Cob Jockey

This is me. (USCAA National Cross-country Champs, '09)

Most equine bloggers do their best to keep their personal lives out of their horse blogs, and I will as well, but I think it's important to visit the balance between our personal and equine lives.  As I write this, it's Wednesday, I haven't ridden since Sunday, haven't seen my horse since Monday, (to be fair, I can't ride on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to arena usage, so that's normal) and I'm sitting here in work clothes two glasses of wine in after my friends and I's monthly book club meeting.  I've worked out at 6am all this week due to evenings being crazy, and my dogs have been sadly neglected since my husband is in Germany for work.  (It's not as glamorous as it sounds - he's the new guy and gets the grunt work, like spending a week in Germany working around the holidays.)

This is me. (Urinetown, The Musical)

There has to be a balance in our lives.  Because I have so many interests, (Crossfit, cooking, IT, fostering Huskies, eventing/Contender), I have to realize that I'm not the type of person who's ever going to excel at any one thing, and I am absolutely okay with that.  I'm going to be just slightly above average at a lot of things, and that's what makes me happy.  The Jen of a few years ago would have had a hard time admitting that my goals shouldn't always be "Being #1", but the Jen of today revels in that idea.  I can be in really good shape without deadlifting 400#.  I can be a competitive eventer with a happy, healthy relationship with my happy, healthy horse without doing a 4*.  In my case, at least, it's not accepting mediocrity, but it's embracing a lifestyle that allows me to pursue everything I want to do, and one that truly makes me happy.

This is me. (Eloping to Italy in 2010)

Tomorrow it's back to the barn for a lesson, but only after a 6am Crossfit workout, eight hours of working alongside my coworkers to keep the network running smoothly, purchasing drinks and food for our Christmas party this weekend, and getting at least some part of my house clean in advance of my husband coming home.  To some, it sounds like torture.  To me, it's in that balance that I find happiness - and my currently fuzzy chestnut pony that I miss dearly is one of the biggest parts of that.

And this is most definitely me!  Look at that Cob body filling out!