May 2020 - Staying Positive.

Another quiet (ish) month in lock down! This month I've found it a lot more difficult to keep positive, and I will openly admit that I have struggled to adjust to Belle as quickly as I would have liked.

I knew the jump from a 15.1 to a 16.2 would be big, but I am definitely finding it a lot harder than I thought. I think that the thing I struggle with the most is that how different Belle is from Savannah. I knew Savs like the back of my hand, and so when we were struggling with something, I knew exactly how to work her through the problem without too much difficultly. With Belle I just don't know her that well, and so if we're finding something difficult I don't always know how to work through it. It's very easy to feel frustrated by this, but I know it's part of riding new and different horses, and hopefully I can learn how to deal with that!

However, it's very easy to focus on all the bad things and not notice how good the good bits are. Belle has improved a lot in the two months we've been together - she has developed a lot of muscle, she is a lot fitter and things she found difficult she is now finding easier. When I stop to think about it, I can find plenty of positives, I just need to remind myself to focus on them instead of immediately jumping to the negatives. I feel that as a rider I myself have improved since having Belle, and having regular lessons with Harry over the lock down period has contributed to this massively - part of me still can't quite believe I'm here training with him. Belle is a really special horse, and I want to be able to feel that I am doing her justice when I ride her.

Now some of the restrictions have been lifted and we are able to get out again to train, I think things will get a lot easier, and I'll be able track our progress much better. I'm looking forward to learning and progressing with Belle and I can't wait to see where we will be in a few weeks time!