Nothing like coming out of the start gate with your first blog post of the year five months after the year has started, which coincidentally quite accurately mirrors how my riding progress has been going this year. And this is due to a variety of reasons and challenges, both mental and physical.
And thus reveals the theme of today's blog article: working with an aging body and more succinctly the limits pressed upon oneself by said aging body.
Baring it all: spare tire, multiple chins, huge smiles and everything
While my hope and expectation was that the mere act of moving my horse, my training, and my life to Langley would magically result in a spike in our progression and produce horse show scores and placings to match, life unfortunately has had other plans. From a broken wrist (exacerbated by early onset arthritis) to multiple bouts of flu/cold to long-term COVID symptoms to now being knee-deep in peri-menopause and all the weight/metabolism/energy/mood challenges associated with it, coupled with the guilty feelings of under-achievement caused by said physical challenges, it's been a lot. And I constantly have to remind myself that IT'S OKAY. It's okay to not have some unachievable laundry list of levels or certifications or awards that full-time professionals in the horse world have spent building over a lifetime. And sometimes it's also okay to just have fun and enjoy your horse.
Thankfully either some part of my subconscious smartened up and realized this or that phenomenon that kicks in during your 40s where you stop giving a shit what other people think happened because at some point I just started riding for fun. Like you're supposed to. Mind you, I was still riding with "coach voice" in my head with all the theory and practice from lessons and training; the difference now is I started viewing horse-related activities (even SHOWS!) as a social activity rather than through the high-anxiety, high-stress lens that my Canadi-Asian upbringing taught me to regard tests and judging. Less reverence and crippling performance anxiety and more as learning and enjoyment.
I cannot express how freeing this is mentally.
Because the physical is still a bitch.
Healing from injuries takes longer now ... or feels like it takes longer. There's extra stiffness, there's less flexibility, less strength. There's a lot more weight due to a wacky metabolism that has now shut the door to all the weight management tools that previously used to work. Everything from mounting up, dismounting, the way my feet work in the stirrups, the angle of my hips in different saddles, the muscle recovery time, everything works differently now. And it's only going to get harder going forward.
And this is why it's so important to do all the things moms and doctors (and us) say to do: take your vitamins, do your stretches, cross-train with both strength and cardio, eat your fruits and veggies, surround yourself with peers who have the same goals, and work with your healthcare providers. Not to say I do any of these well; I definitely struggle. However, I'm now working with a naturopath to hopefully tackle my frustrations with hormones, metabolism, energy level, and food situation so that I can tolerate some cross-training to support my riding fitness.
I'm also having these conversations with fellow riders in my age group. I figure knowledge is power, and sharing is caring. If I find something that helps me, you bet I'm going to share it with the people I care about. And likewise I've gotten everything from riding tips to life hacks to encouragement (aka enabling lol) from my pals in turn. And most importantly my horse and I are having an absolute blast! At SHOWS!
Sincerely,
Your friendly neighbourhood reincoast equestrian
Silver
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