Friday, February 15, 2013

Finding Time to Ride and Riding Alone

I haven't ridden since the clinic I attended almost two weeks ago.  I know its a common problem with my fellow riders -- finding the time to ride.  

I have great intentions each week.  I want to ride three times each week and each week I start the week thinking its really going to happen. Then work, kids, volunteering, barn chores, family obligations, laundry, travel, the dishes that I swear multiply as fast as the single socks from the dryer vanish .....   well..... then the riding just doesn't happen.

I do a great job of making sure that my horses are taken care of well.  They have good hay, fresh water, the most appropriate feed, and any medications they need.  They are fed twice a day and have access to a nice pasture and shelter.    The part that doesn't happen in their care is the regular riding.   And that keeps us from moving along in our training.

I like riding.  Shoot.... really lets be honest.... I LOVE riding.  So why don't I do it more often?  I should be out there everyday riding.

Probably it comes down to the reason why every mother doesn't do the things they want to do.   We are last on the list of priorities.  Our family and community come first and if there is an extra minute in the day, that belongs to us.  And there is rarely an extra minute.

One commitment I have to my family is that I try not to get hurt when riding.   Riding can be dangerous and I accept that but I do what I can to limit the danger.  For that reason I try not to ride alone which limits even more the amount that I can ride since its rare someone is at the barn.   For years I never rode alone but eventually I realized that wasn't feasible if I wanted to ride even occasionally.   

So now if I am riding alone I call or text a friend with this great message, "I'm getting on now.  If I don't call you back in 45 minutes, send an ambulance."    I have a group of friends I do this with and we all feel safer that we have a safety net .. just in case.  Its not a perfect plan but it does help us get on our horses more often.

So how do you make time for riding?  Help this overworked, under-riding Mom out with some ideas.

2 comments:

  1. I have the same troubles when trying to find time to ride. I prefer not to ride alone *Just in case*, but I rarely have someone around...ever... I like your idea of texting a friend when you get on, that is a smart decision. I am lucky enough, at the moment, to have 2 hours to myself while my son is in school. I plan on using all that free time to ride as soon as the ground dries up. When school lets out for summer tho, I will have to convince my son to keep himself occupied for a few hours each day so I can ride. I have 4 horses that I have to work, and my son has a pony that needs work. My hope is that my son and I can ride together this summer, but I will still have 4 horses to his 1 so I doubt he will want to ride every single day. Not to mention the horses I have to work at the local rescue, and any clients i may have at any given time. This lifestyle requires a lot of juggling of time and energy. Best of luck trying to figure out what works best for you, I am still in the process.

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  2. Well it does help to know that I am not the only one with the issue of finding time to ride. Its hard to figure out why something that I love so much is so hard to fit into my life. I WILL be riding tomorrow though. I have taken advantage of the past two days terrible weather to get my home and work chores done so I can ride guilty free. My sister-in-law, in response to my blog, suggested that I put it on my calendar so it happens. I think that is a great idea and am going to try to incorporate that into my calendar once a week.

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