Here4Ponies Member

I caught it on Netflix the other night, too. More than anything else, I am AMAZED by that horse. He's a once in a lifetime partner. Really hard for me to watch horses in movies...as I'm sure it is for the rest of you... but i love Hidalgo. Viggo is a treat to watch.

Last night was my second ride in over a month on the 7yo OTTB. He stabbed himself in the shoulder just before Christmas. Between that, bad weather, and holidays I hadn't ridden him since. Until Sunday. I lunged him three days last week to get his mind back to work mode but I was still expecting a lot of 'oh hell no get off…

I need to remember not everyone learned to ride the way I did: bareback on a nasty (really very patient!) Shetland pony on my Grandma's farm, dodging the cattle. I don't think I rode in anything smaller than a 5 acre pasture until I was a teenager. I find riding in a crowded arena to nerve wracking. :)

@tmcoyle I'm a dressage rider and my barn is mostly other dressage riders and hunters. I'm amazed at how most of them refuse to ride outside the arena. A lot of the DRs refuse to ride in the outdoor arena, preferring the indoor even in summer. My trainer (an eventer and jumper by training) purchased a middle level dressage…

I love rides that, on the surface, seem uneventful but the fact they ARE uneventful is worthy of celebration. My semi-retired Paint gelding, Primer, has reduced vision in one eye. Before he was gifted to me nearly 4 years ago, he was removed from the lesson program because he had started spooking with very little…

@luckypony71 I'm right there with you on wanting to avoid getting hurt. Takes a lot longer to heal (mentally, too!) now than it did at 15 or 25. Absolutely nothing wrong with being cautious but good for you for wanting to push yourself a bit. @jcraig10 Good luck at your show tomorrow! And be safe hauling out. @showjumper…

@showjumper I totally get it. I'm one bad day, one more confrontation with the owner, one more blow-off by her groupies away from walking away from a trainer I love because of the stress. I get knots in my stomach as I'm driving to the barn. What should be a sanctuary has become a place of dread. I highly recommend talking…

I think I may have found my lesson for the kids I teach on Saturday! My grandma used to do things like that for me. Those are some of the best memories of my childhood.

@luckypony71 I'm looking forward to reading about your rides when live lets you get back to it. Even if it's just a quick jaunt around the paddock, let us know! Sometimes those are the most important rides for the soul.

I do, too! Really helps me keep things in perspective, gives me new ideas, and to not get so down about this chase toward perfection that is dressage that I will NEVER reach. Sounds like you both enjoyed it. Fantastic! Yeah, my OTTB youngster Havi has a helluva buck but PJ..... lol he's so cute when he's mad! :)

@luckypony71 no matter how much I may not want to admit it, sometimes being a mom is more important than pony time. I hope the birth was uneventful.

Robert Dover riding a freestyle expo to "One Moment in Time." First time I had ever seen Grand Prix dressage. It was simply magical. I remember my dad exclaiming "he's making that horse skip!" when Mr. Dover rode a line of one tempis. I knew then that I wanted to do that, too. https://youtube.com/watch?v=OsUIodoG044

Hi Crimsongrey. My name is Here4Cookies and I'm an emotional eater (and a bored eater). It's been two days since my last binge. I have always been a bored eater or a mindless eater. Reading a book? Must have nibbles. Watching TV or a movie? Must have nibbles. I've tried doing things to keep my hands busy but most of those…

I do best with a 30/30/40 split and lots of water so that is my focus in addition to staying within my calorie allotment. I struggle the most with meal prep. It is essential for staying on target but feels sooooo time consuming. Would love suggestions if anyone has this figured out. :)

All of my resolutions are focused on my riding. 1. Do at least three schooling shows and one rated show. 2. Get all three of my horses cantering 20m circles on both leads in balance. 3. Get to and stay at a normal BMI. 4. Do at least one unassisted bodyweight pull up. 5. Sit Schoolmaster's medium trot and sit it WELL.

I'm in Kansas City Missouri. Barn is a 15 min drive from my house. Lots of land around here but most of it is dedicated to cows, soybeans, and corn. Or real estate developers who get it rezoned for houses. Most folks ride Westerns. Those who ride English are Hunters/Jumpers. The Dressage community is small but has been…

Baby steps forward and before you know it you've gone a mile. You can do it @luckpony71

I prefer Irideons, too. I have a pair of Goode Riders that fit well also.

I'm 45. I was lucky to have a father, grandmother, and great aunt who were all horseback riders so I grew up riding. My education was mostly informal trail rides. I stopped in my early 20s because adulting interfered. Tried going back in my 30s but, again, adulting. Now that my daughter is adulting on her own and I have a…

I plan to do at least one USDF rated show at Training level on my OTTB, at least one Western Dressage schooling show on my SO's gelding, and get a consistent left lead canter on my older boy. I'm timid enough that I won't jump anything higher than a cavaletti, won't take my youngster out of the arena unless we're with a…

1200kcals might be a bit too low for you for starting. I'm 5'3" and 169 and I'm losing weight on 1600kcals. I'm active right now, like you, but no formal exercising. Just a thought. Some things that have helped me:* Weigh everything. I have a digital scale and I weigh everything in grams. Literally. * Look for entries in…

I encourage you to go back if you can. I, too, have a history of abuse (mostly emotional). I have returned several times because as healing happens it seems to reveal another layer of trauma that needs to be dealt with. For me, the damage is a huge part of why I couldn't find my deeper 'why' for being my best self. I had…

LOL. No, not without technological help. I think this is one of the reasons the Tough Mudder races and CrossFit are intriguing to me. They encourage using the body in functional ways (or seem to from this outsider's perspective). Someday I'll do an obstacle race.

My why is sport related. I am a lifelong horseback rider and have dabbled in multiple disciplines over the years. As a teenager I saw an amazing rider and knew then that I wanted to be able to do the things he did. Now, nearly 30 years later, I am at a point in my life -- financially and with the necessary support -- to…

Feel free to add me as well. No unsolicited advice or diary critiques. Just interaction and encouragement. Our journeys are our own. Anyone else can add me as well.

Meal prep on the weekends. It's the only way to avoid cooking and clean up during the week.

I started at 222lbs about 10 years ago. Weighed in at 170.2 this morning. I haven't always been trying to lose weight but I have been making healthier choices. EVERYTHING has changed: food, drink, friends, family, jobs, hobbies... even what I consider relaxing is different (horseback riding instead of watching TV). These…

Tangentially, yes. My 20yo daughter is FAR more active now because of it. I join her for walks a couple times a week.

Hot and humid here also. I teach horseback riding all day on the weekends so I'm outside moving from about 7am to 5pm. I find an electrolyte supplement helps a lot. Look for an intraworkout supplement geared toward endurance athletes. Also, try one of those cooling towels.

Sugar. MMMM. Made brownies this weekend with a full cup of the highly processed white stuff.