There’s a part of me that wishes that I was going on a long horseback trip this summer. The second best thing would be riding here and doing agility/groundwork with my horses. In my head, I know what I’d like to do with each horse. Tyra – I’d prepare her to be ridden and ride her. Hrimmi – I’d start getting miles on her. Raudi – I’d get lots of miles on her in preparation for the July CTR. Tinni – I’d have him assist me in ponying Tyra and Hrimmi. In a perfect world. . . .

However, a lot is going to be going on and already I’m in the thick of it. An analogy – I am now up to my knees in seaweed and will soon be over my head in seaweed. I am trying to avoid the plant under life and stay afloat. Sure, I can tread water indefinitely.

Alys and Rainbow leaving Taylor Park CO

This spring, in April, I will be going to the east coast and doing an update clinic in Vermont. There is also going to be a celebration in honor of Sally Swift. I want to go to it and meet with and perhaps interview those who were her teaching apprentices. I am also going to Schenectady and doing a Centered Riding internship. I suspect that I will be away for three weeks.

From now until June I will be putting my efforts into organizing a local Centered Riding clinic. Brit and Gregory who co-own the Saddle Up Arena are bringing Susan Harris back and this time also bringing Peggy Brown up here. They both worked directly with Sally Swift and are Level IV instructors. On Friday, June 9, they will do private lessons. There will be two clinics on June 10 and 11. The first will be a Centered Competitive Trail Riding clinic. And the second will be an open Centered Riding clinic. On June 16 there will be a demo day/Anatomy in Motion day. And there will be two clinics on June 17 and 18. The first will be a Western Dressage clinic and the second will be a Centered Jumping clinic.

I will give Susan an assist with the Centered Competitive Trail Riding clinic. And I hope to ride Raudi in the Centered Jumping clinic. That will be payment enough for me.

All of the above is a lot to plan for. I have to apply for individual grants for my east coast trip.

I’m fortunate in that I am not doing the local Centered Riding organizing alone. Most certainly, I would then be pulled down into the undertow/seaweed. Pete will take care of administrative-related organizing. Brit will take care of publicity. Gregory will take care of the grounds. I will, as I have been in the past, be the Jill of all Trades person, taking care of loose and not so loose ends.

I’ve already gotten going on the administrative end of things. I have already come up with a budget. I’ll have Pete look it over and put it in a form that will be acceptable to the Dressage Foundation. We are also going to have to come up with clinic schedule/flier which we will send out to various groups such as the Back Country Horsemen and the Alaska Icelandic Horse Association.

At the same time, I have to keep in mind that there are other things that are going to need to be tended to. For instance, I will be finishing up my Bones for Life certification classes this spring. And we are going to be expanding our already big garden. And we are going to be finishing the arena. Gulp.

One step at a time. Pete’s coming home late tonight. There’s a list of things that I am going to need an assist with on his desk. I feel bad about this. I’ll just try to take up the slack in other ways, like doing house stuff. Yeech. It amazes me how one person (me) could make such a mess without even trying. But that’s the subject of a slow news week.

Next: 10. 1/0/17: The Horse Life: The Watering Routine