It’s been a long and busy show season, and I planned a little vacation for myself—in between visits from saddle fitter Colleen and clinic with Michael Barisone, of course; no real rest for the wicked. So it should go without saying that after five wonderful days in San Francisco, I returned home to a full work schedule… and was immediately thwarted by the stomach flu.
Neat!
So it’s been almost a week off for me, between my trip and my plague. I spent almost all day Wednesday in bed, eating crackers and Gatorade with an ice pack on my head, paying bills, finishing the schedule for the clinic and catching up on Glee. (Wow, Gwyneth Paltrow can really sing!) I did get a few horses ridden Tuesday and was pleased to know that I do remember how.
What’s funny: I realize that this is the longest I’ve gone without riding since I was a teenager. Even when I fell off a few summers ago and took a good whack to my hip, I was back on horses (in agonizing pain, because I’m a nut) in only a few days.
I learned a few things. One, the horses don’t die when I take time off. Sure, they come back a little strong, or a little fresh, or a little blah. But they come back, and in only a ride or two. The world does not end. As a control freak type-A dressage rider, this is really hard for me to admit. (The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right?)
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I also did a lot of thinking about my horses. Ella’s been struggling with the throughness, and I’ve been after her neck and the hind legs as the sources of the problem. What if it’s not the neck, or the hind leg, but the back? Sure enough, when I rode her this morning and concentrated on lots of transitions side to side (like leg yield and half-pass, focusing on her middle) instead of transitions back and forth (like between trot and canter, focusing on her butt), she gave me the best feeling I’ve had in months. As the great philosopher Beevis once said, “Duh!”
(Mostly, though, I must confess: I spent my vacation NOT thinking about horses, and I spent my illness not thinking about much of anything. And, hey! It felt pretty good… at least, the parts where I could eat solid food felt pretty good. The rest maybe not so much.)
I’m back up-and-running at full capacity today, and perfect timing. Michael Barisone is at my place for a clinic this weekend, which will be hugely helpful. Thanksgiving next week means I’ll actually be quite busy, as all my students will be celebrating their time off by riding their horses. And while I don’t have anything major planned for December, I have a hunch it will be a busy month with the day-to-day stuff. So thank goodness for down time, planned and otherwise. And hey, I lost three pounds from my flu, so bring on the turkey and stuffing!
