School Wins.

Well here I am two weeks later, finally writing the second blog! My parents think that they sent their daughter to the South for college. Which is true but let's be real, I'm here to ride too! School will always come first because my parents made it well known growing up that riding depends on school work getting done. I've come to realize that there are some weeks that school wins and others that riding wins. Well, to say that school has won the past couple weeks would be an understatement! Normally the semester gets crazy at the end but mine got crazy the week before and two weeks after Spring Break. I turned in a 44 page paper for a Psych class before Easter and now this past week and this week riding wins! HA!
Balancing college and riding has not been easy. If it was as easy as school work and riding I'd be okay. But you have to include a social life, eating, sleeping, studying, bathing, riding AND finding a way to make some money to pay for the riding. Oh and if you're competing you are gone for a whole weekend. I've tried to literally do it all. I've been to friend's birthday parties in my riding clothes. And I've pulled all-nighters in order to finish a paper so I can ride in the morning. While this works to an extent, eventually, something has to give. I refuse to give up eating, sleeping, bathing or my friends and boyfriend so school and riding take turns. At least that's what I have found works for me! I drove myself crazy last semester trying to find time for it all and I simply could not. I got to the point that I dreaded going to the barn. Now that is dangerous. Black and I aren't going to the Olympics or NAJYRC so riding needs to be an escape from the stress of school and the second that it becomes a job, something has to give. This semester I've tried to be better about being okay with not riding every single day. If I can't ride because I need to study, so be it. I end up hating the barn when I'm there when I know I should be studying. So I've learned to reward myself with riding. I finish a paper, I go to the barn. Why it has taken me almost 2 half years to figure this out who knows! The hardest part of this is that trying to move up to Prelim has opened a whole new door of challenges. Most people can agree that Prelim takes a different level of dedication and discipline in order to compete successfully and safely. We've been going Training for awhile so it's not something that we struggle with. Prelim, however, is a different animal. It's a whole new level of fitness for both Black and I (So add working out to above list!!). We need more lessons, more shows and more effective rides. I planned on moving up to Prelim at FENCE this weekend but because of school kicking my butt (for lack of a better term), we've decided to wait until May. Black also seems to be struggling with ulcers so I'd like to get him happy and comfortable before asking so much from him. Like I said, I do this for fun. Black needs to plan on living forever so I need to completely happy with his physical fitness and health before I put him on a Prelim XC course. Neither of which I'm completely happy with right now so we wait! I'm looking forward to having a fun weekend with the Clemson Eventing Team and my mom who's coming to visit this weekend!