Head Case

(Pictures from my hike with my sister yesterday)

I'm a freakin' head case. A crazy horse person! This blog is aptly named "horse crazed mind"... though maybe it should read "crazed horse mind"... only that doesn't sound nearly as good:)

So... that impossible to find leasing situation? Not so impossible after all. In fact, two days ago I was offered the chance to ride a beautiful, sweet, great minded, well trained (English jumper) mare at a really nice (indoor) facility, not 20 minutes from home by a lady I know takes amazing care of her horses and is a warm, friendly and (bless her heart) even sane!

Not a single fly in the ointment except one...

Leasing is not the right option for me.

I heard you sigh! I know, I know! Hear me out...

It was not until that such an ideal situation came along that I realized I had inadvertently created the same situation for myself as I had so carefully crafted for my mare Abby.

You see, in 2008 Abby and I both worked damn hard in a training program. We both came a long way in learning the fine art of reining. A lot of money... (that is an understatement) was spent getting her and I to the point where our old bad habits were broken down and replaced with new, supple, and better ways of riding.

In New Years of 09 I sent Abby out on a two year breeding lease. I did so because I could no longer afford to keep her (or I) in training and I felt it was better to have her sit unused (from a riding perspective) than to bring her home and have her used casually where she could potentially loose her training and redevelop those old bad habits. I was so focused on my horse that I never stopped to recognize that the same could be said of me... not until a year later (and a year away from horses) - when I was offered the chance to ride a well trained English horse- did I think of all the time, effort and money I put into MY OWN training and how perhaps the year away from riding was a saving grace... allowing me, like Abby, to preserve the foundation I put on my self and avoid the casually and subconscious relearning of bad habits that can develop through casual riding.

I am going to go back to reining lessons. I will need a tune up, to be sure... but I hope that once I regain my strength and co-ordination, once the proverbial dust has been blown off my mind, I will find that most of what I learned in 08 will be there, in tact and ready to be built upon.

Now, at this time I cant go back to my trainer, Kari, no matter how much I love her. It takes an hour and half one way to get to her barn and the gas, plus cost of lesson would come out to about $75 a lesson. WAY out of my budget. I'm going to look local and see if I cant book a lesson for this week! I have some reservations about the style, ethics, and training methods of a new instructor... but still, I'm really excited to get started again!