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random stuff with excuses
Mar. 25th, 2014 08:47 pmthings I am doing
The riding is particularly frustrating. Horse is getting ring sour and balky in a way that feels like a precursor to me getting dumped again. I dread riding, but I keep going to the barn and going through a process. I lunge her, walk trot and canter both directions, before or after tacking up. I want to make sure she's moving freely, has had the time to frolic briefly (because turnout is that hideous combo of ice and mud) and is back to paying attention to me. I get on, and we walk, a lot. Lateral work at the walk, straight work at the walk, long rein, short rein, transitions within the gait. At some point it becomes clear to me that I whould stop while the stopping is good, or get moving. So we trot. She starts tight, crabbed, sticky and vertical, with her ears pinned back. Which might be me, and might be her or (most likely) some horrible intersection of both our neuroses.
If I freak out, I get off. If I feel stupid enough about getting off, I walk a little and get back on again. That's been interesting, and has actually helped me reset myself out of a worry spiral. walking around sticking her nose on things is also reassuring to her, I think. She spent a looong time going over the tractor, salt spreader and bags of salt (whatever it is that hydrates the ring in winter) and cavaletti blocks in the corner, and was better past them after we'd done that. I'm unspeakably relieved the snow is done roaring off the roof.
- riding, no matter how spooked I am, for 10 minutes
- delivering random stuff out of the back of my car, getting
- basic parenting and feeding people
- worming the horse, because part of the reason she was not holding weight was (duh!) worms, which we are now fixing
- watching a lot of Leverage (which I admit is making me absurdly happy)
- riding well or with courage, or at speed (god, trotting is terrifying, and cantering is astoundingly fast, and she is so STICKY that I worry about pushing her forward and getting bucks or bolting instead)
- actually raking the crap out of my car, which is overflowing
- laundry, or folding or putting away
- art
- daily project/book thing
- clearing out the studio so I can walk into it and work
- finding someone at UMass for my dad to work for
- reading anything on paper
The riding is particularly frustrating. Horse is getting ring sour and balky in a way that feels like a precursor to me getting dumped again. I dread riding, but I keep going to the barn and going through a process. I lunge her, walk trot and canter both directions, before or after tacking up. I want to make sure she's moving freely, has had the time to frolic briefly (because turnout is that hideous combo of ice and mud) and is back to paying attention to me. I get on, and we walk, a lot. Lateral work at the walk, straight work at the walk, long rein, short rein, transitions within the gait. At some point it becomes clear to me that I whould stop while the stopping is good, or get moving. So we trot. She starts tight, crabbed, sticky and vertical, with her ears pinned back. Which might be me, and might be her or (most likely) some horrible intersection of both our neuroses.
If I freak out, I get off. If I feel stupid enough about getting off, I walk a little and get back on again. That's been interesting, and has actually helped me reset myself out of a worry spiral. walking around sticking her nose on things is also reassuring to her, I think. She spent a looong time going over the tractor, salt spreader and bags of salt (whatever it is that hydrates the ring in winter) and cavaletti blocks in the corner, and was better past them after we'd done that. I'm unspeakably relieved the snow is done roaring off the roof.