Purge

I haven't done much by way of actual updating recently. For one, school is kicking my ass, and two, I don't have much to write about.

I got up to the barn the weekend before last, but didn't do much more than visit with Kev and give him his Christmas gift (review to come!). I went out and saw little Mex, and FORGOT treats. Ohmygosh, how awful. That's probably the first time in years that I've gone out to see her and not brought her a little somethin' somethin' to continue bribing her affection. I'm sure she was both shocked and insulted.

My favourite mama, Stella.

The next time I was able to get out was this past Tuesday. I visited Mex a bit (ample treats this time) and then pulled a mammoth of a mane for a horse who may be bidding the farm farewell. My good-friend-turned-barn-buddy K came up too, and her (grey) horse was insanely dirty. He would NOT roll in the snow for fear of staying just a tiny bit clean, but now that it's mud, he's all for it. It was about 10 degrees (~50F) so he got a sponge bath as a reward for his efforts.

The mares.

When hanging out with Mexi I noticed that she has some rain rot again - @#%^!* horse. This seems to be a common theme with her and I am not a fan. Hopefully homework won't be too heavy this weekend so I can go up and work on that a bit. I'm going to chuck a blanket on her too... her days of being a wild, free horse are limited...

Enjoy the breeze in your coat while you can!

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Wordless Wednesday: Hosin' Around II

Part I

 

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Fitness Friday: Oops

I must admit, I have done zero on the fitness front this week. I've been so mentally unprepared for the transition back into school that most evenings I'm just exhausted and do little more than nap or zone out watching tv. Tsk, tsk.

My tentative weekly plan is as follows:

Monday: school/work
Tuesday: school/barn
Wednesday: school/cardio/weight circuit
Thursday: school/cardio/general exercises
Friday: school/cardio/weight circuit
Saturday: work/cardio/general exercises
Sunday: barn/cardio/weight circuit

weight circuit: A preset circuit of machines designed by the gym to be completed 3x a week. I am a beginner to weights so I plan on starting with the machines and moving up to free weights as I get more fit (and enlist in some really knowledgeable friends to show me the ropes).

general exercises: Lower intensity exercises to keep my body working, ie squats, plank.

This is extremely tentative and may be altered depending on how I'm feeling that week. I don't want to end up hurt, but I also understanding that I need to push my boundaries a bit to see results, especially as someone with a lot of hormonal imbalances that make it very difficult to lose weight.

I'm also signing up for a Biggest Loser competition at school. I weigh in on Tuesday and pay $20 to enter; the challenge is 13 weeks long and the winner gets 60% of the money. Second place gets 25% and third place gets 15%.

Hopefully I will have a better update next week!

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Wordless Wednesday: Hosin' Around I

These photos were taken by Danique in June of 2011. It was Mexi's second bath, her first one being a brief medically necessary endeavour during which she was slightly "dozy".

Needless to say, she likes the hose.

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Goals: Q1

Here are my goals for the first quarter of 2014 (January - March).

Me:

• blog consistently (average 4x a week)
• ride (average 1x a week)
• work out (average 5x a week)
• lose 15lbs
• track finances

Portia is not impressed by our goals.

Mexi:

• hang out in a field like a boss
• prepare game face for Spring Training

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White Juan, Jr.

We were hit with quite the storm Thursday evening and Friday. We are a province acclimated to snow, but this one was a doozy; extreme cold temperatures (think around and beyond -20C with windchills nearing -40C; -4F and -40F, respectively) and high winds created an absolute mess outside. It was to the extent that the LC was closed (yay, snow day!) and buses were pulled off the road, which happens very rarely.

Photo from The Windsor Star

I work today, am taking tomorrow off, and start back at school on Monday. I'm excited to get back while simultaneously wishing I had had more time to relax over the break, but c'est la vie. Ponies cost monies.

In the mean time, I am aiming to head to the barn on Sunday, so stay tuned for some photos of snow and furry yaks horses.

I imagine some of you are heading back to work or school after the holidays as well, so I hope everyone survives their first days back.

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Fitness Fridays

To keep myself accountable in the new year, I am going to attempt to post about my fitness achievements (or lack thereof) each week. You know, public shaming and what not.

I stated getting fit as one of my overall goals for 2014, and I feel the need to stress how important it is. I wish to be a successful, competent, effective equestrian and I cannot achieve those aspirations as a couch potato. I have put on a lot of weight over the last few years - much of it due to health reasons, some of it due to just plain giving up - and this makes me unhappy, both in my personal life and in my horse life. It's time to get back in the saddle, both figuratively and literally, so why not use my blog to help me get there?

In the interest of keeping this horse blog an actual horse blog, I will limit these posts in length and frequency. If you don't care to hear me moan about getting my ass handed to me at the gym, feel free to skip reading my blog on Fridays. But if you have an interest in fitness as well, encouragement, discussion, and camaraderie is welcomed. Strength in numbers!

Pretty much.

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2014 Goals

Here are our overall "Big Picture" goals for 2014. I will also be making some smaller quarterly goals (inspired by Tracy at Fly On Over), so stay tuned for those as well. I considered doing monthly goals instead of quarterly goals (nod to L at Viva Carlos), but I will be riding so infrequently over the winter that I thought it would be counterproductive. I may break the quarterly goals down to monthly goals in the summer to increase accountability and achievability, but who knows.

I would also like to declare these rolling goals, keeping in mind that current goals may be altered or new goals may be added before the end of the year.

Me:

• ride more (which realistically is just "ride" given the past few years)
• blog consistently (this is supposed to be a training journal, after all!)
• get "riding fit"; get down to pre-thyroid weight
• maintain GPA (first semester grades average to a 96%, and from what I can tell from the almighty Google, that's a 4.0)
• harvest and maintain a positive outlook on life; take active strides to pursue and achieve all goals, big or small

See that grin? Gotta get back in the saddle!

Mexi:

• hack on and off property
• school training level/first level dressage movements; focusing on impulsion, forward movement, clean transitions, shortening and lengthening stride, dabbling in lateral movements, et cetera
• school a full course; land on leads consistently
• smooth simple changes
• attend at least one show
• attend hunter pace (I've been saying I would do this for the past two years!)

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REBRANDED

It is a new year - a time for pledging dedication and betterment... and a time for new beginnings.

I started the Little Bay Princess on a whim, and the name reflected that. I felt I had outgrown the title, and while I'm sure Mex will never let me forget her royal status, it was time to move on.

Unfortunately, after some investigation, it seemed as if starting a new blog would be the best course of action to facilitate the Mexi worshippers followers of our old blog to join us on our new adventure.

As a bit of an incentive, and because I was so darn close to hosting that contest at 50 followers, I have decided on the following:

* At 25 followers, I will host a small contest.

* At 50 followers, I will still host the original contest.

So without further ado:

Welcome to our new blog!

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