Friday Fabulous Blogroll

It's been a busy week, but not in a bad or stressful way, except of course that I haven't blogged as much as I would like. But I wanted to say a quick hello, and shine the light on some relatively recent blog posts I've read that have particularly spoken to me.

Firstly, Karen of Bakersfield Dressage's post "Not Where, But How."

An excerpt...
I have been focusing on how we're going, rather than where we're going, and I mean that literally. Rather than just riding a 20-meter circle at A, I am focusing on how we're riding that circle. Is he moving off my inside leg; is he balanced in the corner; is he maintaining a steady rhythm?

Geometry isn't on here.

This has been a recent revelation for me as well, and Karen was able to articulate it perfectly. This focus has helped me not only get much more out of my dressage lessons, but every other ride too. It's less about the circle being perfectly round, or going around the arena, than it is about balance and bend and impulsion and relaxation and rhythm and on and on. How you're going is what will move you and your horse up in training, not the perfect circles.

Secondly, SprinklerBandit's "Community" post on her Non-Equine Life blog.

SB has a magical way of saying so much with so few words. Her posts are always a joy to read, and this particular post was timely for me personally, as I have been taking an honest analytical look at the people in my life, and questioning their roles in it. As well as my role in theirs. Community shapes us and supports us. Its important to occasionally take a step back and look at it and try to define it and its meaning in our life at that moment.


Finally, thank you to Niamh of Life of Riley for selecting Hemie et moi as a runner-up for her contest. Congrats again to her for a blogging milestone. We should all celebrate these kinds of achievements. =)