Ugh.
Jetta has been doing great! She has now been off of her oral joint supplement for a month, and has been on acetyl-glucosamine injections for almost 2 months. I have not seen one thing that would alarm me in her movement. In fact, I have only good reports on her! I'm sure that just jinxed everything.
We have had an abnormal amount of snow here this month, which has limited us to the small indoor arena. Until last Sunday. The sun was shining, and I had had enough of arena "fun." Jetta, too. Who cares that there was 2 - 3 feet of snow on the trails, and it was 10 degrees out? We sure didn't! My plan was to take it easy, just walk the entire way. My main goal was to just go out and hack around...protect J's shoulder, and above all....relax. The first portion of trails was easy to maintain those goals, since it is all mostly downhill, so J had to take her time picking through the footing. It was gorgeous out! We saw some wildlife, enjoyed the wonderful golden sun beating down on us, and just had a great time. Then, it was time to head back. Which was mostly all uphill. Now, when Jetta wants to go, she will bob on the bit a time or two...asking to go. Within 3 strides of heading back up, she was wanting to GO. So, I figured...what the hell. She launched us forward and off we went. I swear she was laughing right along with me! We got up to the top and I slowed her right down, and all was fine. The rest of the way back is through large hay fields, and again she was bobbing at the bit. So, since I know the footing well there, I let her go again. It was literally like we were bounding along on mattresses! It was the strangest feeling...all that power and go, but absolutely no sound from her feet striking the ground! Every couple of strides she would throw a front leg out in joy, or a little bunny hop from behind. I know she had a smile across her face, and I was laughing in joy.
It was one of those rides that I will remember forever. I will remember the way the sun was in the sky, the sound of our breathing, the feeling of absolute freedom and joy. It was a precious gift that Jetta gave me...and I will treasure it forever.
So, things are going great. We've done some light arena work, and Jetta's shoulder is holding up really well. No heat, no swelling, and no gimpiness follows any of the work. Even after our fun ride last weekend, she was fine!
If we are going to seriously compete in dressage this year, our first show is in May. So, I've been comtemplating a game plan to get us both in shape for it. After pushing her too hard and too fast in the past, I've decided slow and steady wins the race. Until this past week.
My old trainer informed me that there is a Hunter Pace in KY on March 20. Yikes! We have a month to get in some sort of shape??? The good news is that we did very little to be "in shape" for this same pace last year, and we finished in fantastic condition. So, now the game plan changes. I plan to work more on fitness than dressage for the next month. And you know what? I think in the long run it's really going to benefit us! It makes sense, in order for Jetta to even attempt dressage movements, she has to be fit. And so do I.
So, here we go. March 20 is the Pace. March 20 will be a defining day. I'm ready. And I plan on J being ready too. :)
Updates on my weight loss: it's coming off slower than I had hoped, but it's coming off. I started on 1/4, and as of now have lost 7 pounds. I'm more excited about the fact that I'm in a smaller size now! Woo hoo! Talk about motivation!!! Work is changing majorly in the next couple of months (my job is fine, there are just changes to the business itself), and one of those is new uniforms. I am a surgery scheduler for an ENT surgeon, and we all wear scrubs to work. Our name is changing, as is our logo, and our colors. So, we get new uniforms. The company came in with samples for us to all try on, and I was literally jumping up and down to be in a smaller size! I don't think I have EVER worn a size L in scrubs! Woo hoo! Just for giggles, yesterday I put on a pair of jeans in a size smaller, jeans that I bought with the intention of getting into them....and they fit! Perfectly! Not too tight, not too loose. Perfect.
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