It’s February…cold, snowy, and nowhere near spring! For those of us who can’t winter down south, green grass and warm temperatures seem a thousand years and a thousand miles away. Sometimes sinking into a deep armchair with a good book is much, much more appealing than going to the barn to ride! But this is the perfect time to work on all of those little details I always promise myself I’ll do “when I have more time to focus”–ride without stirrups, perfect that counter-canter, practice poles on the ground. So how to jump-start my motivation and get myself out of the house? Two things: lots of visual reminders of my big goals, and as much contact as possible with like-minded friends and colleagues. This means last year’s Rolex ticket posted on my refrigerator, and watching DVDs of Rolex, Badminton and Burghley, along with how-to videos from Jim Wofford and Lucinda Green. It also means emails, phone calls and Facebook messages to friends to find out what they’re working on, and to cheer each other on! When my resolve sags under yet another six inches of snow, I look at my Rolex poster of Andrew Hoy and say, “what can I do today to help me get there?” Somehow, that always manages to get me into the ring–and I’m always, always glad I did!
Only 4 more weeks till daylight savings time…and the first opening dates of the Area I events! We can hang in there!
