A picture is worth a thousand words they say, and as pictures go this one sums up the last fortnight pretty well.
It is difficult enough with horses. Time, money, more time, confidence, more money. Poop. There's always poop. Then factor in being self employed, 4 children to love, support and drive around like a local mini cab, (oh and a husband who works most weekends and a mum with severe Alzheimer's) and the time element of horse ownership can feel a little tight. So in a effort to combat the endless guilt of not doing enough with horses, children/family, I try to organise my week in timetable form. I have a weekly planner and in each little 1 hour box I duly allocate (and colour code) each segment to cover work, exercising Tuff, visiting Mum and any of the children's appointments. At this point I should probably mention the boxes are pretty full and do not include any essentials such as eating, showering, wine consumption or sleeping.
Now I know, and I'm sure you know, that horses and children rarely conform to 1 hour time slots no matter how pretty their allocated colour is. Lime for Tuff and pink for the kids in case the OCD among you were wondering :)
So why do I bother? Why do I spend at least half an hour and 2 cups of tea on planning time slots if I am 99.9% sure that it'll all go to hell in a hand basket the second the alarm rings on Monday morning? It's because if I do not at least try and set straight in my mind a riding plan for the week, Friday evening will roll around and I will be muttering into my wine glass "Huh, where the heck did the last 5 days go?"
It's a discipline. As no matter how dedicated a student of the horse I am, no matter how much I study the theory when the kids are asleep, how much I eat sleep and breathe horse, unless I get my butt in the saddle on a semi regular basis I am not doing myself or Tuff any justice.
But it was not working. The equated to my type A personality becoming very stressed with regard to being prepared enough for the clinic, being frustrated that I could not be all things to all men (& boys, girls, equines, canines etc) and generally feeling not in control.
So, I have modified my plan. The hour time slots remain, but I am more realistic in my expectations. Instead of aiming for an hour in the saddle 3 days a week, I've broken it down to a quality 30 mins 4-5 days a week, not including any groundwork or issues that need longer time. It's taken the pressure off me, it has made things more achievable, and guess what, my confidence has soared this week. The regularity of my time in the saddle is proving to be fruitful. My sessions with Tuff are short sweet and very successful as a result.
I feel confident that the basics will be solid for Aintree, and that we will have a foundation together from which to get the most out of the clinic.
So as I sit down with my timetable this morning, highlighter in hand and tea hot and steaming, feeling very smug muttering whimsically to myself... I am supermum, I am a domestic goddess, I am an organised professional horsewoman, I am ..... sooooo very, very, very SCREWED!
IT IS ONLY BLOODY HALF TERM THIS WEEK!
See you on the flip side x
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