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| Treated to this lovely little indulgence - afternoon tea with some reading :) More sugar than I probably had in the last 2 months ;) |
"Day off" is such an odd name. I wish there was a nicer name for a day when things are maybe a little slower or just different than on other days.
I don't do any horses or teaching today but stay on stand by in case my riders competing at Farley Hall need me. All goes well and Emma rings with an update. I am delighted to hear she had a great day. Shabby had a tense dressage but managed 40 for it which is rather good. In a relaxed state he is totally capable of mid-30s but keeping him zen within the boards is an art in itself.
He jumps better too, has 3 down and at least in some parts of the course he is much more rideable. They have clear XC but with some crazy amount of time penalties and I think Emma must have literally flown it! The course causes some problems with many run outs and stops so it's the sort of event where Shabby can show what a special little horse he is. So very happy for them as they work hard on the details.
JTE (jockey-to-event-rider) does very well too. It's her first affiliated BE event and they have 39 dressage, 1 down show jumping and one stop on XC course, otherwise fly clear. Super happy for them too as they only just started and there is still so much scope for improvement :)
I read an interview with Mark Cavendish, the cyclist. He says of his sport "It’s a rollercoaster of pain, fear, joy, crashes, excitement, boredom and pressure. But I live for it.” He could easily be talking about horse sports ;)
I think of the motivation. It's not just the love of horses even though of course it's a huge element. It's not about pursuing recognition, fame or some form of competitive glory. It's the taste of pursuit in itself.
Addictive.
Wx
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