It's Hard Y'all...

I rode tonight.  I didn't want to after spending the day eating healthy, getting ready for our dog event this weekend (paperworkwise), and working all day at the shit show.  Upon getting home, it was 100 degrees again and and I just couldn't.

I avoided stuffing my face with Smores Oreos and grabbed a tablespoon of peanut butter and flopped on the couch, trying to convince myself that it was too hot, once it cooled down I'd ride, and/or that once it cooled down we were going to be slinging straw bales in the barn to reset the barn hunt course so riding didn't matter, I was going to be active.

Then I recalled that I had a show in a little over a week where I needed to actually sit my moose's trot.  Eh, I was decent enough at it that we'd pull a 60% unless he went full on passage again.  Back to watching tv and trolling the internet.

Then I saw Elisa Wallace's Burghley dressage video - something I'd wanted to watch during the day but didn't get a chance to (womp womp).  They talked to her after this career high and the gist was.. dedication, passion, and loving what she did no matter what.

I put on my breeches and rode.

It sucked.  I lengthened my stirrups just one hole and ... it sucked.  I flopped too far back, my left shoulder was hell bent on falling in (something that doesn't happen that badly really).  I could barely do more than a school trot at times.  Vana was not heavy.. just... bleh.  I worked on him, I worked on me.  When I was done we were both tired but we'd done it.  And honestly, sometimes just doing things is a victory in itself.

I know 1% better each day adds up and I feel like I tortured my core 1% more for sure.  It's not all unicorns and fairy dust but sometimes being fancy 1% better today is enough.

Basically 6:20-end on this video runs through my head all the time.  I KNOW it but well... it's nice to hear it somewhere other than in my head.