Winter Motivation

Winter is wet and gray where I live. And it lasts more then a quarter of the year. This year I'm having a harder time getting motivated to get to the cold, damp barn. I don't know why. When I get there I'm just fine since I warm up quickly enough grooming my horse. I've been finding that getting in my hot tub for a good 10 mins warms me up pretty well. Then I get my riding clothes on and head right for the barn. Works to help wake me up from sleepy winter slumber too.

The other caveat is that I don't like being at the barn by myself. And even if there's someone there, if they aren't riding in the same area as me I tend to be a total slacker. I trot less, canter less, and generally get off my horse sooner. I definitely don't push myself for any extra effort.

I have arranged someone to ride with on Mondays and I take lessons 3 other days of the week, so it's not like I'm not getting to the barn at all. But in the summer, I was riding 6 days a week on average and it was WONDERFUL! Of course the weather was geared towards outside enjoyment. I do often wish my barn had a web-cam so I would know if someone else was there.

Keep focused on goals - like showing

I guess the key is to keep focused on my goals which is to show hunters and dressage this year. And since I'm pretty competitive, I'm going to want to show well. I'm not afraid to put in the hard work - especially as it doesn't quite feel like work to me. But I have to get myself moving to make any strides. This also applies to my #1 goal this year, fitness. As well as continuing this blog. I still need more sleep.