It is no secret that I hate the time change. If I had the power we'd stay on the 'summer hours' clock but, alas, I don't have that kind of power. Riding and other horse related activities has to fit in with work, weather and daylight. This means that I'm not getting a lot of time in the saddle.
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| Quaid's first time in his mainsheet. I was pleasantly surprised that he didn't chew it to bits |
This would, in the past, cause me a lot of aggravation. This year, I'm a little more philosophical about it, for a couple of reasons. One is that I have *almost* silenced that voice in my head that chastises me about not riding and training. It's not completely silent and I do sometimes let it creep in.
The other is that I have given notice that I will be retiring the end of March. So knowing that I won't have this issue next year helps a lot.
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| my vision for April (perhaps don't tell Carmen 'kay?) |
The temperatures have been fairly mild so I am trying to get some time in the saddle, even if it's brief. But I am still largely limited to the weekend. If the weather cooperates. Last Saturday was horrible- cold and gusty but Sunday was lovely. I managed to get both horses worked and a crapload of farm chores done. That night I slept like the dead.
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| Carmen is embracing her inner mud Queen Or she's trying to see if she can discourage me from getting ideas |
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| I took Quaid for a 'hack' in the woods. He was totally chill even with Carmen yelling in the field |
We'll see if I can hang on to my zen outlook. It is typically the time of year when I dream of winning the lottery so I can build a small indoor. Of course my failure to even buy a ticket is the fatal flaw in that plan (well one of the flaws).
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| This warm weather results in more sweat |
How do you manage the winter? Does the time change affect you?
I haaaaate the time change. Even with lights in my outdoor it's hard to stay motivated when it's dark and I just want to hibernate 😬 I'm anxiously waiting for my trainer to be moved in to her new barn so I can haul in for lessons again - that was so motivating for me last winter and I miss it so much!
ReplyDeleteIt's really hard to stay motivated! I hope your trainer settles soon.
DeleteWinter? Time change? 😂 I ran away down south where the sun shines 15 hours a day and its 30C. 😂 But seriously, retirement! Congratulations on a difficult decision! Since you know all about “transitions”, prepare for the “half halt”. 😁
ReplyDeleteYou are smarter than I am! I love the idea of the half-halt into retirement. :)
Deleteomg congratulations on your impending retirement!!!! that is seriously exciting!! also i love Quaid's face in that hack pic haha --- add a big star and it's an exact match to charlie's general expressions lol <3
ReplyDeletebut also. yea. the darkness. i googled "shortest day" today bc it was so dark so early, i was positive we were almost there. but nope... still another 3 weeks, womp....
I hope that Quaid has Charlie's general easygoingness. I think he does. Every now and then he throws a little fit but it never lasts. I am counting the days down to the winter solstice.
DeleteI bet you are counting down the days until retirement! Have you told Carmen yet that you will have more time to ride her starting this spring?
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to not wish time away. Even though I have loved my job dealing with Covid has made it too much. I have been mentioning it casually so that she is not shocked come April. :)
DeleteComing from Creston where they did NOT do the time change - 14 years there!- it was a bit hard to adjust to here.
DeleteWhen I retired it took me a year to get used to not having a routine. I got a bit lazy!
It looks like winter riding is not going to happen here. There is no indoor close enough to haul to, and the snow has crusted over so riding the fields is out. Even if it snows it will still be icy underneath. I sure hope Ruby is going to be good after all her time off this winter. We have a rodeo grounds with a nice big outdoor arena close by so I will have a safe place to get her back into a working frame of mind.
I hope you continue to get some decent riding weather. I think taking Quaid for walks is a great idea, I may have to do that with Ruby just to keep bonding with her.
Winter is hard when you want to ride! Hopefully the snow will get less crusty and you can play in it.
DeleteCongratulations on a retirement date! You seem like the sort of person that will take advantage of all sorts of interesting possibilities with the extra time retirement will give you.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the grey days of winter, but I try to do lots of horse training video watching, clicker training for tricks, and just good old ground work. I ride when there is a high probably of a positive ride and do other stuff when the odds are not in my favor.
excellent approach.
DeleteThe time change is so difficult! I feel like winter is when work slows down and I have so much more time to ride, but then it's dark way too early to accomplish as much as I'd like to. Huge congrats on your retirement. My husband is making it official this coming spring too!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to your husband!
DeleteI too struggle to win the lottery due to the not buying a ticket. One of these days maybe!
ReplyDeleteThe time change is the WORST! But really I just dislike winter in general between the short days and the cold weather. Now that I board in the winter, I can at least keep riding... but if I'm being honest, once it's really cold I kind of miss the winters when I just didn't ride. Only briefly of course... But yeah. Cold weather is not my jam.
That's so smart to take Quaid out in the woods now, so hopefully he'll be a solid trail pony when the time comes!
I agree. when it gets too cold I don't want to ride either. But it would be nice to turn out during a snow storm.
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