Midwinter Quiet

 The ground is frozen and riding is off the table. I used to hate this time frame. It seemed like it was dark when I headed to work and dark coming home. Now that my time is my own it seems easier.   The horses are definitely enjoying the break. 

OMG Carmen living her best life means she's filthy

I've been taking time to bring them in and groom. It's nice to just spend the time with the goal of brushing without the aim of tacking up.  If I take Carmen first Quaid stays out in the field. But when I'm done he's waiting for his turn with the cutest face. I used some Christmas money to purchase a new bridle for him and it fits nicely.  The brow band is a bit blingy so I might use it for shows. 

I've been going to the gym regularly. My goal is to go five days a week doing a mix of cardio, core and strength. Karate so far is a lot of fun. When riding re-starts it will go down but it's good to keep me Right now I've not been able to go because I've come down with a cold. It's irritating the heck out of me and I'm trying to not be whiny.  

When I looked at my tack room with the aim of organising it was a bit overwhelming (so much stuff in one small room!)  so I decided to break it into chunks. I tackled this plastic 3 drawer storage unit. It turns out that I have far more gloves than I realised. Also a whole bunch of singles, but just the left hand (like why?). I was strong and threw those out. Also a variety of bits (anyone want a bit?), every single saddle fitting tracing since the dawn of time, ear bonnets I never wear and other useless bits and bobs that I threw in there thinking that they might come in handy. Spoiler alert- they never come in handy. 

is it wrong that I feel I need some white ones in here? 

In the end the cabinet ended  up being almost empty.  Next up, random pieces of tack stuffed in a rubbermaid tote......

I've been doing a lot of reading which is great. My library app tracks my reading history. In 2022 I read 77 books, 2023 & 2024 I read 137 and 132. So far in 2025 I've read 7 (sitting on the couch hacking up a lung helps).  Two recommendations: When Women were Dragons by Kelly Barnhall and Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford. Both are touching and well written. 

Lastly, Ed and I have been planning a vacation to Arizona in early March. I'm excited for the warmth and a chance to revisit Sedona. 

Time flies so it will be riding time again soon enough. In the meantime I can choose to chafe against the restrictions or I can use the time to explore other things and take the time to enjoy the quiet. Not sure how I'll do but I'll try. 

Quaid- taking it easy is a good thing

New Year/New Plans: 2025 Goals

 After the few warm days, winter reasserted herself and the weather is back to being cold. I know lots of people love winter. I am not one of those people but I make the most of it. 

With riding being out of the question it seems like a good time to think about my horse goals for this year.  

Carmen:

1.  Maintain an even rhythm in all three gaits. And when we lose it, get it back within a stride or two. This will take a lot of focus and awareness on my part. I've gotten so used to her that I don't always notice when she shifts. 

2. improve our ability to adjust the length of stride within the gait while maintaining the rhythm. 

3. keep her attention on me and don't accept her giving me half-assed responses

4. Improve our turn on the haunches. She tends to step wide with her hind leg and my ability to feel this needs to improve. 

Cordelia doesn't mind the cold

Quaid

1.  have a more consistent canter, including the transition

2. decrease his separation anxiety when we're away and I take Carmen away. 

3.  improve his acceptance of contact. 

4. Be ready to show him at Training Level this year. 

Me: 

1. Use self-assessment instead of judgements to improve my riding/horsemanship. Emma referred to this in her last post and it really intrigued me so I looked into it. The basic concept is that assessment lets us look at things objectively while judging is labelling yourself based on a standard. An example would be, Carmen is a spooky horse, vs Carmen has difficulty focusing when not given direction.  

2. continue to improve my fitness level. I am enjoying the process and I can see a definite and positive impact on my riding. I actually signed up for a karate class so we'll see how that goes. 

3. Be consistent in taking lessons and riding. Not that I'm bad at this but I do waffle a lot about clinics. I'd like to take a couple dressage clinics. I'd also like to find some horsemanship/ Working Equitation or Obstacle clinics. 

4. Figure out how to show 2 horses and not be kill myself. I think this will come down to fitness and organisation. Possibly bribing others to help. Maybe with cupcakes. 

5.  Do some fun activities involving horses and horse people. 

6. organise my tack room. It needs a good clean out and re-organization. I keep procrastinating on this but there's really no excuse for it with the winter weather. 

These seem like good goals to start.  I'm rather excited for 2025. 

2025 here we come!