Hi Everybody,
Happy Summer! Hope everyone is getting in some great riding time! I’m still without a regular riding program, but after a lifetime in hunters and equitation had just planned to start at a local dressage barn. I really felt it was time for a change of pace and the simple dressage I did with my equitation horses was always challenging for me. I always felt that I would have been a much better rider and a better partner to my horses if I had had at least a rudimentary mastery of dressage. In fact, in my equitation classes I always did much better over fences than on the flat. On the other hand, when I needed to work on sitting trot or transitions I always preferred to drop my stirrups so I could wrap my leg around better. So perhaps my body knew better than my head how to apply some dressage principles to communicating with my horse.
I’ve written three books so far, and in each my riders do hunters and equitation. I write what I know. I’ve been living in the hunter world since I was ten. I can breath life into my stories because the settings are ones I’ve lived. I’m not assuming I can gain the skill or knowledge of people who have dedicated a lifetime of riding dressage, but I’m always figuring out new ways to challenge myself.
Great weather, worked up my courage to see if I can change my leg position after all these years, and voila! I picked up a too heavy box of books and toys and wound up with a mildly bulging disk and pinched nerve. Ouch! Complete recovery is predicted, but there goes my great plan!
In the meantime, I’m contenting myself with the wonderful horses (some magical, some not) in The Grimoire. The writing is going well. My goal is to have the manuscript polished within the next two months. Then off go the query letters and we’ll see what happens.
The other consequence of this little injury is (gulp) weight gain. I bought a copy of The T Factor Diet Quick Melt. We’ll see if I can stick with it. The nutritionist I consult with would say be patient and stick with healthy eating, so I won’t do it too long. I’ll let you know if two weeks on it works. : )
Cheers,
Mary
Hope the back injury heals quickly, Mary. I live vicariously by reading all the posts here about riding. A back injury has kept me on the ground now for quite a while, but I do get the itch to ride again.
ReplyDeleteHope the writing goes well.
The weight, oh, the weight. I am having a bear of a time. I'm trying to stick to balanced healthy eating and exercise. It's been 9 months and I haven't lost an ounce. I have quit gaining though. So now I'm tweaking my eating plan. Let me know if you get somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good wishes! I always rode for the love of it, but it's only recently I've realized my horses were keeping me healthy by exercising me regularly!
ReplyDeleteToday is my birthday, so no dieting today, but after this I'm going to try to stick to it. : )
Cheers,
Mary
I have decided to be happy to be ample. I wish you luck with the weight thing Mary, and admire you for being willing to work at it. I don't mind hiking for exercise, but am way too much of a hedonist to diet.
ReplyDelete