Colours in my life

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Namaste

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The sun was out, the weather mild, and I decided to chance the trails. Well, lo and behold, it was awesome. Q continues to make me smile every time he stops and waits patiently as I try and get the best picture of our beautiful surroundings. Every once in a while he takes advantage of my distraction to grab a branch or a leaf ... or a big branch of leaves. He walked tentatively on the snow covered ice, but conditions were such that he never slipped. We even got a chance for a short trot! After that it was a yoga class, and now Im plunked on the sofa watching a cute movie called L’auberge Espagnole ... a nice reminder of our beautiful trip to Barcelona many years ago. A lovely day, blessed with a great horse and a lovely trail.  Namaste.
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Early mornings and deer flies

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Holy camoly did I have a good ride today! We are thick in the middle of our second scorching heat wave (and ensuing forest fires) of spring, as summer just started yesterday. It is an unusual weather pattern. So I planned for an early start to get on the trails for a quick ride before the sun started beating at 10. I was back at the barn with a sweaty horse in tow by 945. I had planned for a short loop of mostly walk and trot with a bit of canter. I wanted to check in with my buddy Q as our last trail ride ended in a “discussion” about key principles when heading home, and our ride after that was a tough cantering session that left Q with sweaty eyeballs. So it was time for another trail diagnostic. He was brilliant. An angel. The deer flies were out in abundance so by the second mile I launched us into lovely jog that Q proceeded to maintain in rhythm without prodding, holding or any aiding as he was on the buckle for two miles. It was so smooth and relaxed that I was able to ...
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The weather outside is frightful

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-12 degrees celsius. Mid November. Crazy. But the trails were beautiful with fresh powder and blue skies. I made the grave mistake of NOT inserting pocket warmers in my boots and came back after an hour with blocks of ice where my feet used to be. It makes for quite the concussion when you jump out of the saddle. I also made the grave mistake of thinking Q was chill today. Sure at a walk he was fine. But as soon as we started trotting or cantering he was full speed ahead. It didn’t help that our trail buddy was also on fire. Usually the horses settle in the winter and are not quite so antsy. But this storm hit us for a loop and we haven’t yet hit the deep freeze slump that tends to quiet even the most fractious ones. So it was amped to 11. Given my fragile physical state and energy these days, I chose to take it down a notch and just walk most of the way. Q is very fit these days and it would have required a good 20-30 minutes of hard cardio or strenuous gy...
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The high road

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The last 24 hours have been a collection of creature comforts and happiness seeking as I sought to repair the damage of the anxiety-ridden last 10 days. I watched “Its a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”, had a great ride in the woods after a long absence, and finally got a good nights sleep. Today I took a mental health day. And the sun was shining. The last 10 days have required my attention on professional matters that otherwise would have taken a downward spiral. The situation had me doubting myself and putting much credence on my naysayers. I chose to address it head on, and take the high road. It took the form of a public apology in a large forum while watching the confusion of my audience most of whom were left dumbfounded. It was a great big serving of humble pie. I experienced a wide array of emotions leading up to that moment and after, including guilt, doubt, defiance, anger, fear, mistrust and embarrassment. I came home after a trying day to a husband who listened and ...
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My muse

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Riding is down ⬇️ Dog training is ⬆️. Our little bichon puppy is now 10 months old and is a confirmed lap dog, but also a certified trick dog, and novice in scent tracking, agility (no jumping), and has started swimming lessons. We have definitely double downed on lessons and training at home. As a result, its been harder to fit in the riding and the worsened commute to the barn (now 2.5/3hrs round trip) as a result of road construction. But when I show up, Q is happy to provide kisses and look for carrots. He has been a good egg in my 1-2x a week habit. Big changes have happened at the barn where resident trainer was kicked out and we went to a coop style management, with double the turnout. Everyone seems happier. What hasn’t changed is how Q continues to be my greatest muse. He makes me giggle and happy cry almost every ride (when solo). There is just an incredible emotional resonance with this horse. Such joy. The gross hot weather of the summer now seems to be over, and Im hopeful...
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