On Monday we had the first rain of the season.
This does not bode well for my conditioning this fall. As I've probably mentioned a hundred times, where I live in California, the jet stream changes approximately every 3 months. The weather we have in the first 2 weeks of the "new" jet stream at the beginning of that time period is indicative of the weather you will have for the rest of the quarter.
So putting on our thinking caps.....a major storm, resulting in special weather warnings in the first two weeks of October means what for my hopes for a nice mild fall and early winter, with plenty of good riding weather?
That's right. It means I need to stop planning for my spring LD and start worrying about either building a shelter, or committing to blanketing for the winter.
Whatever. It's not like I've ridden in weeks and taken advantage of good weather.
Wait a minute...."good weather"? That's right - I didn't get any good riding weather!!!!! It has been 100 degrees, or close to that for a couple of weeks. And now it's raining. I was cheated out of my fall.
Of course, I'm fooling myself - yes I used weather as an excuse not to ride the last few weeks, BUT we all know that weather is not a barrier if I REALLY wanted to ride.
Yesterday, under the threat of an afternoon rain I went to see Farley after 2 weeks of abandonment. I covered the hay, took off her fly mask and then checked her feet for rocks. I found a small in the heel of her right front. Then I just stood there and put my arms around her neck near the wither and buried my nose in her shoulder and just breathed in the scent of HORSE. As I drove away, she took a couple of laps around the pasture at a trot and canter and whinnied for her dinner.
I'm so glad I have a horse in vet school. I may not be riding or making steady progress towards a goal, but it is enough to be able to smear horse scent on me, and know that she has a good pasture life in the interludes. Do I wish I was riding more? Of course. Am I feeling guilty or anxious about it? Suprisingly, no. She still makes me happy, and giving her time off to run around the pasture isn't a bad thing - and may be what allows us many more years on the endurance trail together.
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When I enrolled in library school, my mom asked if I intended to sell my horse to help save money...H#ll NO! That mare helped me keep my sanity while I was in school!
ReplyDeleteGranted, I paid more for her board those years than I did for my own rent...but then, her food was included in the board money and her "apartment" got cleaned every day!
Also, her stall was slightly bigger than the travel trailer I lived in while I was going to school....!
WV: subclop
That sound you can hear while you're driving down the road and imagining that you're riding down the median, the "subclop" of your horse's hooves.
When I'm stressed and can't sleep, I can literally put myself to sleep by imagining myself cantering bareback. So I'll close my eyes, slightly fuzz the landscape into indeterminate shade of grey and canter to the distance. Works EVERY TIME
ReplyDeleteFirst rain? We are WAY past our first rain on the east coast. ;)
ReplyDeleteI cannot ride as much this time of year either. I wish I was riding more, but I recognize the body often benefits from a break so I am riding when I can and hoping that my horse will be rested and ready when my schedule allows more saddle time.