Once upon a time, I was a super good equestrian with goals and metrics and measurables and I took all the lessons and went all the places and lived and breathed horses.
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| can you even with how cute she is |
Last year, I really struggled with horses and riding because I cannot sink that kind of time and energy into so I cannot ride at the level that I am accustom. Which means. Riding isn't competitive. It's supposed to be fun. Fun is great I guess but there are a lot of cheaper ways to have fun.
Plus like.
If you've ever been pretty good at something and then you're not so good at it and when you're doing it, you know the problem is you and you can't fix it?
It's hard to want to keep doing it.
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| even at her shaggy moose-i-est |
I've had a lot of horses and been around a lot more.
And I know that she's the sort of horse you only meet once or maaaaaybe twice in a lifetime, if you're very lucky.
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| trot 2 circles. jump like whoa. toodle bareback. |
Developing a well-mannered, confident and happy all-around horse is always in good taste though.
And do you know how I develop an all around horse?
I do all the things.
I've come to believe, being on the farm with no money, that my horse life can still have lots of meaning even though it looks very different from my horse life (or any part of my life) of 5 years ago. And as long as said horses are fed & content, it's not going to matter too much to them what I do or don't do. And special relationships are rare & fragile & finite & worth holding onto at all costs. <3
ReplyDeleteThis. this is spot on.
DeleteThat's what I keep coming back to. If she was any other horse, I wouldn't have a horse right now but one doesn't part with a zb just because things are a little inconvenient.
DeleteMay and I had about 2 years in the middle of our journey that was filled with wandering around the farm instead of jumps, lessons, and ribbons. If you are enjoying it, you are doing it right.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any interest in endurance riding? There is NO need for perfection, and it mostly involves camping and enjoying trails with your horse. It's been the perfect antidote to my burnout with eventing and show jumping. LD rides are totally doable without commiting your life to conditioning.
ReplyDeleteHa! I'd probably do a short one if/when the opportunity presented itself, but it's not something I'm actively pursuing.
DeleteNow do I periodically contemplate buying a really cute little cart and fancy harness?
Hell yeah.
as a new farm owner who went through a divorce at the same time... yes. so much yes.
ReplyDeleteThe world looks very different now.
DeleteNot bad.
Just different.
I can relate. My Izzy pony was a resale project I would not have minded allowing to hang around. Her replacement Mazy is supposed to be shown but it's been over a month since I've been on her and the weather isn't cooperating to make it possible any time soon. I'm fine with that. We have a cart coming our way soon too.
ReplyDelete