Great ride, clean boots, and now...

...sitting down to homework after a day of doing things that were much more fun. I worked at the farm twice this week, which apparently meant that I was allowed to join in a group lesson today! Score! We worked on straightness at the trot and canter, and I almost got a gallop out of lazy-pants Manly Stanley on the long sides of the ring.

I'm feeling much more confident at speed now that I'm riding three times a week--there was a period last fall where I was very nervous and unsure of myself. I think part of the problem was that I was working so much on top of school to pay for the lessons, and I was so overloaded that the stress was manifesting in my riding. Frustration and disappointment were exactly the opposite of what I hoped to get out of lessons...so I'm glad that I've found ways to ride without working myself to the point where I can't enjoy it.

Another bonus of today was that I got some zen time to clean my boots in the sunshine. They were looking rather disgusting after the rainy, muddy weather we've had over the past few months. Thankfully there was no mildew--although I hate my Ariat field boots (they don't fit right, but they were the only ones without zippers, and I have a weird aversion to zippers on my tall boots), I don't have the money to replace them.

Clean, clean, gloriously clean!
Well, not the breeches...

Is it wrong to love doing boring chores? Cleaning tack allows me to get in that same relaxed state of mind that mucking does. Maybe my attitude will change once I get a horse of my own, but for now I'll take it.