2019 Goals!

I’m not generally one for New Year’s Resolutions but I do like to set myself goals (generally with very little time frame restrictions) so here’s some  I intend on working towards in the next year!

Get Strong

The first goal for the year is a bit of a continuation of what I have already been doing and doesn’t really have an end point (so not a SMART target!) but it is to get stronger!  I’m not in the camp of people who want to lose weight or look more ‘insta ready’ but having gone right down to the strength of a marshmallow in July after my hip replacement, I have a whole new appreciation for muscle and core strength.  I know it will help my riding as well as my general continued hip rehab!  The plan is to continue with home physio, do more yoga, more walking and more swimming!

Compete

I can almost hear you reading this and saying ‘come on Poppy, you keep banging on about wanting to compete but you still haven’t done it’.. Well this year is our year. It has been around 17 months since our last real dressage competition (see the picture below) and that is appalling! I now have the transport and the support, just need to rustle up the money and the skills!

Move On

On a more personal note, we hope to move house in the early part of this year. Having already moved ten times since I left my parents’ house in 2010, I am hopeful that we can find somewhere to properly settle in a good location for Pea and both of our work locations AND with space for our guinea pigs and potential future additions to our team.

So there we go! Short, sweet and hopefully achievable!  What are your goals for the year?

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Another ‘Normal’ – Five Month Update

Another month has passed since my hip replacement! I was thinking  of calling this ‘The Old Normal’ as parts of life seem to be back to how they were a long time ago however there is one fairly crucial difference, so much less pain.

Life In General

I have always been a busy person and although my operation forced me to have some down time, now that I’m back in a full time school job I feel like I’m right back to that ‘full on’ routine again. I am a mug to be working three jobs (my tutoring and a weekend day at the shop add on to my school job). I guess I’m still trying to make up for lost income in the summer but I’m going to cut down on the shop work after Christmas and win some free time back!

Riding

Getting back into lessons has had a massive impact on my riding. I actually feel like I’m back to where I was ability-wise before my operation although I am struggling to feel good about canter as I used to find it so painful. I’m having a lesson next Sunday so hopefully gradually I can change that. These days I’m up to half hour sessions in the school and generally it is my muscles aching afterwards, not my hip. Horray!

Hip Matters

I don’t want anyone reading this to think that once you’ve got a new hip and you’ve done a couple of months of strengthening that all is good and you can leave it there. I’m still doing physio exercises daily (which now involve a foam roller and an exercise ball) and there is still a long way to go to improve my range of movement. My scar area is also still sore sometimes.

The key reason why this is ‘another normal’ rather than the old normal is that I can do so much more walking without limping or being in pain. We went to Whipsnade Zoo today for a joint birthday outing (if you have never been, it is a BIG zoo) and I had no issue walking around. I often refer to Pea in the winter as a muddy hippo but I’m pretty glad she’s not as wide as one!

There was a bit of extra poignancy as the last time I went to Whipsnade (also for my birthday) was before I was diagnosed with Perthes and the hip problems started.