Stretching and Exercising

I highly recommend stretching before you ride. There are a lot of good books and exercises to do while riding also! Start to incorporate a few exercises into each day's ride.

Equestrian sports and exercise. It would seem if you rode a horse, actively... posting, 2 pointing,etc, your legs would be in shape. I have a 10 session Groupon at Cross Fit that I started using yesterday.... oh, I'm feeling the thigh muscles today. The key is to get in shape, then stay in shape! I wonder if I'll do these warm up exercises daily, as its obvious that I need to!  Just the few minutes of lunging (and I think of lunging a horse when I say this, but it's not... leg lunges), 2 days in a row, and my thighs know it.  I think it will be easy to keep this going... If I remember all the variations.

One thing I will always try to remember is to lunge, with say your right foot forward, and turn your body one way, then lunge again with the other leg and your left foot forward, aand turn your body the same way as the first time.  With each motion that you do with your body, you are to do it twice, on each stretched leg. 

Make sense???

That's what I have learned the last 2 days... that and to wear longer gym shorts, maybe capri length, as now my thighs have a rash from the mats!  Yesterday, I did squats, situps, pushups and pull ups with the rings.  No rash this morning, but a rash has developed after I came in from outside.  I'm not on any meds, so no allergic reaction to the sun.  I've put cortisone cream on the rash so hopefully better tomorrow. 

Yesterday's exercises were the leg lunges, about 10 different types, then 40 squats, 30 situps, 20 push ups (which just about did me in) 10 pull ups and 500 meters on the rower.  I did this in 9 min 59 sec.  I was sweating, but I did go at noon yesterday, and no air conditoning at that gym!

Today was same leg lunges, then work with the kettle ball.  I was to swing the kettle ball from between my legs to up and just over my head (I never quite took it that far!)  I was to do 10 groups, and in between groups, i was to run/jog a short distance.  Starting with 10 kettleball thrusts, each group had 1 less kettle ball thrust until I was down to 1.  I did this in just 10 minutes.

I hope my legs survive the next 2 days, then I'm off Fri-Sun from the gym!

Patience

Allie

Once, about 10 years ago, I asked God for patience. I'll never forget this. I went to work for a grade school, helping a child that has behavioral problems. I'm back to working with horses.

Bonita

Then God gave me many horses to work with, some young and some older.  Now he brought me Arabs.  And I'm loving them.  To me, they are not any different than working with a sensitive Quarter Horse.

Duster

The horses are tied in the barn for a short time to help with patience.  Learn to stand still.  Learn to stand still when your buddy leaves.  Learn to stand still when you are alone.  Learn to stand still when other horses come into the barn or leave.

 Honey

Some horses, like Honey, just need to learn to wear a saddle.  She is extra sensitive, and needs to learn to be comfortable with a saddle on her back.

Shaggy just gets to eat!  So he thinks.  He got to work on his patience today too.  He stands tied all the time, until he has to wait on some other horse coming and going.  He had a patience training time today.

One chapter just closed tonight.

 One chapter just closed tonight.  I just sold Savannah, my TWH, that I bought to do CTR's after Finny died almost 3 years ago.  The people got along great with her! She even wanted to keep going up to the man.  He really, really liked her!!!

Like hubby said, "she wasn't the horse for you."  Finny was, and still is, a hard horse to replace.  Shaggy and Duke, as well as Starlet and Duster, AND the yearlings, and Chick, all have a place in my heart.  The Arabs, Allie and Bonita, are filling a void.  Allie is beginning the next chapter.  As well as Shag, and Duke, and Duster, and...


Every time a horse leaves, for any reason, it is sad. But there is a reason for everything, I do truly believe!  My belief is the only thing that kept me going after Finny died.  I still have a gulp in my throat just writing this.  I believe there is a purpose. I'm still waiting on God's timing on the "why" for Finny dying. 

That's a whole different chapter, and for now, I have to close a different chapter.  Savannah went home to a couple who just love her!  That is so neat!  The day started with her just riding well!  I rode her in the indoor arena to show them what she can do, gait, sidepass, pivot, forhand turn.  Then I took her outside.  She was perfect.  She never startled at anything!  Katie came out with her horse to show the difference with having a horse around, and there was no difference.  Katie took her horse back inside, and brought Shaggy out for me.  I rode Shaggy in a halter and leadrope and he did great.  I trotted him beside a beautifully gaiting horse. 

I am still astonished about how well Savannah did for this couple.  It was meant to be!
Until it came to loading her tonight! She did not want to go into their 2 horse trailer, so we delivered her.  She thought she was in heaven, in a shavings-bedded stall, with a stall buddy next to her.  It may take a few days for the horse to buddy with her though.  He was striking the stall at her.  She basically ignored him!

I will help Cliff with anything he needs help with.  He rode her so well when he came back to ride her.  I am excited that she is going to someone who loves her movement, her looks, her attitude.  I am excited that he found the horse to take the place in his heart that he lost a month ago...to colic also.
Maybe this is God's plan.  Finny left so Savannah came.  I found the person who needed a horse to love because he had lost his first horse love.

Hard lessons.  Harder yet to deal with a horse leaving us, and leaving a hole in our hearts.  Cliff was hurting and Savannah filled his hurt.


Maybe Finny left to help Cliff find another horse???

I need to think this way as it makes a reason for why Finny left me at such a young age.

Maybe....