Remember

. . . 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.