We’ve been back in Wisconsin three weeks, but it may as well be three months or three years the way time seems to have slowed. I knew it would be difficult coming back after living such a full-on equestrian life at Ashmore, but I didn’t realise just how aimless I would feel. It’s not that there is nothing to do, it’s more that I have no motivation to do it yet. Gradually the passion that drives me to succeed in this sport will return, I know it will.  Until that time, I am negotiating the ‘Void’.

Negotiating the ‘Void’ isn’t all bad though. It offers time and space (is there technically any time and space in a void?) to soak and let the lessons sink in. It allows ideas to begin to grow again, and it provides a much needed rest for both mind and body.

I’ve needed the physical rest. So has Gage! He has put his weight back on and is adjusting to his new home. I think he really loves being out in a herd again. It also appears that his ulcers are clearing up and that he is much more comfortable. In the short term he’s on meds to settle his tummy to heal. In the long term I’m looking for a supplement to nurture a healthy stomach environment and to always be vigilant about making sure he is safeguarded with omeprazole before travel. The really good news is we are back in the tack! We’ve had five rides so far and each one has been better than the last. It seems we have both retained the training from our time at Ashmore.

Gage has also had a session with Stefanie Reinhold using the Masterson Method. Here is a tiny excerpt. He’s really enjoying it!

I, on the other hand have for three weeks felt like I’ve been sputtering out in my attempts to move forward. Every time I thought I could get moving, I was set back by something –  horrible allergies, then a cold, and finally a UTI (perhaps the worst malady of all). I’ve also been nursing a pain in my left foot for the past two months. Every step is accompanied by a burning pain, and although I was able tolerate it and to get through the hard work at Ashmore, it is debilitating now. I can’t run, jump rope or do any dynamic activities without pain, which limits what I could do for fitness. Amazingly, it doesn’t hurt to be in the irons even though that is probably what has caused the pain in the first place.

All is not lost however, as a little sleuthing and a session with my Egoscue therapist has identified the source of the pain is a misalignment in my left hip. I’ve probably had this imbalance for eons and the extra riding at Ashmore exacerbated the condition and brought it to the fore. Not to worry, as I’m now armed with a set of exercises to help re-align things and can report that the pain is subsiding quickly. With diligent practice of these exercises, I should be back to full steam ahead in no time at all.

None too soon! I was starting to worry that lethargy and depression would fall upon me if I didn’t get on with things sooner rather than later. To nip that in the bud, I decided it was time to get back on track and come up with a PLAN.  A 90-Day Plan. This is a great tool I learned from my coaching with Anke Johnson where goal setting is broken down into small, measurable pieces to be achieved over a 90 day time period. Pretty much, ‘It does what it says on the tin’.

One of my goals is to get back on track with my functional fitness training. With the foot pain resolving itself, it looks like a feasible goal, so without hesitation I booked a session at Monkey Bar Gym (MBG) with my trainer Rob to evaluate my current status and set up the training for the next eight week cycle. Monday morning I found myself back at MBG feeling a little out of place yet oddly familiar as I went through an evaluation to benchmark my progress – if you can call it that. I’m the same weight as when I left for Florida, but my overall body fat percentage is slightly up, and even worse, it looks like I’ve lost a bit of muscle. It’s hard to say exactly, but this has all most likely happened as a result of being off for three weeks combined with over working and under feeding in Florida. It really doesn’t matter what the cause, it is my current state and a benchmark to improve upon in the coming weeks. And hey, it gives me something to focus on to get out of the ‘Void’.

I also did the physical evaluation and tested against benchmarks I set in December. The results:

• Balance on one leg:      Improved
• Kneel on a physioball:   Woeful!
• Squats with 50lbs:        Matched
• Deadlifts with 70lbs:     Matched
• Assisted push-ups:      Improved
• Assisted pull-ups:        Let’s just say they aren’t my strong point!
• Holding plank:              Improved

What’s even worse than the losing some of my fitness level is the realisation that I am going to be sore for a couple days. OMG I’ve forgotten how it feels to push muscles and recover afterwards. Everything hurts, I mean everything! It’s two days since the evaluation and I’m still hobbling around. It’ll probably be two more days until I feel better, and then I will begin my return to real workouts and training – and I’ll be sore all over again. This cycle will probably go on for a few weeks until I get back up to speed, and then I’ll be able to stop whinging on about it all, in fact, by then, I’ll probably be back to lauding the effects of working so hard and the benefit I experience in a rider. Until then, it ain’t going to be pretty….

Here are the goals I’ve set with Rob to achieve in the next eight weeks:

1. Decrease foot pain/eliminate it (priority no. 1)
2. Increase flexibility with yoga to counteract the effects of riding
3. Increase lateral hip strength to translate into riding
4. Increase upper body strength to be able to do a push-up unassisted
5. Decrease belly fat – oh the stubborn hold of belly fat!

And here is the weekly programme to help me achieve them:

1. 2 runs/week
2. 1 jump rope workout (2000 revolutions)
3. 2-5 yoga practices/week as needed
4. 1-2 resistance workouts/week, starting with kettle bells Clean/Squat/Press at 50lbs
5. 4-5 rides on Gage/week plus any addition riding I can find
6. Daily Egoscue alignment exercises for foot pain

That’s it! Piece of cake, right? Actually it’s going to be a lot of bloody work and I’ll admit, it’s a little daunting. But then, it wouldn’t be so rewarding if it were easy and remember I did set the overall goal to become an elite athlete and ride to the Olympic level. Achieving these sorts of goals are always the result of dedication to incredibly hard work. The challenge to succeed is worth it and I’m looking forward to posting my results as I progress through this programme.

I’m looking forward to sharing the progress and taking you all along for the ride.

One last thing: Here is the video of our final lesson at Ashmore. We managed to squeeze one more in before leaving and it was well worth our effort. It gives a great perspective of what our typical lessons were like, but also condenses all of the hard work together into one place. I hope you enjoy it!

Annalise

Yes, we are back in Wisconsin and it is quite an adjustment. Everything feels awkward and foreign after three months at Ashmore, and so COLD! Gage has been wearing a blanket to augment his sleek Summer coat and I’ve had to break out the thermal layers. Bit of a shock at first, but we are adapting quickly as we settle into our ‘Up North’ life.

There is so much to still digest from Florida. It’s going to take time to adjust and feel at home here again. Gage and I are taking that time, using the first two weeks to re-acclimate. I’ve got plenty of unpacking to do and Gage will be busy eating to put on some of the weight he lost on the journey. He’s also showing signs of ulcers (quite common in horses when they travel) so he’s getting the appropriate medicines and getting plenty of pasture time before we get back into work. Luckily Gage loves to eat, so he should be back to 100% in no time. Here he is doing what he does best!

"Well, SOMEBODY has to eat all this hay!"

I, too am working on reviving. I’ve got a few kinks to iron out after such intense physical work before I’ll be ready to be back in the tack. I can’t emphasise enough the importance of re-grouping before jumping headlong into the next phase of our training. With a little patience and time we will both be back to full steam ahead and better than ever. Until then we are processing, re-focussing and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new saddles!

More to come, I promise!

Annalise and Gage

P.S.

I’m also working on getting extra video footage together from our training sessions. It’ll go up on my youtube channel soon. I’ll keep you posted once it’s ready and get the links up here on the blog.