. . . six months ago, Ashke couldn't trot with his head down.
. . . three months ago, I was still riding with a martingale to help bring his head down.
. . . two months ago, we couldn't canter a full circle to the right.
. . . we've only been doing dressage lessons for six weeks
. . . my feeling frustrated is NOT Ashke's fault.
. . . eating something at 4:30 will help my attitude and aptitude.
. . . Ashke is not responsible for my NOT being able to ride with balance or grace.
. . . last Saturday we trotted for six miles.
. . . Ashke is getting stronger with each ride.
. . . I am responsible for my temper. Losing it is my responsibilty.
. . . my being angry and frustrated by our canter will NOT make Ashke magically better. In fact, it will make him worse.
. . . I set the tone for our conversation, our relationship and our interaction.
. . . trying to make things happen faster will result in set-backs.
. . . commitment is the most difficult when things become difficult.
. . . replacing Ashke will NOT magically fix everything, or speed things up. It would just change the conversation.
. . . don't let stress from work or life affect the conversation with Ashke. Make of our time a space outside of those things.
. . . improvement needs to be measured in smaller increments: one stride, one try, one moment.
. . . Ashke is trying for love of me. I need to be worthy of that.
. . . tomorrow is a new day and Wednesday is a new ride.
Really great list, and just take a deep breath when the ride doesnt' go as planned. I have *so* many of those and am trying to learn how to let it go and remember some of the same things you just wrote down.
ReplyDeleteEven after having some not-so-great-rides recently I always try to remind myself (even put up post-it notes at my desk) how lucky I am to have the opportunity to try to get better, and have a horse that will stick with me! Sounds like you two have come a very long ways! That's something to be proud of.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Those are excellent reminders for lots of people. Thanks for sharing.
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