The first rain
| October 5, 2011 | Posted by Melinda under Uncategorized |
On Monday we had the first rain of the season.
This does not bode well for my conditioning this fall. As Iāve probably mentioned a hundred times, where I live in California, the jet stream changes approximately every 3 months. The weather we have in the first 2 weeks of the ānewā jet stream at the beginning of that time period is indicative of the weather you will have for the rest of the quarter.
So putting on our thinking capsā¦..a major storm, resulting in special weather warnings in the first two weeks of October means what for my hopes for a nice mild fall and early winter, with plenty of good riding weather?
Thatās right. It means I need to stop planning for my spring LD and start worrying about either building a shelter, or committing to blanketing for the winter.
Whatever. Itās not like Iāve ridden in weeks and taken advantage of good weather.
Wait a minuteā¦.āgood weatherā? Thatās right ā I didnāt get any good riding weather!!!!! It has been 100 degrees, or close to that for a couple of weeks. And now itās raining. I was cheated out of my fall.
Of course, Iām fooling myself ā yes I used weather as an excuse not to ride the last few weeks, BUT we all know that weather is not a barrier if I REALLY wanted to ride.
Yesterday, under the threat of an afternoon rain I went to see Farley after 2 weeks of abandonment. I covered the hay, took off her fly mask and then checked her feet for rocks. I found a small in the heel of her right front. Then I just stood there and put my arms around her neck near the wither and buried my nose in her shoulder and just breathed in the scent of HORSE. As I drove away, she took a couple of laps around the pasture at a trot and canter and whinnied for her dinner.
Iām so glad I have a horse in vet school. I may not be riding or making steady progress towards a goal, but it is enough to be able to smear horse scent on me, and know that she has a good pasture life in the interludes. Do I wish I was riding more? Of course. Am I feeling guilty or anxious about it? Suprisingly, no. She still makes me happy, and giving her time off to run around the pasture isnāt a bad thing ā and may be what allows us many more years on the endurance trail together.
When I enrolled in library school, my mom asked if I intended to sell my horse to help save moneyā¦H#ll NO! That mare helped me keep my sanity while I was in school!
Granted, I paid more for her board those years than I did for my own rentā¦but then, her food was included in the board money and her āapartmentā got cleaned every day!
Also, her stall was slightly bigger than the travel trailer I lived in while I was going to schoolā¦.!
WV: subclop
That sound you can hear while youāre driving down the road and imagining that youāre riding down the median, the āsubclopā of your horseās hooves.
When Iām stressed and canāt sleep, I can literally put myself to sleep by imagining myself cantering bareback. So Iāll close my eyes, slightly fuzz the landscape into indeterminate shade of grey and canter to the distance. Works EVERY TIME
First rain? We are WAY past our first rain on the east coast.
I cannot ride as much this time of year either. I wish I was riding more, but I recognize the body often benefits from a break so I am riding when I can and hoping that my horse will be rested and ready when my schedule allows more saddle time.