Riding On!

After much discussion, thought, and knashing of teeth, I have made the executive decision to move George to New Barn! It seems that whenever I am faced with these life-altering (ya right!) decisions in my life...say, to change jobs, go back to school, get married, or buy a Starbuck's coffee other than Sumatra, I shift into HyperAnxietyMode. I mull and muse until I am completely bonkers and H refuses to discuss the matter with me anymore. I then pronounce my Final Decision, wherein I have relief for about 2 seconds before I find that the original problem that led to The Anxiety goes away and I wonder why I was deciding to change anyway. Get it? Ya, I don't either.

For instance, I made The Big Barn Decision '07, let my current barn owner know, and cried with BarnFriendEmily about how we will miss each other. Then, true to form, I had 2 excellent rides on George and thoroughly enjoyed several evenings at the barn with Emily and a few other boarders...where was all of this a few weeks ago when I was miserable and ready to chuck the riding thing altogether??? Argh.

Anyway, despite the fact that Old Barn is now a place of fun, great company, and riding enjoyment, I am still moving forward with the move. I think in the grande scheme of things, I will be better off at New Barn. The indoor arena is larger and the footing is well-kept so I will be able to work with George on a more regular basis in a bigger place. There is also a very large outdoor arena and some trails so we can vary our riding and he can play Ranch Horse at times. Old Barn is more geared to trail riding and while that would be fun this summer, my riding goals lean more towards improving my Dressage riding. I can't possibly reach my ultimate goal of being a True Dressage Queen if I am trailing riding. Hrumph!

So, there it is! I am a little nervous about the whole *meet new people* phase; however, I am excited to get out and ride and learn about all things George. Moving Day is tomorrow so today I get to gather my gear and help George say goodbye to his pasture pals. We'll pass out apples to all of his buddies and make sure they have his forwarding address so they can write to him at his new boot camp.

...and a heated tack room!

I am in a bit of a conundrum at the moment regarding where to house George. The farm where I have kept him the past few months is very close to my house; however, I am finding more and more that I am just not cut out for the *self-serve-type* barn arrangement. Yes, it is very handy to live only 5 minutes away. No, it is not very handy to have to do my own turnout, feeding, and stall cleaning.

Thru a friend, I found a barn about 15-20 minutes away that currently has some openings. The price for board is $100 more than I am currently paying. I am figuring that what I am now spending on buying my own grain and stall shavings, in addition to the time I am spending would probably even out as far as cost. Yesterday, I drove to the place to take a look. It is very nice with a very large indoor arena. I could actually just arrive, tack up, and ride...no stall cleaning, venturing out to the pasture of 10-12 horses to fight to get George inside! Honestly, it seemed a mecca compared to what I am doing now.

The drawback thusfar seems to be that H is kind of skeptical about the change. I think he likes the folks at the barn and, in fact, we have had some fun outings with them. Perhaps he is afraid, as I am, that our new little social circle will go away. I so much enjoy little Emily and the new foals and the mini horses...I would miss all of that as well. It is a bit like deciding to change hairdressers!!! Oh, the stress! The jist of it, tho, is that I really want to enjoy my horse and improve my riding...and it has not been easy to do that. At times I spend so much time with the cleaning and such that there has not been enough time or energy to ride.

Am I getting to be a spoiled dressage queen? Yipes.

I guess in the past few months I have decided what I need as far as the barn where I board. Despite H's skepticism, I am leaning towards making the change. H is going with me today to take another look at the place...so maybe he will see what I am talking about.

Just had to write down my thoughts...stay tuned!