stuck in the mud

Yesterday I went out thinking it was a good day to ride again after all the precipitation we've had the past month or so. We had an absolutely gorgeous day on Wednesday, and Keil Bay and I did some ground work in the arena so I could make sure he was moving well and feeling good, both of which were true. Then on Thursday we had more rain. So yesterday the sun came out and although it was still chilly, it was above freezing, and it was a decent day to ride.

I am almost embarrassed to admit this. I went out and fed breakfast and when I saw Keil Bay I just gave up the idea of riding. He was covered in mud. Mud that had dried on his fur in such a way that it looked like he'd gone to a salon and gotten a mud-tipped treatment. All over his entire body.

The idea of grooming him was just too much. There was still mud everywhere and the idea that I would spend two hours grooming, have a 40-minute ride, and 15 minutes later he would roll himself into the mud again got me totally stuck.

It's interesting because I'm feeling a similar stuckness in a writing project - actually more of a formatting for publishing project - and over the years I've learned that whatever is going on at the barn tends to be going on in my life.

Sometimes I find that when I'm stuck like this it's as much physical as mental, so today I have a massage scheduled - 90 full minutes - and I am going to come home and hope that I can get back in the saddle in all kinds of ways.

Wish me luck!

Addendum, on Sunday:

Would like to update to say that we had a nice ride today thanks to massage yesterday, daughter's very subtle nudging, and a sunny day that was warm and relaxing. Keil Bay got a triple peppermint treat at the end. :)