Sunday

The Scholarly Equestrian: A Balancing Act

I am what you might consider a "scholarly equestrian". When I'm not at the barn I'm usually at school. It used to not be that big of a deal. In middle school, I only rode three times a week, and even though I might have thought differently then, I really didn't have very much homework.

Things have gotten a little more intense now that I'm in high school. Not only do I ride almost every day after school (on Mondays I do Pilates instead), but my homework load has increased. A lot. So, I've learned to balance the two. I've learned that I need to focus at school and get as much of my work done there as I can, so that I don't have to stay up too late in the evening. Once I get to the barn, it's important that I forget about everything having to do with school and only focus on my riding. Luckily, that's not too difficult. Then, when I get home at six, it's back to school mode. I know that I have to sit down and get to work right away. After I've done all my work then I can catch up on my TV shows. I also have to make sure that I plan in enough time for me to do my exercises every night, or my riding will suffer.

I've got this routine down pretty well, and I usually don't have a hard time staying on top of both my schoolwork and my riding. Some weeks, however, present a bit more of a challenge. Take this week, for example. Starting Tuesday I have final exams in all my classes (until Thursday), and the coming weekend I'm riding in a show.

I guess it's safe to say that it's been a pretty busy week. I've already spent hours reviewing and re-reviewing the material from this semester from all my classes, and on top of that I've had to memorize the tests I'm going to ride and focus extra hard on my training. And of course I still have to write out my plan.

My plan is a step by step, literally, description of how I'm going to ride my test. I have to go through every possible scenario that might play out in the show ring and lay out my plan of action for each one. Then I have to study it, memorize it. Know my five-page long strategy like the back of my hand.

Needless to say I'll be happy when finals are over and I can focus on the show, but until then, I'll have to find a way to balance the two. To be honest, I don't even mind that much. I would do anything for my riding.

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