city kitties!!!

Naturally, after wrecking myself stupidly off Lion after what was otherwise a pretty baller lesson (giant corners ftw!), I had to skip off to NYC for a two day work trip. Bc nothing quite suits a sore, slow moving, crutch-assisted walker like the kind, spacious and friendly sidewalks of Manhattan.

Except, wait. That's exactly wrong haha. I was WAY too slow for those New Yorkers haha. Luckily I was mostly off the crutches by Monday, and some strategic (and TIGHT) ace bandages gave my sore muscle the support it needed to more or less do its job, albeit a little slowly.

Manhattan isn't my favorite city - it's slightly too crowded and pushy, and I suspect I'd be unhappy in day-to-day life there. But for a short visit it's definitely fun, esp if you're inclined towards walking all over creation. I wasn't able to take much advantage, but work meetings had us moving around enough that I still got to see and experience enough to enjoy myself. 

Especially when we arrived early to one meeting and got to stroll around Central Park for a little bit, taking in the pleasant weather and local fauna. 

Like this adorable City Kitty!! Lolz... Apparently it's more than just the human citizens who like to get out and about!

Ok so in all seriousness, these 'city kitties' aren't truly adorable - more like harborers of disease and pestilence. But as someone with an affinity for nearly all furry fluffy critters, I have an appreciation for (domesticated) rats. 

I interned at the local zoo in middle school, where part of the job was processing the weekly shipment of feeder mice and rats. The rat pups (so called bc they legitimately look like teeny tiny puppies) were so cute, I always felt bad feeding them to the various birds and snakes and lizards etc.

So one day they let me take one home to keep as a pet! And I gotta say, they actually make fairly nice pets. More friendly than the typical gerbil/hamster/guinea pig!

Anyway tho, I've been to Central Park a couple times - but each time only briefly and in slightly different corners. Its such a massive park considering the location, and it's so easy to feel like you're light years away from such an urban hot spot (aside from the ambient noise lol).

And bc I can't help myself, I snapped all sorts of low quality, poorly composed pics for the blog. Bc if it can't be horses, it might as well be something! (Like city kitties!!!!) Or like this archway vista. Definitely wouldn't mind having a barn door that looked like this arch too. Feels very grand. 

Lest you wonder why you're seeing random pics of NYC on what's otherwise a dedicated horse blog, here's proof that I had my eye out for anything even remotely horsey haha. This is how devoted I am to bringing quality horse-related content to readers here at 'Fraidy Cat Eventing. Not only am I shooting pictures of manure, but also editing them. You're welcome!

Anyway I think all the walking did me good. The muscle is definitely still sore - esp when it comes to lifting the leg from the hip. All the joints work fine tho and the muscle seemed to loosen up with the movement (so long as I didn't over do it), so that each day we were there I could move a little faster and more comfortably than before.

Which is a good thing bc while this particular week is fairly quiet on the horse front, I've got some STUFF planned for this weekend. 

It's still unclear how much riding will actually be involved, but there will DEFINITELY be horses. Hopefully lots of them. Esp if everything goes according to plan and I can make it up to Plantation's big event this weekend - ideally I'll be there on Sunday for xc. Anyone else thinking about going?

I'm always so inspired by upper level events, watching the pros get it done so easily and beautifully. And these days I need all the inspiration I can get haha. It's not totally clear how my riding routine is going to shake out in coming months, but one thing is for certain: if I'm having trouble jumping something as nice and well schooled as Lion, it's time to get my nose back to the grindstone haha. 

We'll see tho. There are still a couple more work trips ahead of me. Tho I doubt any will be quite like this NY trip. Idk if it was bc we were there just after 9/11, but damn the security everywhere is tight. Like, look how ridiculous this ID tag is for getting into a museum for a 1 hour mtg? Does this maybe count for the most meta selfie ever?!?

October is shaping up to be a particularly busy month too, with 4 potential trips. It's hard bc I want to make plans and I want to add things to the calendar and whatnot. 

But in a way I'm grateful bc even if everything works out exactly the way I want, it'll be important to go slow and not rush and not suddenly pile on all the pressure again. (esp if I'm still a little gimpy lol)

In an ideal world, tho, I'll have something to ride whenever I want. And that something isn't likely to be Isabel. Much as I love that sassy mare, I have had zero inclination to ride her for anything more than the very occasional trail ride.

I'm hoping something will work out at the new h/j barn just bc it's so close to home for me, and so easy to get to even after a long day at work. 

Anyway we'll see what the weekend brings horse-wise. And definitely lmk if any of you are going to be around Plantation on Sunday too!