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which_chick) wrote2011-08-17 09:44 pm
which_chick) wrote2011-08-17 09:44 pm
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I went to work today in my new work boots. We mowed lawns. As we mowed lawns, my new work boots ate holes in my heels. In retrospect, wearing the new work boots for mowing day was probably not the smartest thing I have ever done.
After work, I went conditioning with PH and Olivia on Ceres. The child of thunderstorms (whose actual name is Alanna or something that sounds like it is spelled Alanna) did not make it but texted Laur to tell her that she would definitely be there on Friday. Olivia wanted to know when there would be cantering. (Mostly we walk and trot. Conditioning happens at the walk and trot. The competitive ride will also happen at the walk and trot. The canter does not feature largely in this event, either in preparation or in actual competition.)
I allowed as how there would be cantering very close to when we were in condition for the event. Like, not yet. Like, later. When we introduce cantering, it will be for one-minute and two-minute stretches at a go. That's a hell of a long time to be cantering if you're not used to it and it will be *too much* cantering for the child, who will then want to go back to trotting, please. All the children want to canter until we start doing it for extended periods of time. Be careful what you wish for...
Olivia asked why we had to do so much walking/trotting. I should have composed an answer in advance of the question, but I didn't, so she got my actual answer: Because I want to win. I don't like to lose. Now, in many things horse-related that we do, we do not win. The kids show in 4-H and they get a few ribbons but they don't win, like first-place-win, at much of anything. There are halter classes, in which we do not win anything. I've drug my horse out to local schooling shows and not-won-things there, too. I'm OK with not winning things in those arenas -- we don't practice the skills needed to win and we don't have the right kinds of horses to win and I've made my peace with this. But when I take my horse to the Keystone Ride, I expect to win. I do my mileage ahead of time and I ride sensibly at the event and I fully expect to win my category. It may come to pass that I do not win, but it won't be because I didn't do a good job preparing and riding.
I care more about winning with Nick than I do with Whimsy or Callie (whom I rode sweep) or to-be-determined Dreadful Pony Project Horse next year, but I still care about winning even if I'm not on my real horse. I care about winning. I do not go up to State College to lose. I should have given a less-shallow answer about conditioning effectively and/or minimizing unevenness of stress on legs and/or something-something blah blah trotting is MOAR BETTER WORKING GAIT. But I didn't have an answer to hand, so the kid got the truth: We trot because I want to win.
After work, I went conditioning with PH and Olivia on Ceres. The child of thunderstorms (whose actual name is Alanna or something that sounds like it is spelled Alanna) did not make it but texted Laur to tell her that she would definitely be there on Friday. Olivia wanted to know when there would be cantering. (Mostly we walk and trot. Conditioning happens at the walk and trot. The competitive ride will also happen at the walk and trot. The canter does not feature largely in this event, either in preparation or in actual competition.)
I allowed as how there would be cantering very close to when we were in condition for the event. Like, not yet. Like, later. When we introduce cantering, it will be for one-minute and two-minute stretches at a go. That's a hell of a long time to be cantering if you're not used to it and it will be *too much* cantering for the child, who will then want to go back to trotting, please. All the children want to canter until we start doing it for extended periods of time. Be careful what you wish for...
Olivia asked why we had to do so much walking/trotting. I should have composed an answer in advance of the question, but I didn't, so she got my actual answer: Because I want to win. I don't like to lose. Now, in many things horse-related that we do, we do not win. The kids show in 4-H and they get a few ribbons but they don't win, like first-place-win, at much of anything. There are halter classes, in which we do not win anything. I've drug my horse out to local schooling shows and not-won-things there, too. I'm OK with not winning things in those arenas -- we don't practice the skills needed to win and we don't have the right kinds of horses to win and I've made my peace with this. But when I take my horse to the Keystone Ride, I expect to win. I do my mileage ahead of time and I ride sensibly at the event and I fully expect to win my category. It may come to pass that I do not win, but it won't be because I didn't do a good job preparing and riding.
I care more about winning with Nick than I do with Whimsy or Callie (whom I rode sweep) or to-be-determined Dreadful Pony Project Horse next year, but I still care about winning even if I'm not on my real horse. I care about winning. I do not go up to State College to lose. I should have given a less-shallow answer about conditioning effectively and/or minimizing unevenness of stress on legs and/or something-something blah blah trotting is MOAR BETTER WORKING GAIT. But I didn't have an answer to hand, so the kid got the truth: We trot because I want to win.