Time Management
This weekend, I rode 18 miles! Only the first six of those count as real conditioning miles, but we were out and riding for another twelve, and that counts for something at least.
I make it to the barn four days a week, rain or shine. It’s self-care with no turnout and no covered arena. My commute to work is an hour each way (at least!), and Fetti needs to be worked consistently or she loses her brain. How do I do it? Sheer stubbornness, for one. Perpetual to-do lists running through my head.
Things I accomplished on Saturday:
- Brisk conditioning ride (6 miles, 4+mph pace, solo) in dressage saddle.
- Unbraided Fetti’s mane.
- Shortened stirrups one hole on endurance saddle (complete with a battle with fuzzy leather covers).
- Thorough billet cleaning, quick saddle cleaning with leather conditioner
- 30 minutes of staring, grumbling, and analyzing billet placement/angle and girth length/placement/angle
- Leisurely trail ride with friends (7 miles) in endurance saddle
.. at which point I realized I had a migraine coming on.. - Turned out ponies. Zoooom! Fetti is NOT tired!
- Cleaned stall, stripped excess non-palatable hay
Sunday, a fairly leisurely barn day:
- full bath! (minus tail)
- Combed out tail with Equifuse Gleam – super impressed, this is usually a full-day process at best
- Combed out mane with Equifuse & braided
- Fussed at saddle placement again, eventually lengthened breastplate in every single direction to allow for trial run of saddle further back
- Super-leisurely trail ride with friends (6 miles) with slight bonus drama at the end where Fetti politely kept her brain very intact. Good pony!
- Cleaned stall. (Migraine probable but has not yet really hit.)
- Dumped, scrubbed, refilled water bucket
- Re-combed tail, applied Equifuse as needed
- Fly sprayed liberally – ticks everywhere this year
- No Thrush to all hooves
- Reorganized tack room slightly to streamline process this week
On the agenda for this week:
- Equifuse, fly spray, and No Thrush daily
- 4-6 miles daily, two rides if I’m not working and not migrained
- Trim hooves. (Maybe on the day it’s supposed to rain?)
- Refill bale bag as needed
18 miles is great. Are you prepping for a ride or just general conditioning? The only ride on my agenda so far is Run for the Gold in June.
General conditioning so that Fetti keeps her brain and quits with all the shenanigans! We’re very tentatively looking at a May ride, but everything is sort of up in the air at this point.