The last month or two has been very light on the riding front for me as I’ve started adjusting my schedule and expectations due to the tiny creature currently inhabiting my body. I quickly decided to limit my riding to only Frankie – while friends have offered to let me hop on their wonderful animals, I simply trust Francis the most out of all of them and know him the best.
I’m also only riding when there are other people nearby/in the barn/in the ring. I’ve never hesitated to ride solo before and I’m also very sure that Frankie won’t pull anything silly, but it’s an easy enough restriction to put on us to make sure we’re being safe. Our barn almost always has other boarders or lessons going on so this hasn’t posed a difficulty.
I did spend several weeks only flatting, largely because I felt a bit like death warmed over. The phrase morning sickness is a lie – I was a nauseated goblin most of the day and especially in the evenings. Every ride ended up being play-by-ear; some days I hopped a crossrail but more often I’d flat around and then call it a day. Now that I’m finally feeling a bit better, we’re doing very advanced crossrail courses of 4-6 jumps. Wildly advanced stuff.
While I’m not convinced that Frankie knows what’s going on (sweet boy is not the most observant), he has continued his unbroken streak of being a Very Good Boy. I was joking the other day that he’s clearly already putting in his application for short stirrup pony: he loped around those crossrails happily, offering auto changes and letting me sit there and do nothing.
From my conversations with other friends who have kids, it sounds like everyone takes a step back from riding at different points – some stop early on, others continue flatting but stop jumping, and others keep going with few changes for quite some time. I’m planning to keep riding at this more low-key level as long as my body feels comfortable with it, and I’m endlessly grateful to have my perfect Francisco who I can trust to keep me safe. My saddle time and my barn time overall are so important to me, no matter what other changes are going on.
However, realistically I will need to take a step back at some point, so I am investigating options to ensure Francis still has a job to do when that does happen. I certainly have my preferences for what type of situation I find for him and my trainer is on board with those plans, so fingers crossed that things work out the way I’m hoping. Regardless of what option we pursue I’ll be eager to get back in the saddle with him once the little one is here and I’m feeling recovered. As sappy as it may sound, Frankie has been with me through so many big changes in my adult life already and it feels right that he’s part of this next chapter too.
To my friends with kids: what did you do with your horse(s) when you took a step back? Any tips as we explore different options?
hellomylivia 
Would you be willing ( to sell for one shilling…NO, STOP THAT!) to send me full size files of all the pics you have of Frankie in that black background? I know of two, but perhaps there are more?
Daddoo
Sent from my iPhone
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