I've been in the throes of the January dolrums as of late. I set out a very strict schedule for O and I to follow for the month, and largely the entire thing has been thwarted. I had scheduled 3 (or sometimes 4) days of driving each week (and a day of lunging and/or groundwork), working on the specifics of dressage tests and some cones exercises, as well as some fitness work, but our weather has not been cooperating whatsoever. Rain, ice, mud, frigid temps - you name it. On top of that, the fields were seeded, which is great and needed to be done, but that also leaves me with nowhere to drive temporarily until the grass grows a little, aside from roadwork. I'd rather not risk doing more than one day a week of work on the pavement, and I'd also rather not spin her in circles on the lunge more than one day (MAYBE two days) a week, so that limits my options quite a lot temporarily. It won't be forever, but it does change a lot of the plans I had originally set up.
So far this year, all we've been able to do is go for one drive down the road, do one short ride, and do one lunge. That's it. That's just sad.
So far this year, all we've been able to do is go for one drive down the road, do one short ride, and do one lunge. That's it. That's just sad.
Excuse the annoying rattling noise... my metal whip handle was vibrating in the metal whip holder. I need to make sure I carry it more than I normally do - I want to have the muscle memory. I had the great thought that even if I couldn't drive much right now, I could do whip training on the ground - and alas, I realized my whip is actually too short! I need a longer one. Damnit! January, you thwart me yet again!
To make matters worse, O had her first *kind of sort of* very small tummyache yesterday. I hesitate to even call it that because it was so small that it probably would have been overlooked by anyone other than my neurotic self, but I knew it was there. I haven't had a colic in over 5 years! I jinxed myself by saying it outloud. It was extremely minor - when I fed her dinner, she looked at her grainfoods sort of morosely, which is not like her. Then I offered up some alfalfa, and she still turned her nose up - that was when I knew something was up. She stood around and did a few lip curls, and I figured I had better nip it in the bud before it got any worse. 10cc of Banamine in, a short walk, a load on the trailer (wherein she dove into the already hung hay, and took a big poo), and 30 minutes on the Theraplate brought her back from a sort of quiet and meek mare to a raging, screaming harpy who was ravenously hungry again. She is quite fine as of today, eating and drinking and pooping as she should be. My best guess is that it is just really, really cold, and even though she is quite hydrated and drinking well, she is probably just not as hydrated as she could be. To be on the safe side, I'm upping her gastric support and will be keeping a VERY close eye on her hay/water consumption.
I am determined not to let our tremendously crappy weather and lack of structures schedule get me down though. Even if we can't work for XYZ reasons, there are a whole lot of indoor-type things I can do to prep for the warmer months:
1) Window shop for show clothes/tack!
2) Continue to read everything I can get my hands on!
3) Clean tack over... and over... and over...
4) Lay out our 2015 show/clinic schedule
5) Do an anti-rain dance
I mean, I *want* it to rain, but I would like it not to be sub-zero temperatures anymore.
Sigh. What do you all do when you have the January blahs and everything under the sun is keeping you from time in the box seat or the saddle?
I ski and yoga and go to the gym. It can only make me more fit and thus a better rider.
ReplyDeleteI mostly sit around and bake and eat bread, read and crochet. Sulk. I do often try to ride or at least handwalk with both of us bundled up, but we're at the point where it won't leave single digits for weeks at a time. I wish I had motivation to exercise, but I've got nothin'.
ReplyDeleteWe'll take your rain here in CA. Send us all the rain, mud and cold weather you want and we'll accept it gladly.
ReplyDeleteUgh we're having crappy weather too. I haven't ridden in two weeks... I haven't even got back on after falling off. That's not good! The frozen ground is nice because it means no mud, but I also really have no desire to ride on it... fingers crossed we have a warm up soon (at least above freezing please!). I feel like all I do is try to sleep (insomnia) and then sleep too late, go to work, frantically try to get caught up on blogs and then try to sleep again LOL! So totally boring and no help to you at all. Good luck fighting off the January blahs!
ReplyDeleteglad it was a tiny colic - 'quiet and meek' are not descriptors i'd imagine for O!! and yea.. the weather thing just sucks.... i'm making up for it by saddle shopping lol (and reading all the things)
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