A busy year comes to a close with winter work starting now!

Last week was the end of a hectic year with the last event which required 'performance' being the Young Rider Squad viewing on Saturday. Unfortunately Julius and I didn't perform our best because Julius was very tired from the busy week he just had (travelling to and from Leicester, two days of training with Gareth Hughes on Monday and Tuesday, staying overnight at Talland and having a lesson with Pammy Hutton FBHS on Wednesday and returning home at 6pm that night) which he really isn't used to. I was also filled with expectation and hope, considering his great results so far, and was gutted when he didn't feel 100% energetic though didn't want to overcook him for the sake of a viewing.

Julius and I out for a relaxing hack at Talland... just like old times :)

So from this week on it is just quiet training at home over Christmas and New Years until January with another squad viewing on the 8th and the first competition that matters, Addington High Profile on the 20th. I know exactly what to work on over the winter to improve our scores so am getting myself on track with suppleness, a good seat and solid basic training with the horse listening to me 100%.

Seb is coming back in to work really well now. Lungeing has been really useful in getting rid of that excess energy he has built up from having 6 weeks off work, so he is calm and focused once I get on him. My last couple of rides have felt more like the Seb I'm used to riding rather than just doing basic fittening work. I can tell he cant wait to start doing his half-passes and changes properly (we are just dabbling in them at the moment, working on the suppleness first) and its lovely to have the old Seb back. It makes me really appreciate how good the feeling that he gives me is, I had almost forgotten how much of a dream-boat he can be to ride if you get it right on the day. Castrating him hasn't changed him at all luckily, and he still has his power and personality.

The healthiest food shop of my life!

With both the four-legged boys having an easier time just working on basics and suppleness over the winter, I can also use this time to train myself to improve strength and body composition with my personal trainer James. He took me food shopping this afternoon which was hugely useful in knowing what my diet should and shouldn't consist of to get the most benefit out of our training. It also helps me be prepared with healthy lunches and snacks to eat while at the yard riding so I have sustained energy and not go for that sugar hit on the way home. It makes a change to see my fridge full actually, I'm excited to start cooking and preparing my healthy meals!




Before....

After! :D

Something I also need to get cracking on with is my Distance Learning Biology work. I have just found out that my first set of exams for the AS year are in January, the first being the 9th. Considering I only started the course half way through November, havn't managed to send in one assignment to my tutor and need to invest in a microscope and some 'water-fleas' for one of my ten practicals I still have to do (at home!) as well as complete a full-blown research assignment, similar to a dissertation, I highly doubt I am going to be ready for this exam. Oh and my tutor is off the email and out of contact for her Christmas break from the 16th of December to the 2nd of January. So brilliant. It's okay though, I'm going to check if I can do my AS and A2 exams both in the summer, so I can catch up with my late start of AS next year and be ready to do both A-level year exams in June. I do the work and study, but life in general gets in the way of doing the 6 hours a day that most people do. That amount of time studying isn't exactly possible for me! Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!