Rain?

This is Felix, he’s our little project. He’s just a year this month. He’s my mare, Flash’s, replacement. Hopefully he’ll turn out just as talented.

The week’s been filled with sunshine, sunburns, sunscreen, and lots of dust and wind and everything else that comes along with seeding time when you work on a farm. Got lots of overtime from the past few days, so that is a very good thing!

Mom and I are headed out to Birds Hill tomorrow afternoon for the Victoria Day Show. I rode Mr Willard outside yesterday, and he had energy flying out of everywhere. Hopefully he’s a little calmer tomorrow for schooling, I’m sure he won’t be. It never really works that way, does it?

I managed to pull my hamstring somehow over the past two days at work, or last night working with mr hyper. Hopefully that calms down a little before the weekend. I’m interested to see how my hip holds up over the next 4 days. It’s been decent this week, just some random tingles. Not a whole lot of pain. Which is a brilliant change!

117 days!!!

Hey Moon

So it’s Monday.

Yesterday mom and I hacked over to Charlene’s to do some course work. Mr Willard is coming along quite nicely. We had a few mistakes, all easily fixed. I got him into a bad spot coming down a line to a big oxer, so he crashed through that. But he jumped it like a champ the next time around!

  This long weekend we’re headed to Bird’s Hill for the MHJA Victoria Day show, a bronze level show and the first outdoor show of the season. We’ll get there on Friday, hopefully not too late, but I do have to work till 4 ish. We’ll school Friday and then competition starts on Saturday morning and lasts till Monday. Charlene and Mike agreed to let me do some baby jumpers too, so I’m competing in my regular 3ft level hunters (Sr. Low, Adult Amateur), we thought about doing the development hunter, which is 3’3, but it was decided that since this is the first show there wasn’t much point pushing it. My jumpers will be at 2’9 and in my adult amateur divisions. I’m very excited to be getting into the jumper ring, even if it’s at the low levels.

In other news, my back/hip/leg has been feeling at little iffy. Not really pain, but that weird tingling/numbness/stupid feeling. A little bit of random muscle spasms in my back and hip too. I’m not sure if thats just from my long training session yesterday or if things are about to fall apart again. My plan is to see how this week goes, and the show, and then take it from there. There’s not much I can do about it this week anyway. Work is going to be insane with the nice weather making an appearance, and preparing for competition and actually competing for 4 days straight takes up most of my time for the next 7 days. All I can say is at least we’re making progress. However slow it is.

I’ve really noticed a difference in my riding since I’ve started working out and running full time. My core strength has gotten SO much better, which has seriously improved my riding and my confidence. Plus, today, during my workout I did some push ups. Real ones. 3 weeks ago when I started I couldn’t hardly do half of one, due to weak shoulder and core muscles. Now I can do over 5 and hold a push up plank for a lot longer then I could before. I doesn’t sound as impressive when I type it out, but I’m pretty happy with this progress. The best part about working out and putting all the effort into your body and life is when you get to actually witness/feel the results and improvements. Definitely keeps you motivated!

I’m loving this beautiful weather that’s come about today and is apparently staying for the rest of the week! There’s also a solid full moon hanging out in my window right now. Awesome summer night! Hopefully there’s lots more of these to come!

Ciao for now!

TGIF

Another work week finished. Finally.

I had a lesson with Charlene tonight. We worked on a two-stride exercise and oxer distances. Willard was a very good boy, and we did quite well. He’s getting so much better at using his hind end instead of just pulling me around with his face. It’s a nice change!

My hip/back feels a little off today. I’m hoping it’s just end of the week fatigue and nothing that’s going to last. However, this does feel familiar. So maybe not so good. Oh well, nothing I haven’t dealt with before. Just a little discouraging. I wonder if I’ll ever get rid of these injury. I guess we’ll just see how the next week goes. Next weekend is my first out door show of the year, The Victoria Day Show. 4 days at Birds Hill Park. My coaches agreed to let me try some lower level jumpers! Super pumped about that! Along with those two divisions I’ll be competing in my regular 3ft level hunters and flats. It’ll be a long weekend for sure, but a good test to see how my hip is going to handle the rest of the summer and how Willard is going to handle the outdoors. He’s usually good. Except when things like rain, bugs, sand… air.. touches his nose. Silly boy.  Mom and I invested in a little fly mask that attaches onto his bridle.. so maybe that’ll make a difference? I have my doubts, just cause I think it’s more of  a mental thing. But I guess we’ll see!

My working holiday visa application was approved yesterday. So I’m all set to go to NZ in 123, just need to finalize my flight! The one bonus of my job is that it gives me a lot of thinking time (sometimes this isn’t such a good thing haha), I can day dream about NZ for 8 hours a day. It’s quite relaxing sometimes. Until it gets tedious. But I’m not going to complain. It’s the best job I can get right now and it’s not half bad either. Definitely made it clear to me that I don’t want to be anything in the agriculture field. So at least we know that won’t cause confusion for me later on.

Anyway, I think I’m going to stop making sense soon if I keep typing, so exhausted. Bed time!

Update!

Past two rides, pain free! First time in at least a month, more like two or three that I haven’t been dealing with pain while training. All I’ve got right now is a little soreness, which is easily cured with some ice and stretching. Much different from what I felt before.

I’m trying not to get my hopes up too much, as it has only been 5 days since my last AT session. So the next few weeks will be the real test. It’s definitely much better then normal though.

   Saturday’s clinic was probably one of the best ride’s I’ve had in a long time. Willard was awesome, and my riding showed a lot of improvement. I think the saddle I’m trying out helps a lot. It makes for a completely different ride from my current saddle (which I will be selling, so if anyone wants a size 17.5 exselle debut medium tree let me know).

I beat my average in running by 2 seconds again today, so this is the second week in a row I’ve improved by 2 seconds. This surprised me because I didn’t do much at all last week because my back was acting up. Working out and running felt good today. I’m glad to be busy again. Hopefully I can keep this up!

It looks like I’m booking tickets for NZ for the 14th of September. I’ll be leaving from Vancouver and taking a direct flight to Auckland. So the countdown is on, 127 days!!!!!!

Stages of Riding

Stage I: Fall off pony. Bounce. Laugh. Climb back on. Repeat.

Stage 2: Fall off horse. Run after horse, cussing. Climb back on by shimmying up horse’s neck. Ride until sundown.

Stage 3: Fall off horse. Use sleeve of shirt to stanch bleeding. Have friend help you get back on horse. Take two Advil and apply ice packs when you get home. Ride next day.

Stage 4: Fall off horse. Refuse advice to call ambulance; drive self to urgent care clinic. Entertain nursing staff with tales of previous daredevil stunts on horseback. Back to riding before cast comes off.

Stage 5: Fall off horse. Temporarily forget name of horse and name of husband. Flirt shamelessly with paramedics when they arrive. Spend week in hospital while titanium pins are screwed in place. Start riding again before doctor gives official okay.

Stage 6: Fall off horse. Fail to see any humor when hunky paramedic says, “You again?” Gain firsthand knowledge of advances in medical technology thanks to stint in ICU. Convince self that permanent limp isn’t that noticeable. Promise husband you’ll give up riding. One week later purchase older, slower, shorter horse.

Stage 7: Slip off horse. Relieved when artificial joints and implanted medical devices seem unaffected. Tell husband that scrapes and bruises are due to gardening accident. Pretend you don’t see husband roll his eyes and mutter as he walks away. Give apple to horse.

Order may vary.

Passion

Through everything we experience, all the great feelings and all the pain, there are things that not only keep us going, but also define our very being. It’s the challenges, life’s little tests, that either break us down or help us find strength and grow as a person. Sometimes both. We go through times where we feel completely alone, and like no one understands what we’re going through. It’s so hard to see clearly when all you can feel is pain, physically or emotionally.  For athletes, injuries are common and probable, especially for those of us who push ourselves everyday in the pursuit of greatness. Many of us hide our injuries and work around them. Eventually, though, this stops working because the injury gets worse, or we gain more injuries because of compensation. It’s impossibly difficult to “rest” or take breaks. Every day off is a day lost. Nobody understands how important it is to keep pushing, keep training, no matter how bad it hurts. If you quit even for a day, people will see you as lazy or undedicated. Nobody wants that reputation.

All you really want is a teammate, a coach, someone to say it’s okay. That nobody will judge you, and you’re doing good. But how often does that happen.

Our bodies aren’t built to handle half the things we put them through. We push so hard, overtrain, and expect to perform under stressful, sometimes impossible conditions. We compete with sprains, tears, chronic pain, dislocations, sometimes even fractures and then ask why didn’t we do better. It’s hard for anybody to understand the amount of pressure athletes at any level feel. The feeling of competition, challenge, achievement, and trust are what keeps the passion alive. Once you lose that part of you, that’s when things unravel. At some point, everyone loses sight of their goal and in turn feels lost and alone.

It takes an unbelievable amount of strength to realize what’s the best way to deal with every challenge presented.  Some of us can’t deal with the pressure, the stress. Every single one of us breaks down. The one’s who can face those moments of uncertainty, pick themselves off the ground, dust off, and keep on pushing towards their goal are the people who get hurt the most, but they’re also the ones who get the most out of life.

Comments anyone?

World Traveller

So finally made a decision! I’ll be going to NZ in the second week of september. I decided that it was too much for me to give up my show season here on the horse that I’ve been working on for almost 5 years now, and I’m loving my coaches. The NZ opportunity is also one that might not come around again too soon. And, it’s pretty awesome.  The Ontario job had potential to be amazing experience too, but I feel that that opportunity will be there in the future if I want, and I will be looking for a summer job next year. So who knows!

   I’m currently getting into my new home life, back in the country. I already miss school, which I suppose is a good thing. I’ve done a week of my new training, which involves running and weight training everyday. My back seems to be handling the running and strength stuff okay, only riding still bothers it. *rolls eyes*. Maybe someday this will go away. It’s only pain, right?

I got asked to judge my old 4H club’s achievement day this July, which was a nice surprise. I never expected they’d be coming to me to help, but it’s great that they did. I love helping out, and it’ll be nice to give back to the club that got me started on this path all those years ago. Not even I would have foreseen where going to that first meeting would take me. Thank god for it though.

“Look at this now, me on my own, here with the stars..” Peter Katz.

Things are starting to fall back into place, after the last few weeks of crazy decision making and moving and everything else. I’m home now, and I start work on monday (not so much yay) so that means I can start making money to GO TO NEW ZEALAND, and then back to school pursuing my other dreams.

I’ve also realized the past few weeks how possible anything is. I used to criticize myself for dreaming so much, but without all those things I dreamt of doing, where would I be? I probably never would have bothered to email all those potential employers, or had any of the other absolutely amazing experiences I’ve had over the years. So never stop dreaming, no matter how small that dream is. Or how big. Dreaming it will help you achieve things you might never have thought of before. Take that chance.

The stars don’t even matter..

Just when I began to sort out my life, going to NZ, working, school, and all of that.. Another choice comes up. I got an email from Juniper Farms, in Ontario, today asking if I’d be interested in a job as a asst. groom for their team. This job entails living on the farm, and helping with Jill Henselwood’s (Canadian Team Member) string of horses. The position pays as well as my summer job here when you put it into perspective, and it’s an excellent, excellent opportunity. I’d probably have to move very soon though, and it’d mean giving up my show season here to gain experience as a groom and the behind the scenes work. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But it feels like I would be letting go of all the progress I’ve made with Will so far. On the other hand, there is a small chance I’d be able to continue my riding in Ontario when the barn wasn’t away at competitions. IF that was the case, then I’d definitely consider this very very seriously.

Thank you universe, for throwing choices like this in my way.

The NZ job is just as good, except I’d be working under a less experienced rider. And the chance to be a part of an Olympic bound team (however small the role) is very intriguing, to say the least. I can’t decide if this is a chance that I should take, hands down, no questions and learn from it, or if I should stick with my Plan A, which is a fantastic option too, and see what comes of it.  There are always grooming jobs, all over the world. But this one seems really good, and I don’t want to let the opportunity slip away, you know? I’ll talk to my coach about it, hopefully she will have some words of wisdom that will help make what I should do more clear. Never in a million years did I think something like this dilemma would actually happen to me. I was surprised enough when I landed the first opportunity.

Note to self, next time take your employment profile off the website so you don’t run into more potential employers that confuse your logic.

I have a lot to think about, and decide in the next few days. Along with moving home, starting fitness training again, and starting riding again. On the plus side, my therapist said today that my back is getting back on track, so thats good! I’m very sore after today’s session though. But, I’m glad that my “rest” period is almost over. Now hopefully I can get back into shape and not have too much more set backs. I volunteer tomorrow and teach the fitness plan I made for the students, which should be interesting. I hope it goes well. This volunteer placement has really shown me how much I love teaching and helping others. Very encouraging for me!

My oh my.

Black and Gold

The past few weeks have been full of ups an downs. The days following fair week were rough, my injuries appeared in full force causing me to realize that maybe I should take a break and rest for a few weeks. Which I have been doing, with difficulty. Resting is not my specialty! However, a week of rest did more good then I thought it would. I allowed myself a treat by going to the gym today. So we’ll see how that light workout effects everything.

Some other big news, I GOT A JOB IN NEW ZEALAND!!!!! Not even just a job, a job that I had only dreamed of! As one of my heroes Mrs. S said upon hearing my big news, “you dreamt it, so of course it happened”. I guess this is more evidence for the fact that dreaming does make things happen. I’ll be working and living at LC Horse Farms, south of Auckland, as a groom. I don’t know how much actual riding I’ll be doing, but you know what? I’m completely fine with that. The opportunity to gain experience in the industry, go to shows most weekends, and meet professionals from the business is HUGE no matter what I’m doing. Plus the guy who hired me is Canadian originally. And, Jenaya will only be 2 hours away from me at her school. 🙂 I’M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!

This week has been full of adventures too. Monday I showed up at my volunteer placement (an adult ed centre in the north end) to find out I was in fact subbing in for one of the regular teachers. So I got to do some class management and supervising instead of my regular low key tutoring job. That was fun! Then I got asked by the other teacher to come on Wednesday (today) and help out with her phys ed class while they went to a local gym to work out. Sure why not, that’s my major after all. So today I helped out the students in the weight room, and actually had a lot of fun! They were all so motivated, completely unlike most phys ed students. Granted, these students were there by choice and were somewhat more mature then teenagers. After all the students had gone, Christa asked me to make up and design a fitness plan for next week’s class! So that’s my project. All the students are all so sad that next week is my last week with them. I almost feel bad that I have to move home, I’d love to stay and help them more, now that I’m actually working with them on something I can REALLY help with. This volunteering thing has been so helpful the past few weeks in helping me realize how much I like to teach. Working with these adults in the gym today was so inspiring, and I was surprised at how well I did. If I had been asked to do that even a month ago? It would not have gone so well.

I’ve grown up SO much this year. It seems like such a short time ago that I was just moving in, and now I’m getting ready to move home again (not really, my room is still a disaster).