I've been struggling mightily to get myself up and in a mindset to ride in the a.m. as mornings are the coolest time of day here and will be for the next few months.
It's been harder than I expected. I was feeling slug-like anyway, so last week I took 3 doses of one of my "tune-up" remedies, hoping it would help. It did.
Then I decided to add morning yoga in so I'd get some stretching and moving done before heading out to the barn. Amazingly enough I've been finding good yoga classes free online. You have to Google around and find the ones that might work for level and preference, but it's been great.
This morning, it was much cooler than it's been being and I decided if any time was right to push myself out the back door, this was it.
Keil Bay went into a sort of shock when I walked out with a clean white dressage pad under my arm and put the beet pulp pitcher in the feed room. Cody and the pony saw me setting out saddle and bridle and figured they'd go back out to graze, but Salina stood by the tack/feed room door and gave me the "you are doing this all wrong, are you having some sort of senior moment?" look.
When she realized that wasn't it, she looked mildly disgusted and went out into her paddock.
Keil got over the shock pretty quickly and stood quietly in the stall while I tacked him up. I told him quite plainly that there was to be no hard work today. We both needed to do lots of walking and get ourselves back in gear.
He followed me from stall to arena and I mounted without batting an eye (or fidgeting with the mounting block for 10 minutes!).
One thing that surely made the ride good was the yoga class I happened onto this morning. It was focused on opening the hip joints! I have never done the pigeon pose before, but whoa - that one truly does open the hip angle and stretches things out.
We had a very nice walk session. Keil marched around like a panther after the ride, which is his way of letting me know he likes doing his work for the day and being free to enjoy the remaining 23 or so hours eating, grazing, drinking, sleeping, eating, grazing, etc.
They were all ravenous for the slightly late breakfast tubs, but I've decided until this new routine really kicks in for ME, if breakfast tubs are served a little bit late, so be it.
I got back inside just in time for lunch. Hopefully I can maintain this routine through the summer. I'll report back on how it goes. :)
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
4 comments:
I think you're on to something there. We leave the horses in after they are fed (early) and go have breakfast or whatever and then go out to ride. No one gets out until everyone is worked. I used to feel bad for them but then realized, Dusty can give me a half an hour of her time in the morning and have the rest of the day to graze and laze. I don't feel I'm asking too much of them, if this is a partnership it's slightly lopsided. I get to do all the work and they get to play all day. I'm not complaining but they are learning neither should they.
Arlene, your routine sounds good too. Mine mostly enjoy the work but not when I make them do it before breakfast! :)
With my feeding schedule though, I'd have to get out there even earlier if I wanted to feed then ride. (but we feed tubs later than most - they get hay early but the grain/feed comes later)
And again - YAY!! - about you riding again! I bet that felt good to type after your recuperation period after the knee surgery!
I have the same problem trying to fit in a ride before I start work. I'm up early, walk the dogs, then feed the horses, then inside to feed the cats and dogs. At that point, this time of year, I should just go out and ride, but I usually feel the need for that morning cup of tea and a little bite to eat and by the time I'm done, I'm usually knee deep in work.
I didn't realize how ingrained my current routine had gotten until I tried to change it!
This morning it's raining so that has shifted me yet again.
When we first moved here we had early morning lessons several times a week! I had forgotten that altogether.
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