The season is over. And I didn’t compete. Those are not easy words for me to write. I am not a “sit on the sidelines and watch” kind of person. I’m a doer. I think most eventers are. Have to be. When you commit to competing in three separate phases of horsemanship, you cannot succeed by simply watching the world go by. I think it’s in our DNA to get out there and just “git her dun.” I did not get much done this past season. At least not from a riding standpoint.
There are many reasons why I chose to sit this one out: finances, my three year old son, work, schedules…life…The reasons are endless and for an adult married amateur with a toddler and a husband and a job, they are pretty normal. However, normal does not mean less aggravating. Or less depressing.
My horse was with a good friend for a time after I had my son. When I got my trusty steed back in March, I had every intention of getting back out there in the fall. I really WANTED to get back out there in the fall. I knew it would take some time to get me back into shape and just simply get back into the horse routine.
I thought the fall season would be an easy goal to accomplish. Start at Beginner Novice and move up in the spring. Uh-huh. Sure. What’s that saying about “the road to hell” and pavement? Yeah, that. Spring turned into summer; summer turned into fall; one event missed turned into two, and suddenly, HOLY COW! It’s Christmastime!
It’s not that life doesn’t always go the way we want it to; it’s that it never goes the way we want it to. Being the half water jump full kind of person that I am, I am determined not to let not competing set me back. Yes, it’s frustrating. Yes, I’m aggravated. Yes, it’s cold and wintery, and VERY hard to stay motivated in the thick of the holiday season.
What drives me? The very same thing that frustrates me. I am determined to NOT let another season go by and watch it blur like scenery through a passenger’s window. I am determined to get my fat and happy something of a pasture ornament former champion eventer back in slick, cross country running shape. I am determined to get MY fat and happy self up out of my warm cozy bed and brave the cold temperatures to get us both back in shape.
It’s not going to be easy. It will be an uphill battle most of the way. However, isn’t that just life? One of the reasons I love horses, and I love eventing is because of the life lessons taught and learned every day. In eventing, you make plans, and then it rains.
Because of the rain, you have to change the way you get things done. Change your course; adjust your time. Life is the same way. I made my plans, and it rained. So, I’m changing my plans. My plan to compete will get accomplished just on a different course and on a different schedule.
The goal may have gotten a bit tougher to reach, just like getting to the end of a rain-soaked cross country course, but the finish line is still there. I just have to keep galloping towards the tape. So maybe I will freeze my backside off in the process and skip that extra piece of fruit cake. (Who likes that stuff anyway?) What I WILL do is see you on the circuit in the spring!
