This Year Sucks, But My Riding Has Never Been Better
After the holidays and the kick off of a new year, my trainer put up a blank board outside of the tack room.
It read something along the lines of: “Happy New Year! What are your riding goals for 2020?” She left markers next to it, and a few boarders had already scribbled their riding hopes and goals by the time I saw it. I took a few days to think hard about mine, then jotted them down next to my barn mates.
My Thoroughbred gelding and I were coming off a tough but ‘lessons learned’ kind of year in 2019. We rounded out the season in top form, and I was already chomping at the bit to keep us on this roll into 2020.
Oh, how innocent I was to think my plans would pan out back then. I had no idea what was in store in just a few more weeks…
The pandemic happened, bringing my world – and everybody’s – seemingly to a screeching halt. Everything was turned upside down, from the pressure level at my job to budding insecurities over my family’s financial situation.
Those riding goals were the farthest thing from my mind.
Suddenly I was stuck in my house, slaving away over my computer. I was wearing pajamas three days in a row before I realized I had not – in fact – showered. Everything sucked.
I was (and still am) privileged to be able to go to the barn during the thick of it all this year. My horse was never out of bounds to me. As such, riding became the most important part of my day.
With horse shows cancelled and no where else to go, I came up with targeted plans for each and every ride. I craved the mental stimulation of just accomplishing something, even if it was simple and easy. I needed anything to get my mind off of work, the state of the world, and all the uncertainty. Luckily, my trusted gelding never let me down.
Much to my surprise, this period of isolation and uncertainty really helped me hone in on my riding goals. I worked harder in the saddle than I have in a long time. Even with no shows on the calendar to keep me motivated, the release I got from logging rides, and accomplishing small goal after small goal kept growing. Within a few weeks, we both felt stronger, more fit, and more capable.
Slowly, horse shows started to come back online, with social distancing requirements and other new rules. I was happy for the distraction responsible competition offered.
And much to my surprise, my horse and I were in top form.
The ribbons are great, but seeing how much progress we were able to accomplish when there was no pressure – not to compete, to move up, to win a ribbon – really changed the way I viewed the time I spend at the barn and in saddle. Maybe this is my great silver lining of a crappy year.
The goals board still exists at our barn. It’s covered a layer of dust and dried out from the sun, but my entry is still there, faintly. I smiled when I looked at the board the other day, realizing that by September, I had reached nearly every one of them without even knowing.