busy work for idle hands

Idle hands, but certainly not an idle mind. My mind is full right now of all things Loch Moy this weekend. FULL. I'm excited, guys.

task 1: inventory all the navy things!!

What can I say, but that I love horse shows? The 2015 competition season marked the first time in my life that I had the means, ability, and wherewithal to compete to my heart's content - and Isabel was right there in lockstep beside me, rising to every occasion and eating it up like candy.

It might sound sappy or weirdly nostalgic, but we accomplished more than I could have ever dreamed that year. And the way the year ended, and then our inability to return to the same level.... well. Ya know, I'm still sad about that.

task 2: continue shoving all of the food into that damn skinny ottb

All's well that ends well, tho. I'm not necessarily an "everything happens for a reason" kinda gal, but I can be a little existential in moving on with life. A little. lol....

So now there's Charlie. And it turns out I really kinda like this horse. He's a good boy, ya know?

task 3: admit that big fat fluffy dutch braids are probably not gonna happen despite my best intentions, so something's gotta be done about that mane

And I'm really hoping he'll be the horse to get me back to doing all the things a la 2015. Maybe, if we're lucky, he'll like the sport well enough to eventually cart my sorry ass back up to novice. But that's getting a little ahead of the game. That's all for the future.

task 4: do a shitty job pulling said mane, take even shittier pictures of the job, and then kinda panic bc why da fuq does his neck look EVEN SKINNIER post-pull?? #doinitwrong. repeat task 2 ad infinitum.

For now, I'm plenty nervous enough to do the little 18"/2' stadium round (no cross country for us this go-round, gotta at least pretend to school first!). And for now, I'm putting zero pressure on our performance. This weekend we're adopting the endurance motto of "To Complete is To Win."

task 5: nothing soothes the restless mind like persnickety arts and crafts projects, right? also, yes, that's a hot glue gun. #sewingisforsuckers #butonlybcikilledmysewingmachineoops

This is obviously aided by the fact that since we're only doing the combined test (just stadium + dressage), we're kinda automatically out of the ribbons anyway (unless there's enough CT entries.... but that's besides the point). So even if I let my competitive edge get the best of me... there isn't actually anything to compete against.

task 6: embrace the fancy garb to compensate for decidedly not-fancy horse. yasss this'll do!

Except for my goals. Which are, as always, quite simple: Have fun and try our best. Ideally we'll finish with a number and not a letter, but I'm honestly not even committed to that as a goal. Bc for now, I'd rather sacrifice some penalties for something like a circle in stadium if it means Charlie gets a cleaner approach to the jumps.

Really the most important thing is that we can have riding experiences (in the warm up and show rings) that allow Charlie to feel like he did the thing and was a good boy. And that allow for me to build confidence and keep my little dream alive.

task 7: keep my inner mental crazy kitties herded and well contained plz

We'll see what happens. If it goes well you can guarantee that we'll be cracking a celebratory beer or two! And... if it turns into more of a learning experience, well... then maybe we'll have a few extra beers on top haha. With an attitude like that, ya can't lose, right?!? (maybe don't answer that!)

Do you have favorite ways of psyching yourself up for shows? Does it depend on whether you've been competing often or are returning after a long break? Or are riding a seasoned veteran vs rookie green bean? Or maybe you hate horse shows completely and the idea of a competition gives you the heebie jeebies?