At least it's mostly wet sand, not mud!
Yes, "normal" winter weather has returned to the Willamette Valley. I managed to time our ride pretty well today, mostly between showers. However, I was determined to ride 'come well or high water' and tacked up Lance with my Wintec saddle just in case.
Last night at our dressage chapter meeting, a sport psychologist spoke about mentally preparing for competition. He asked attendees what mental images help them achieve their riding goals. One of our members said she once saw a clip on TV of Prince Philip competing in the rain in his silk top hat, and that inspires her to keeping on riding, even in less than ideal conditions. I haven't seen that footage, but remembered a video I bookmarked that shows amazing focus (on the rider's part) and willing partnership (on the horse's part), obviously backed by hours – years – of solid preparation. (If you don't have a lot of time, you can skip to minute 4.00 and watch from there.)
Amazing, isn't it? It gives a whole new meaning to "Singing in the Rain"!
1 comment:
Sure blew up a storm! She must have glued her hat to her head the way the trees were bending and tossing. I used to enjoy riding my horse in fierce rain/wind , who also seemed to love the wildness of it - as long as it wasn't too cold, and we weren't near trees.
But to ride like she does, and have such a horse! I can only begin to imagine.
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