To ride dressage is to dance with your horse, equal partners in the delicate and sometimes difficult work of creating harmony and beauty.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Motivation

I need scheduled events like shows, clinics, and horse-camping trips to give me the motivation to work my horse regularly. Don't get me wrong; I love to ride for the sheer joy of being horseback, but it has gotten really hard to eke out the time (and energy) to ride with everything else on my plate. So I signed up for a dressage clinic on Oct. 17! Pretty audacious, given Russell's and my woeful lack of time together this summer, but it's free to our Oregon Dressage Society chapter members so I won't feel bad if all we can manage is a lot of work at the walk. I rode Russell through the woods this weekend for a half-hour at a walk, and could tell I've really lost riding-muscle tone. When I rode again today (in the arena), my pelvic bones felt bruised. I've always said I want to ride until I die, so I better get myself back in riding shape so I can! Russell will be healthier and happier in riding trim, too. So. Back in the saddle again. What motivates YOU to ride?

3 comments:

Marie said...

I agree. I also need a little motivation to get to riding. And then when I am on the horse I wonder what has kept me off! We have a week long trail ride coming up in the Ozark Mountains and I have been busy getting 2 horses ready to ride. And since we live in Kansas. It is always a challenge to find hills needed for proper conditioning. I have been using our pond dam and I think it is working pretty good. Boring..... but working. And thankfully it is not raining to I am not tearing up the dam.

TBDancer said...

I have not ridden for months because I need a different dressage saddle, one that has a seat to fit me and that does not pitch me forward. I'm doing the plunking around the acre bareback and groundwork--but not enough of that. I'm like you. Clinic, show, lesson, SOMETHING that gets me looking at the calendar and figuring out how many rides I need before we "go public." ;o)

Michelle said...

Thanks gals, it is nice to know I'm not the only one who needs "outside motivation," even though, like Marie, once I'm riding I often wonder what took me so long.