Staying Motivated

(TLDR: I'm not, but I have a plan)

I'm not good at sitting around. Actually, that's not true - I can be really good at sitting around. I love reading, after all. Lately,  I haven't been feeling the greatest and some extra sitting around has been occurring. It's kind of a downward spiral though. I get stuck in a cycle of sloth, then feel bad about all the things I'm not doing and work I'm going to have to catch up on, feel overwhelmed and then sit around some more.

Logically, I know the horses are fine.  In fact, Sophie needs a few weeks off to grow up a little more. Bridget owes me nothing, and will happily hack out as little or as often as I like. Seriously, as long as I feed and muck out daily and groom a couple of times a week, we're golden right now. Ponies are so easy.

The weather has been pretty stinky. Mud season has arrived. Sophie is sensible and uses her shelter.

Bridget does not :)

She's so fuzzy she's actually warm and dry under the wet.

A rest is doing my body good too. I need the break.

Still, I feel guilty. My brain says I'm slacking, I should be doing more, working towards goals. Problem is...I have no riding goals right now. I struggle with staying motivated without goals.

Luckily, I've found something that might help. I belong to a couple of provincial organizations. The main one, HCBC, offers insurance as one of the perks of membership so pretty much everyone here has it. It's affordable at less than $60 a year. The other two I usually sign up for are add ons to the HCBC membership, Dressage BC and Horse Trials BC. Both are super cheap (I think $15?), both come with tons of perks (besides being able to go to their affiliated shows;)

What Bridget thinks of horse shows.

Anyway, I just noticed Dressage BC now offers a Ride A Test option where you can send them a video of you riding a test and they'll have a judge send you a completed test sheet with a score. The cost is $20 a test, which is on par with the local or bronze level shows we'd travel to in person. Since I live more than an hour away from any shows, those scores can even count towards year end provincial awards.

I'm really, really excited about this option. Our travel costs to shows are hundreds of dollars and a literal day of travel each way. Getting a clinician here (or even my regular coach) is $100+ per lesson if I find 5 other riders to share costs. Also, I may or may not own a pony who doesn't consistently show up to work so that time and money can very easily be wasted with a pony who's just not interested on the day. While I'm comfortable with my decision not to show Bridget anymore and a tight budget means I can't currently afford lessons or shows on my coach's horses, I really, really miss having regular feedback and a set of goals to work towards.

So, I've set myself a goal of sending in a 1-3 test before Christmas, then using the feedback to work and send in another one mid spring.  We were showing that a couple of years ago, and are still schooling much of Second, so I think it's a reasonable goal that should keep me honest but still allow me some sloth days ;) I may be overestimating my abilities, but I think with work we can do a solid Second level without too much outside assistance. Beyond that, I'd certainly need a regular coach again, but hopefully by that time it will be Sophie I'm working on.

I  pulled her mane and braided it over AND she's wearing a new rainsheet, so she's basically a show horse now :) Try not to be too jealous of how fancy it all is, lol

I just need something to keep me motivated until Sophie is ready for work. I want to keep riding regularly because I don't want to be rusty and out of shape on a green, athletic pony. I think this sounds like a great option - very little financial investment, in exchange for professional feedback and a set of well defined goals to work towards. I'll let you know how it goes!

Have any of you sent in a dressage test online or otherwise use tech or media to assist in coaching? I have dreams of setting up a live feed so my coach can instruct me from home, but our satellite reception at the arena is just too unreliable due to the tree cover.

Fall Fair

Our little club put on a concentrated effort to really show up to the local Fall Fair this year, as past attendance has been a little lackluster and it's been a bit of a wasted opportunity to be seen in the community given the equestrian club grounds are on the same site as the fair grounds. This year turned out fantastic, I feel like we probably had record numbers of riders and fair attendance.

Of course I didn't take any pics of the actual event...it was seriously hectic trying to get there on time and bring all the things to keep Bridget and I happy for an afternoon away from home. You'd never know it given this pre ride shot of B :) Never fear, there are supposedly photos coming!

In the theme of me feeling overwhelmed by my schedule yet still wanting to do all the things, I just signed up for the second day of the fair, which happened to be the gymkhana portion.

I broke out the tiara for B. The little kids especially loved that she was wearing 'diamonds'.

And another new Amazon sale $20 saddle pad. We went for the black and silver sparkly vampire look ;)

I hate this, but I was that person - the one that hadn't ridden for two weeks then pulled my horse out of the field. I had a weekend in Vancouver, then a death plague some extra work, all while keeping a definite focus on meeting some training goals with Sophie. The next thing you know riding had been off the schedule for quite a number of days! Luckily for me Bridget was pretty generous about it, but I need to do better if I want to continue signing her up for things. It's unfair for us both to be heading out to things with marginal fitness.

It's OK Bridget, I brought us both water and granola bars. We can do this.

With that in mind, I thought we'd just make an appearance, support the club, and sign out whenever Bridget said she was done.

Thankfully, it looks like pasture fitness is a thing, and while not exactly brimming with energy, Bridget was game to keep playing most of the afternoon. I made sure she got plenty of hand grazing breaks and skipped out for an hour mid afternoon.

Because she's starving, obviously.

How did we do, you ask? Bridget won some things! She was first in the keyhole, second in poles and the scurry, we won the ride a buck event, and I'm not sure about the rest. At the end of the day we were called as tied for high point! Very surprising for my not so fast pony. I think she edges in to placing because she's small and very maneuverable but has a huge stride, because trust me she's not very fast!

We won some brushes and a set of shipping boots, which was really great...the items I was gifted were all things I either needed or need to replace. Thank you sponsors, and thank you Bridget!

In other good news, I may have found someone to come hang out with me and ride Bridget while I work with Sophie. In a perfect world I'd have time for exercising both and G would have time to come hang out so I'm not backing a baby alone at the arena, but that's not been the case this summer despite everyone's best efforts. So, this feels like a win-win, given she doesn't have a horse,  Bridget could use some exercise, and I could use a spotter!

I'm slightly regretful I didn't get Sophie down to the fair this year - it would have been really great exposure! That said, I think I would have needed to have been able to keep a closer eye on her or have someone watch her - the way it's set up is open corral type stalls and everyone and their dogs and kids can access them and that made me a little nervous given I would expect her to be a bit 'up' and looking around and maybe not being overly respectful of space. I saw a few parents letting their kids climb on and through the fence rails, which honestly is why I only brought Bridget for a half a day. She is super with kids and random weird things, but I don't think the whole nearly a petting zoo thing is really her cup of tea, either.

Another random sunset picture for you. The ferry to get me home from work leaves later now so I've been getting take out and eating dinner at any park or beach I haven't visited before while  I wait to go home. 

Onward we go. This year has been really tough so I am extra grateful for Midge being so easy and game for whatever I throw at her. She used to be fairly difficult and resentful of working, so I'd like to think she's so easy now because she's happy and having fun being a backyard pony of all trades.

Social Media

For quite a few years now, this blog has been my main place to document my thoughts and experiences with the ponies, and the wonderfully unexpected side effect of that has been all the cool people I've connected with online.  So, along with giving this space a refresh, part of my 2019 goals were to put myself out there a little more, both in real life and online.

I am surrounded by water and big ass mountains. Luckily, there is a fiber optic cable connecting us under that ocean :)

Since I live in a geographically isolated area and spend way too many of my pennies on horses instead of travel, putting myself out there in person can be a bit difficult. Luckily, social media is a thing, so I've started an Instagram account. I'm probably the last person on earth to do so, but there it is, you can now say hi to me on instagram @raincoastrider.

If we're not already connected on instagram or facebook, feel free to find me or share your social media links in the comments if you wish...as you all know I love following along in your adventures :)

5 Days Of Riding: Western Games Day

I've got to admit, I was kind of nervous Saturday morning. I knew it was a pretty informal fun day and that I'd most likely enjoy myself, but lurking in the back of my mind were all the what if's, given this was a new thing to try and especially given Bridget's recent rambunctious behaviour. Confidence issues stink...my mind had taken a few "exciting" rides and turned it into a thing where galloping Bridget felt like it might not be safe anymore.

So cute, though.

I had to give myself a little pep talk, especially once I hopped on and B was once again spooking, scooting and generally looky and generally not steering and stopping as well as you might hope. These cobs are fun, but they're also quite quick and very powerful feeling when they're "on".

Scurry race. B was feeling ambitious.

And, it all worked out just fine. Better than fine, actually. Bridget actually won the keyhole and scurry races, which was more than slightly shocking given she's not what I'd call fast! I guess she does have a big stride though, and is pretty quick through turns.

Winner winner

A riding acquaintance wasn't having as much fun as me and needed to hop back on and finish on a good note, so I took the opportunity to call it a day and head for a quiet trail ride with her. I felt a little bad leaving halfway through because I appreciated the organization that went on to coordinate the event, but I think we've all been the person having a not so great experience and trail rides are always fun too.

This trail always makes me feel like I'm in some fantasy movie. The trees are huge and gorgeous and it's very peaceful.

We got back just in time for the first aid and wrapping clinic. Poor B was still not tired out and had a bit of a tough time standing for 2.5 hours of demos and talks, so I'm actually starting to wonder about her. We were out from 9am to 5pm, with about 4 hours of saddle time and she still was impatient and jumpy and spooky all the way home. Very, very unlike her.

Learning how to do a hock wrap.

At any rate, the wrapping clinic was good. I didn't do pony club or any kind of organized learning as a kid, so I often feel like there are gaps in my knowledge. Most of the things demo'd were familiar to me, but it was cool adding some additional tips and tricks from a pro groom. I tend to use boots for everything, so it was good practice to do shipping wraps and polos and have someone super experienced check them.

 All in all, it was a super long, but enjoyable day. It felt a little unreal to still have two more days of adventures planned before I had to return to work!

This Could Be Interesting

I've signed Bridget and I up for a western games day this weekend. Given her recent energy levels and my current lack of appropriate tack, this could be a completely disastrous and hilarious mistake. Fingers crossed, we will stay on the fun side of exciting. Certainly, it will be interesting, as it's a first for her, and a first for me in many, many years. I'm going to have to review patterns tonight, I think.

Skeptical pony. 

You may be pleased to know the games run from 10-2, then we have an equine first aid  and bandaging clinic next door at 2:30. Seems like a well planned day to me - at the very worst, I will have at least 5 people on standby with vet wrap and other first aid supplies should I require help recovering from my adventure into western games ;)