Skip to main content

March Analysis + April Goals

All things considered, I feel like March was a fairly successful month!  We had some decent wins, some significant losses, a few harsh realities and we learned a heck of a lot.

 Image may contain: one or more people and outdoor

 March Goals,
  • Spend at least 30 Minutes w/o Stirrups
    I hit this!
  • Get out of the Arena when Weather permits 
    We went on several short hacks until the moisture softened Sierras feet too much and she became too sensitive on the gravel.
  • Spend at least 4 Hours in the Saddle
    I got a new phone and Equilab isn't compatible on my new one, but using the stop watch I still timed myself, and despite giving Sierra a week off plus only riding an average of 2-3x per week, I still managed to nail this.  Between schooling rides and two shows, we were closer to 8 hours.
  • Continue to improve my aids and positioning while tracking right
    I'm feeling significantly stronger and more capable when tracking to the right.. Between being more aware, and doing Pilates, I think it's really paying off but will likely always be a struggle.
  • Continue to develop the R+R+C
    The first horse show on March 2nd really threw a wrench into this; something that I thought was coming along very well.  We had to go back a little bit and work on some pot holes in the training, and re-establish the Relaxation.  It's a work in progress, but it's coming... I think this might be an ongoing thing that comes and goes, but i'm calling it a win as we found it, lost it, and found it again.
  • Continue to develop a correct stretch in W & T
    I didn't spend a ton of time in this early in the month, but I've recently discovered giving Sierra a solid 10-15 min of walking on a semi loose rein is the key to developing her relaxation for that ride, so the last portion of March, we spent a lot of time working here both in the walk and trot.
  • Ride in HTS I (March 2) 
    Did it! Almost died, but we did the thing!
  • Ride in HTS II (March 30)
    Did it!  Recap to come...

  • Go to all the pre-booked Pilates Classes (6 in total)
    Boo I skipped two due to my Acid Reflux being god-damn awful.
---------------------------------------------------------
  • Pentosan Injection  
    Administered March 21
  • Vet Appointment
    Teeth & Annual Vaccinations, March 19
  • Farrier Appointment
  • Trim, March 11


April Goals,

I'm being, once again, conservative for April because I'm going to take Sierra home either on the 2nd or 3rd weekend of the month and unless my arena is totally dry I foresee a lot of days off.  I hope to get out for lots of road hacks once she's home but evidently I can't do much until Sierra is shod on April 27th, so that doesn't help me much for April unless Sierra's feet harden up.. I want the rest of this spring to be about having fun after 5 months of straight ring work, so my goals reflect that. In addition, I anticipate Vida foaling by the end of April, so that will consume a lot of my time and energy I'm sure.

  • Spend at least 4 Hrs in the Saddle
  • Spend at least 30 Min w/o Stirrups
  • Get out of the arena at least 3 times
  • Continue to develop the R + R + C in W & T
  • Continue to correct the unevenness in the reins
  • Do more ground work yielding front + hind quarters
  • Do at least 1 fun and 'out of the ordinary' thing
---------------------------------------------------------
  • Omeprazole Treatment
    To start once I bring Sierra home
  • Farrier Appointment
    Shoes, April 27
  • REMT Appointment #4
    April 6
  • Saddle Fit #2
    TBA
Image may contain: horse, sky, cloud and outdoor

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

January Analysis & February Goals

We have survived the first month of 2019 and as I expected, we were hit with both Snowmageddon AND Mother-Fcking-Cold-Mageddon.. and we were also hit with "oh my god it's nice, I wanna garden and play with ponies outside" as well as "it is so windy, I think my face literally got stretched off my skull".. We have literally had all 4 seasons in the past 30 days, and while some days were glorious, it also put a damper on my January goals . January Goals: Spend at least 4 Hours in the Saddle I'm going to call this a win. I had some issues with my Equilab app that required Technical Support and some of my rides were lost, so while I currently have about 3.6 Hrs logged for January, I'm thinking I hit 4, or just over. Continue with regular Stretching (on the ground) I definitely put a lot of time into this, and also introduced a new REMT who gave me additional stretches to do.  At our 2nd appointment, she said there was noticeable difference! Sp...
6 comments
Read more

Field Trip No. 003 | HTS II: Working The Steps

On March 30, the local Sport Horse Club that I am the president of, hosted our second Hunter Training Series Show, "HTS II".  Many of you probably recall the first show  ("HTS I"), which was pretty fucking terrible.  I was very torn on going to the second show as my rides since the first show were very sub par and quite disappointing to say the least, but I had determined that if I could clear my head and go into it open minded, I would go for another schooling opportunity.. and I literally left it to the last possible minute to decide. I was feeling overwhelmed when my truck was broken down and the parts arrived late, so until roughly 2:30 PM on Friday afternoon, I had no idea if I was even going to be able to haul Sierra to the arena for the show. I concluded if I couldn't haul her in on Friday and stall overnight I wouldn't take her, as I am far too busy running the show to haul her in the day of.. but alas the parts arrived, my hubby came thru and ...
4 comments
Read more

Straight Forward

Unlike Kidd and Kai, Sierra has been fabulous to own in the sense that she’s very easy on her body.   Knock on Wood, but Sierra has yet to injure herself.   Additionally, we have seen an Osteopath once and she was shocked at how structurally and muscually (I don’t think that’s a word) balanced she was, “especially for an OTTB and a Jumper” as she put it.   Since then, I have done PEMF on her once just as a ‘just cause’, but that’s about it.   Given our slowly developing Canter issues, and my absolute love for this darn mare, I decided to invest a little bit of money to rule things some things out before I lay the boots to her and tell her to get over it.   On this list of priorities, there is the usual.. Structural Concerns, Teeth and Saddle Fit... you know, pain!   While I don’t necessarily believe in babying horses, I do recognize they’re athletes and at any point can hit the ‘eject’ button, so I feel it’s my job as both their rider and primary caretake...
4 comments
Read more