Struggle Positive

Raise your hand if you have ever felt completely inadequate to swing your leg over a horse.

And how many of you swing your leg over a horse anyway? Why do you do that?

My guess is that you have a positive attitude, at least most of the time. And so do I. Well, okay, more like I avoid a negative attitude most of the time, but on balance the result is the same.

Where am I going with this? Weather delays. I don’t even want to know how many times the word “weather” has occurred on the pages of this blog. But here in Central Texas we have had over a week of rain. This means little to no riding, limited turnout or hand walking, and y’all, I couldn’t walk poor Conrad on Sunday morning.

Yesterday was the first opportunity I had to get on my horse since the previous Monday. As I got further down the county road to the barn after work, drizzle picked up. I decided f this, I am riding no matter what. (Positive … or just manic?) Eli was a bit crusty from a brief but welcome turnout earlier in the day and he was a bit testy about being curried. But I tacked up, we took the long way to the mounting block, and I settled for just walking around the fields under saddle — the drizzle made the grass too slick for more.

Also, there were goats over there! And some white tarp over I guess round bales!? Let’s snort and spook some? Ooorrrrrr let’s … just walk. Even if only for 15 minutes. Staying positive goes beyond managing Eli’s brain. I was in the middle of building up Eli’s topline and finally had started to see some progress. But that progress got mostly erased after a week of very little exercise. Endlessly frustrating.

I could give up and stop giving a shit about my horse’s fitness, but I am not going to do that. I may feel like Sisyphus pushing a boulder uphill right now, but that earlier progress inspires me that what I want for my horse is within reach.

As far as the weather goes, I have to accept the things I can’t change. I will, however, find ways to keep Eli’s fitness and health moving forward, even if in only tiny increments.