I guess I should've put this stuff in my post earlier, but I am just a tiny bit scatterbrained. To put it mildly. :)
I have joined a gym. Yes, it only took three weeks of "well crap I'll do it tomorrow" but I finally signed up for the free gym membership I get with this apartment lease. I'm planning on doing weight training 3x a week, and some kind of cardio 2-3x a week. One day totally off per week, no running (jacks up my knees/shins every time I try it), lots of free weights. I have a more detailed plan than this, but I won't bore yall with it unless someone is interested.
Regardless, I will probably post weight training stuff here, to keep track of my progress. Prepare yourselves. And prepare yourself for this post to disappear if it's been two weeks and I haven't been to the gym once ;)
And... I might take lessons with the barn owner. Like everything else horse-expense-related, I'm not going to commit to it until I get Champ's bill settled. But I'd very much like to start weekly or bi-weekly actual lessons again.
Here's the thing. I kind of feel like Dixie is my Precious Snowflake and No One Understands Her But Me. I obsessively criticize myself for my handling of her, and I don't know if I can deal with someone else calling the shots with her, even for an hour a week. Perhaps I should take lessons on a barn horse? But on the other hand, Dixie and I obviously have a ton of issues to work through, and maybe a knowledgeable eye on the ground would really benefit us. The "but what if"s are echoing through my head!
I'll probably take lessons. I'll probably gracefully bow out if it doesn't seem to work. I do not want to fill up the internet with my preconceived notions of the BO's training style, so let's just keep it at this: I think I would respond well to her. I do not know if my Precious Snowflake will respond well to her. We'll see!
Funder, Check out Daun's recent post at
ReplyDeleteeventing-draft.blogspot.com/
about her recent dressage lesson--some good insight into the value of lessons...
btw--I use a metal shedding blade, a close cousin of your curry comb, to do the mud and loose hair piece too. As long as you don't use it anywhere the bones are too close to the surface (legs, face, even shoulder or spine) it's great. Maddie's thin skinned, so I have to be a bit more delicate with her highness...
I use the metal shedding comb all the time... pretty much everywhere i can. No one complains. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhen I make the fitness blog, you want in on it Funder??? :D!
DIJ, get me on there too! And I know how you feel about the 'Precious Snowflake' thing, because I have one and pretty much the other day my instructor threw up her hands and was like, I kind of don't have any idea what to do here. Oh well...
ReplyDeleteHmph. I googled as best I could and can't find that one post I swear I remember from FHOTD where she snarked about how evil metal curries are. Anyway!
ReplyDeleteEvenSong - I saw that! Wasn't that a fantastic post? Really well written. I know I want and need lessons, but I'm not sure about Dixie. I think I'm just worrying needlessly about my little snowflake. I'll try lessons on Dixie, and if I don't like the direction the BO is taking us, I'll switch to a lesson horse.
DiJ, Andrea, let's do it. Names... Healthy as a Horse? Human Haute Ecole? There's a lot of possibilities...
I want it to be like a calendar so we'll have a mental picture of how often we work rather then just written posts. I think I can figure the coding/wiki out. XD
ReplyDeleteBut name wise... I can't come up with anything!
Perhaps we should encourage one-another on this getting fit thing? I have started bicycling (unlike a gym the scenery changes!). But I should go to the gym too. I have two months to get fit and lose some weight.
ReplyDeleteLike some other things, metal curry combs are fine when used intelligently. One just needs to avoid using them over bony parts of the horse.
Catching up on your blog... will comment on several subjects here...
ReplyDeleteI think it was Mugwump who mentioned a metal curry comb. Not that it was evil but how the person using it was overly enthusiastic and gouging the horse. I use them, too, and I must use them okay because my horses line up for their brushing. I also have brushes I use for other more delicate parts of their bodies, including mane & tail.
Exercise. I'm in my late 40's and just discovered diet & exercise last year. I was close to 50 pounds overweight and sick of it. I joined Weight Watchers but knew I needed some exercise to go with it. I joined Curves. Strength training & cardio. I've lost close to 40 pounds and fell more fit than I have been in my life. I KNOW the exercise has helped me become a better rider. I am more tone and I don't wind as easy. I am no longer embarrassed to wear breeches and I can now find 1/2 chaps to fit! Yeah!
Lessons. Sent my mare to a trainer for 30 day tune-ups the last 3 years. I had never had lessons -- wasn't even a 4Her as a kid, so was really on my own with this riding stuff. Would get the hrose back & fall into the same old habits. Last year, I started taking lessons with the trainer after my horse's 30 days. Helped us come together better with what she learned and I picked up some great tips. I don't take lessons right now, no time or extra cash during the riding months, but will probably do it for another month or so next winter.
Whew! Sorry to take up so much space on your comments. Enjoyed catching up on your blog.
Tammy - glad you enjoyed catching up! Good for you for getting fit - it's hard to do, but it feels so good when you ARE in shape. The last time I went to the gym regularly ended abruptly ... when I got my first horse and started spending every waking moment at the barn! I'm doing food tracking at livestrong, mainly to make sure my protein/fat/carb ratios stay where I want them (40/20/20).
ReplyDeleteLessons are wonderful. I miss my old instructor. I need to find the right person who understands my goals, though.