And We’re Back!

 

Sometimes I just like to spend time in the dirt with my own thoughts listening to the wind howl through the cracks in the indoor. Safest place to sit? Probably not. But there’s something incredibly comforting knowing that even though there are scary monsters out there this time of year… he’d rather just sit and think with me. Almost like he’s protecting me although I’m pretty sure if a monster really did come through the door, he’d run. I wouldn’t blame him that’s for sure.

And then after all of those cuddly moments and contemplating our life choices… I realize the amount of arena dirt that will be immediately scooped into the back of my pants when I make the move to stand. And in my heart… I know my horse is laughing at me. #worthit

Walks have thinned out a bit location wise so it’s easier to group pups together and get done a bit earlier. It’s a quieter time of year for overnights so I’m keeping up with my resolutions of reading more… journaling more… and allowing myself to eat more which is definitely an issue. Cue total metabolism shut down.

I’m physically not ready for Spring and t-shirts tucked into breeches season that’s for sure. So I welcomed Winter back happily on our hikes this weekend. Brrrr… Loving this face shield from SA Fishing Company though! If you click the link it will go straight to their “Pack Deals” which are a great buy versus just purchasing one. Perfect for puppy hikes, barn chores, and riding!

Which I actually got to do today!!!

Literally the best view ever… And totally worth the wait. Brantley has incredibly matured over the last couple years with all the work and training and time we’ve put in under saddle in and out of the arena. Only a couple days of a ground work and 20 minutes being sent around the arena, I swung my leg over and it was like we hadn’t missed a beat. Okay, that’s a lie… It took me a couple of times to swing my leg over but nothing like last year.

He was very good for our first ride of the year and after almost a month off. He was pretty stuck to the gate but we all know how we both love going around in circles in the indoor. Alas he still has regular shoes on and between our lack of ride time and frozen ground, a trail ride wasn’t in our best interest. So we made due and although he was a little worried about the monsters in the walls, he was soft and willing to just trot around for a while. I gave him a few opportunities to cruise around but he kept pulling to the gate so we spent a few “training” moments thinking about how it’s a lot harder to do circles and figure-8 patterns in such a small area so he gave it up and I sent him off around the arena on a loose rein and let him just get feel for being ridden again. Slow and steady! I couldn’t be happier with our ride.

Another one of my resolutions is to actually submit our saddle time this year to the AQHA which is the whole reason I had joined in the first place. Off to a great start!

Also keeping up with my scheduling and paperwork which is a total win. The holidays had a me a little lost in that case. Errr… What’s today? Luckily I’m in one place the whole month of January so I can get a handle on things again. Physically, mentally, and business wise. There may be a few changes to my personal life in the upcoming year. Or at least things I’m contemplating giving a chance and making time for. But we’ll see how that goes once the season starts up again.

And with that little update, I leave you with this: