For some reason lately, I've been getting discouraged in my work with Desi. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with my horse really, or if I'm just a little depressed outside of the barn. I feel like our progress is at a snail's pace and some days, like we're backsliding. I still love my horse with all my heart and tear up when I consider spending time away from him, but I'm just not motivated right now. It's really frustrating. I want to do great things with him and I still want to feel like we're improving together. Our goals however, are not as clear as they used to be. The things that we used to struggle with are no longer a problem and I'm not sure how to proceed.
I guess what I'm really saying is that Desi and I have made great progress but now we're stuck in a rut. He's finally progressed out of greenhorse classes but we're not really competitive in open/regular ones. I feel like we're working on the same little things in lessons over and over without really improving. I'm not sure if this is because we were working on basics and now I'm not really seeing the "transformations" I'm used to. Getting him to the point where he canters collected and doesn't spook at pool noodles was a big visible accomplishment. Eliminating the tiny bit of lean at the higher gaits and backing straighter are boring goals in comparison.
So my problem now is finding a way to get my motivation back. How do I make my boring new goals interesting? How do I motivate myself to look forward to lessons and pursue perfection passionately (hehe I used a lot of p-adjectives)?
I guess this is my next project. I need to get myself excited about riding again.
