The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair – and big horsey life decisions

My first experience at the Royal re-affirmed a huge horse-related life decision that I’ve recently made.

Which brings me to major horse update #1/3: I’m no longer co-boarding Gordon.
If you’ve been following my blog at all, you’ll know that this is a really big decision – because I love that horse!

Now I originally wrote a really long post tonight, relaying each everything about this decision in detail. I decided to delete it though because I don’t want to write bad things about good people on the internet.

My coach, and Gordon’s owner, is a lovely, lovely person. Her only flaw, and the thing that was really highlighted at the Royal today/yesterday, is that she’s too optimistic. She makes promises that can’t be kept because she sees the world through glasses that are too rosy – she’s overly idealistic to the point that she convinces herself that unattainable goals can be achieved.

This wouldn’t necessarily be a big issue if we were in a situation that supported this type of idealistic thinking. But we moved to a barn that doesn’t have the facilities to support these types of aspirations. She keeps making promises that can’t be upheld by a place with no arena (not even an outdoor), and not enough co-riders for support/motivation.

Again, I won’t dwell too much on any messy details on the internet, but a few weeks ago it became clear to me that I needed to find a new horsey situation. I was no longer learning, and I didn’t even feel comfortable enough to want to ride most days at this new place – not a combination that leads to progress or fun.

Which leads to horse update #2:
A new coach with a great sense of humour, and a keen focus on how the rider’s position and influences the horse. She only takes on really serious riders, and is a lovely person. Can’t wait to share more about her lessons soon.

Last update of the night is horse update #3: My new friend…

However, I’m going to keep you in suspense about this boy for another 24 hours (mainly due to post-event tiredness).

Hope everyone’s having a great, equine-filled weekend!