Tomorrow is the last day of 2011. If you can tell me where the heck this year went, then you're smarter than I am. What a whirlwind of a year! By far the highlight was welcoming our little boy into the world. Second to that was the thrill of being back in the saddle after many months away - and discovering that it was easier to pick back up than I'd even dared to hope. So I didn't make it back in the show ring, so what? I have never been more grateful for my horses, my trainer and the wonderful barn family I am a part of. Even my son is in love with the animals and the atmosphere at Triple Rise.
It being the 30th of December, my mind naturally drifts to New Year's resolutions. It's been awhile since I made one that I had every intention of keeping, but now that I'm a mom (read: a REAL adult), I would feel remiss if I didn't set at least one goal to improve my life in the upcoming year. I can think of a million things I need to work on to be a better mom - a more solid bedtime routine, eliminating night-waking, get Henri sleeping in his crib...I could go on - but this is, after all, a blog about my equestrian pursuits, so I will try to stay on-topic.
Resolution # 1: Improve my fitness. If I may be so immodest, I think I bounced back from pregnancy pretty well. I don't feel as though I've lost a lot of ground, riding-wise, but I *did* hope I'd be at the next level by now - if I hadn't had a baby, of course. Back when I was in the saddle three or four times a week, riding was really all I needed to do to keep myself in shape. Now that I can only ride once a week, however, this is not the case. So, that said, I need to dial up the workouts. Even if I only start off by buckling Henri into his stroller and walking for a half an hour every day, that is surely better than nothing.
Resolution # 2: Improve my sense of pace and develop a better eye for distances. I'm hoping that being in better shape will improve some of my equitation faults (like still occassionally jumping ahead), but all the walking/jogging/Zumba in the world can't help you see and feel things like this. I can make some mistakes at 2'6", but if I want to make it to the next level (see Resolution # 3), I have to be spot-on here.
Resolution # 3: Be riding in Adult Amateur by the end of the year. Pretty much says it all right there. Bring on 3'!
Resolution # 4: Rapper. More specifically, work on his ground manners, fear of the washrack, and overall fitness. Sarah told me the other day that he is one of the worst-behaved horses she's ever seen - with people other than myself. This is unacceptable - but completely my fault. Yes, he will be 18 in 2012, but it's never too late to better yourself! ...At least that's what I'll be telling him as I try to haul him in for a bath.
