Sloth Undone

After my seven deadly sins post last week I felt pretty bad about my Sloth list. Luckily we had some amazing weather this weekend and I didn't have much in the way of plans so I was able to tackle some of my items.

Saturday was about a bazillion degrees and I was running late. I contemplated having a slightly short ride but when I brought Gatsby down the barn and saw how horribly dirty he was I opted for a bath instead. I think he enjoyed the extra on-the-ground attention and he definitely looked way better afterwards, definitely need to up my grooming routine though as he has developed some icky fungus recently on his belly and near his stifles.

Gatsby would never stand this nicely for a bath.

Sunday was fantastic because I literally had nothing else planned so I was able to spend from 11:30am to 3pm at the barn guilt-free. Brought Gatsby down and gave him a thorough grooming, lots and lots of currying to get that winter coat out! He was clearly feeling a bit fresh so I threw the draw reins on and I am oh so glad I did, he practically exploded in our first trot set, complete with canter piaffe, sideways bucking, etc. Luckily he calmed down after the first 5-minute set and I was able to get some really nice dressage work in without using the draw reins much. I was even able to do one whole sit sitting and I had a feeling we looked pretty fancy! Gatsby got hosed down and ice booted afterwards while I cleaned my tack for probably the first time since October (possibly longer).

Got back in my car to head home and realized that my new BoT gear had arrived and I had totally forgotten about it! Oh well, I will break that out on Wednesday. My knee has been a bit ouchy so I think I will wear my knee brace tonight.

Blog Hop - 7 Deadly Sins

Yay for my first time actually participating in a blog hop! Thanks L for hosting:)

Pride
Seven great things/strengths in your riding life

1. My amazing horses.
2. Supportive family who encourages me to continue pursuing what I love.
3. Ability to afford to keep Gatsby and Kanye (even if it doesn't always seem practical).
4. Wonderful barn where I know Gatsby gets the best of care.
5. Stubborn attitude which has allowed Gatsby and I to get to where we are today.
6. Enthusiasm to always keep learning and trying.
7. Great group of friends to share horse life with (barn and online).

Envy

Seven things you lack or covet for you or your horse

1. Truck and trailer so we can go places and do things.
2. New saddles, dressage and jumping.
3. More $$$ to pay for lessons and shows.
4. New tack that isn't saddles.
5. Nice schooling attire.
6. Fancy navy dressage coat with velvet collar.
7. Enough funds to not have to hold back on any medical/preventative treatments.

Wrath

Seven things that make you angry

1. People who don't understand the relationship riders have with their horses; they are more than just pets!
2. People who don't understand how difficult riding actually is.
3. People who "borrow" other peoples tack, grooming supplies, feed, etc. and never return/repay it.
4. When I get overly frustrated and end up riding terribly and making things worse.
5. People who don't appreciate how amazingly lucky they are to be able to afford to ride, in whatever capacity they can.
6. People who don't give their horses enough love and treat them more like sporting equipment.
7. People who don't wear helmets. I just don't get it, why take that risk?!?! (Even more so when they have already had multiple concussions.)

Sloth

Seven things you neglect to do or cut corners on

1. Cleaning my tack.
2. Grooming well.
3. Pulling mane.
4. Riding as often as I should (sometimes).
5. Sheath cleaning - not as often as I should.
6. Organizing/keeping my trunk organized.
7. Working with Kanye as much as I should.

Greed

Seven most expensive things you own for your horse/riding

1. Gatsby.
2. Board/lessons/shows over the years.
3. Custom Stubben jump saddle.
4. Kniedersuiss dressage saddle.
5. Mountain Horse Field boots.
6. Ariat Dress boots.
7. Tack trunk.

Gluttony

Seven guilty pleasures or favorite items

1. Mountain horse boots.
2. Purchasing Kanye.
3. Gatsby's board/supplements/etc.
4. Stubben dressage bridle.
5. Royal blue everything.
6. Tack of the Day or Bit of Britain sales.
7. Spending a few extra minutes at the barn and being late to work.

Lust

Seven things you love about horses and riding

1. The smell of the barn.
2. Hugging my horses.
3. The feeling of accomplishment when I have a really good ride.
4. The exhilaration of going cross-country.
5. The amazing bond I have with Gatsby and am forming with Kanye.
6. The work ethic, focus, motivation, drive that riding has taught me over the years.
7. Everything else.

It's Been A While

Sorry about the lack of blogging updates guys. Gatsby, Kanye and I have not been up to much and I couldn't really think of anything to write about. I am very excited that daylight savings starts this weekend and I will have much more time to go riding! Expect better updates soon:)

On a non-horse related note, (those of you who are friends with me on Facebook and/or follow me on Instagram already know this) I have been accepted to a volunteer program at an orphanage in Kenya for 3 weeks this September!!! It was a sort of impromptu decision but it is something I have always wanted to do and I couldn't be more excited. Unfortunately saving for that trip means cutting back on lessons/showing but I am ok with that. As much as I want to compete Gatsby again there are also a million non-horse related adventures that I don't want to miss out on. In a perfect world I will be able to make time and money to do both but I have decided that either way my experiences will be fantastic so I really have nothing to fret about!!!

xoxo,
Elena

Dressagin'

I had some really wonderful dressage rides with Gatsby last weekend. I have only been able to ride on weekends lately which has been a major bummer but when our rides are great I don't mind so much:)

Saturday he went straight into a stretchy trot after our walk work which completely surprised me, he NEVER does that! We did two sets of stretching trot and then some light dressage work. He had one nutso moment when the golf cart came by but over all really well-behaved. Even stood quietly while I chatted with a friend! Super pony!!!

Sunday was even better. We did our walk work and a bit of stretching and went straight to work. At first he was a bit resistant to working and spooking at every little thing so I had to put my big girl pants on and make him work. He is a very funny horse to ride because 50% of the time I need to give him a very sensitive ride or else he gets all flustered and won't do anything I ask but then the other 50% of the time he responds really well to a more forceful ride. Sunday was definitely the latter. I decided to throw my position to the dogs and just get him to do some nice work. I had my outside hand low and to the side and my inside elevated and slightly across his neck and some serious LEG ON! And what do you know, he responded amazingly! We ended our ride with some, if not the best trot work I have ever done on him!!!! He definitely seems to be coming back from his injury stronger which is super exciting.

After that hard workout he got some liniment rubs and ice boots and lots of treats and kisses.

It is scheduled to rain this weekend so my plan was to ride Tues/Weds in the morning but I somehow tweaked my neck and now cannot turn my head to the right so I figured probably safest not to ride. Hoping it stays dry for at least long enough for me to do some hacks this weekend.

Long Weekend Love

Long weekends are my favorite (along with everyone else, I'm sure). This past one did not disappoint!

George surprised me at work for lunch on Friday (Valentine's Day) with chocolate covered strawberries, flowers, and a lunch date at our favorite restaurant. I had a pretty hectic week so we spent the evening in with take-out Thai food and the Olympics, pretty much heaven to me!

Saturday I slept in a bit, did some laundry and headed out to the barn (finally!). Gatsby was, as expected, a total nutcase and had already worked himself into a sweat before I even tacked up. I threw on some draw reins for good measure and hopped on. I am not someone who loves using "devices" on a regular basis but they do serve their purpose and at times can be very helpful. Lately I have been using the draw reins fairly often to try and get Gats to work over his back more (very difficult when he is so amped) and to start to rebuild his topline. They are immensely helpful in getting him to actually do some productive work on days like Saturday when he would have liked to be absolutely crazy. He still has his moments but overall, much more contained. My favorite thing about using them is that it is the only time I can actually get him to have a really nice free walk, something that is very difficult for him to comprehend.

We want this!

Saturday night was spent catching up on some TV shows, folding laundry and finishing up the second book in the Ender's Games series, Speaker for the Dead (highly recommend). Another perfect evening in.

Sunday we took Sirius to the dog beach where he had the absolute best time. There were tons of people and dogs out and I always enjoy seeing all the different breeds. He is still not so sure about the ocean but absolutely loves running around and making friends. Headed to the barn afterwards, Gatsby was pretty tired from the heat and his big workout on Saturday. I tried out a friends custom dressage saddle, super comfy to sit in but not so much for actual riding. Made it through our trot sets, gave Gatsby a mini-bath, iced and headed home.

About as far in the water as Sirius will willingly get.

Was planning on riding again yesterday but his leg has been looking so good with the extra time off that I didn't want to push it with three rides in a row. I went to Bikram Yoga and lunch with some friends instead, walked Sirius and played with Kanye a bit. Gotta admit, I have some awesome animals.

This morning I was going to wake up early and ride but between the new saddle, Bikram and sleeping funny I seem to have seriously tweaked my left hip/sacrum and have been limping around all day. Heading home for some ice and netflix and crossing my fingers it will be better tomorrow. Gatsby gets another day off but I think I might wake up early and do something with baby Kanye.

Missing My Pony

I have not seen Gatsby in almost two weeks:( This is ultra depressing because I have actually been home the entire time. But between getting sick (multiple times) and having to come in to work early/stay late, I just haven't been able to get out there. I feel pretty guilty about it but I am trying to focus on all the attention I will be giving him over this three day weekend! (Which I refuse to work on even though I know my boss will ask).

Also, Tack of the Day had a great sale on BoT today so, after reading Hillary and L's reviews I jumped on the chance to get some steals. I purchased a dressage pad and polos but am seriously considering the hock books and back brace (human) also.

Big News!!

Not horse related but I have some very big news to share with you all.

I have just officially given notice at my job. This was a difficult decision for me because their are many aspects of my job that I really enjoy but, overall, it is not what I want a career in and therefore, not the right fit for me. I have decided to go back to school to get a Master's in Marketing (ahem, any advice would be welcome Nicku) which is a field I have been interested in since I graduated from UCSB.

For the immediate future, my plans are to stay at my current job until the end of April, spend May in the UK spectating at Badminton, looking at a couple schools, interning at Rapanui Clothing and meeting my new niece or nephew. I will spend the first half of June traveling with George before coming home to plan out my next steps but they will either involve doing some temp work or finding an entry-level Marketing position in SB.

The downside of this is that is six weeks that I will be away from the ponies. That is definitely going to be difficult but I think it is important to pursue all of my passions/interests. I'm sure they will still love me when I return.

xoxo, Elena