I talked about burnout last week and how those little flickers of success can be enough to keep you going through the grind. Last week, we finally had a significant breakthrough, where Kiss really started to get more balanced and relaxed into the work. She really gets into the work and enjoys it, once you get going.

However, she does have a smart, nimble mind and, as someone who also has a smart, nimble mind, I recognize that working on the same challenges in the same way day after day also creates burnout. Drills and drills and drills make us less willing players, even if we do see the benefits in the end. I recognize this in my workout routine. If I do the same type of thing every day, I’m much less likely to want to do it. I need variety to stay focused on my goals.

Yesterday’s lesson, we focused on ground poles. Ground poles do a variety of things, but mainly they help a horse use their core because they have to pick up all of their feet to go over them. They also help prevent a horse from rushing because they have to be mindful of where they put their feet. Kiss happily trotted the poles and only rapped them twice, which I’ll take as a win, considering her previous walks over poles during obstacle days had her slogging through them like they weren’t even there. Also, there was a lot going on during our lesson, as usual, and she was able to stay focused and avoid spooking.

As I’ve said before, I think the spooking is partially a side effect of her lack of balance, and, as she gets more balanced, she gets less spooky. As the tension dissipates, so does the fear of a random movement or noise in the distance. If we can get to a place of average horse spookiness all the time, I will have been proven right, I think.

As for my own position, it’s improving too. I didn’t get a chance to ride anyone but Kiss last week, but I did work on myself. I’m less tippy as I gain more confidence and my leg is moving less. However, I still need to work on my right toes turning way out and on rolling my thighs in. Still, as long as I’m improving in the right direction, I’ll get there.

I’m really happy with how things are going. I felt like it would never improve. Now we’re getting somewhere!