Obsessive Compulsive Planning to Not Plan. Or Something.

I’ve always been an avid planner. While I do have my spontaneous moments, you’d better appreciate each one because they’re not all that common.

My life is extra enjoyable when I get to make lists also. The more detailed, the better.

At the beginning of each year, I create a new spreadsheet with all the shows I could possibly go to that year, and then I update once every month or so as new dates get added. Schooling HTs, CTs, Jumpers, Recognized HTs…it all goes into one place. I list the location, distance from barn, costs, and note any possible conflicts.

So this stage of not knowing what comes next is killing me. KILLING ME, I tell you. I’m itching to make my list.

The timing of P’s injury has been both a blessing and a curse. It’s definitely not ideal to first turn your horse out after 138 days in a stall during the winter/rainy season, and I fully admit to already having nightmares about the whole shebang.

But the blessing part is that for quite awhile P will be doing nothing but building fitness. Aka, long walks, lots of hacking out (which will be a welcome change from the arena), lots of boring work that just takes time.  And that boring stuff will be happening while Trainer B is down in Florida for the next couple of months, so we won’t be missing out on too many training opportunities, competitions, etc. So for that, I’m thankful.

 

After talking with Trainer B at length the other day (where I babbled on and on about drug dosages for his first turnout…might’ve mentioned getting a tranq gun, and was then reassured that yes, Dr. H actually DOES knows what he’s doing and that yes, P WILL be able to handle some trotting/cantering around a paddock. In other words, “calm yo’self”), he expects P to be cleared for more cantering/trot poles/cavaletti at his next check up at the end of this month. And his work load will only increase from there, with the expectation that P will be able to start jumping either before or right around the time he gets back.

Where I will happily hand him the reins.

The last time P jumped a jump was when we had been eliminated on XC at a baby log. Second elimination on XC in 7 days. So we didn’t exactly go out on a high note.

Especially considering a short 3 weeks prior, he had nailed the Novice version of this like a boss.

I just want his reintroduction to jumping to be as smooth as possible, and know that if I’m this neurotic about P being lazy about trotting, then there’s no telling what I’ll do to a fence. Hell, I never know what I’ll do to a fence.

And then will, in all likelihood, commission B to take P in his first horse trial back as well, since I definitely get show nerves and again, just want everything to go as smoothly as possible for P. Key difference there between Trainer B and I.

Me before dressage: ::drills myself on dressage test repeatedly. Knows test forwards, backwards, and from any point in the middle. Goes down centerline and panics about which way to turn. ::

Trainer B before dressage: Hey, is this the test where I turn left or something? Cool. ::Goes in and wins.::

Though with P soon being able to rejoin the land of the living (aka, the pasture), I maaay or may not be considering some dressage shows in the meantime.

I did go ahead and sign up to volunteer this Saturday at a CT being held at Carolina Horse Park. It’s about a 2 hour drive from my house, which is why I really never volunteer, but at this point I’m sort of desperate to do anything horse-related that doesn’t include me thinking about a certain someone’s tendon.

I hate driving but at the same time do have some catching up to do on audio books/podcasts, plus I give one hell of a live concert- maybe it won’t be so bad and I’ll be inclined to do it more often. CHP gives a $25 voucher per volunteering day, so if I can rack those up and get some good juju going, maybe the Riding Gods will smile upon me and P will actually be cleared for competing.

So while I get a little green with envy while reading everyone else’s goals and plans for the upcoming year, I guess I have the tiniest bit of one myself. And I’m probably going to go ahead and make the competition list anyway. Just in case.