's kinda long and I don't really have the time to figure out how to edit (I used to know how but I've forgotten since it's been so long!).

 
I took this last Thursday evening - it was a blue moon.  It was pretty clear so I'm not quite sure why my phone made it look blurry but for some reason it reminds me of van Gogh's "Starry Night".

 
My attempt at being artistic; I don't think Charlie appreciated it...

We jumped today and it was ok.  I really dislike jumping at home because the ring is so small (approx 30 meters x 50 meters).  I'm ok with grids or foot work exercises but whenever I try to jump singles things don't go so well.  Nothing awful happens but I just kinda suck at having a plan.  I did ride without stirrups for a little bit and did a lap around the property in my half-seat!  Yay!  Well, not really yay but you all understand what I mean.

My fitness plan isn't going so well - it's still really hot out which means I need to get up early to ride and by the time I'm done, it's too hot to do anything else.  Excuses, excuses...;)  I'll get there eventually.

Sorry this is so short but I need to hit the books.  I keep telling myself I only have about 3 months left but I have a feeling it's going to seem like forever.  

2 comments:

  1. Extreme heat and cold are total motivation killers when it comes to exercise. Hang in there! You're getting close. :)

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  2. Extreme heat is a total demotivator for me too, cold not so much! :) You can do it!

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