Cob Jockey

Me: "I can't afford three hobbies, so I'm going to treat Pilates like physical therapy and just do it for a couple months to fix my issues and then quit."

Also me: 

*not its final location in my house

I was coming down to the end of my 50 minutes 3x a week Reformer Pilates personal training package, and it was time to make a decision on whether Pilates is a long term thing for me or not. It has honestly surprised me how much I've enjoyed it, and that's before we take into account what it's done for my riding.

It's not the only thing that's helped us improve so much this summer, but it's definitely a big part of it.

I started thinking about how to fit it into my budget long term, and realized that ideally I wanted a Reformer at home, both to make Pilates more cost effective and to pandemic-proof my life. (I'm operating on the assumption we're going to be quarantined again this winter until proven wrong. And I do hope I'm wrong.)

I had been casually stalking Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist enough to know that a Reformer would be a big investment - the cheap ones cost $2,000, the expensive ones cost $5,000, they almost NEVER come up used,  and when they do, they hold their resale value well. But of course, my husband says I have a magical superpower for bending Facebook Marketplace to my iron will and low budget, so I found the exact same studio-grade Reformer my instructor has, plus accessories, for 1/4th of what it costs new. Nevermind that I had to schlep the World's Tiniest Horse Trailer 7 hours roundtrip for it.

The Shadow's box trailer configuration is the feature I use the least, but damn is it nice when I need it

The girl's husband was like "Is this really going to fit in that little trailer?" when I pulled up. Son, please.

Made it by an inch, lol

So yeah, even though I said I wouldn't, I have three hobbies now. I'm going to drop back to 1x a week with my instructor and practice at home the rest of the time, which means this Reformer will pay itself off in about two months. Pilates feels like a long-term investment in my own "soundness", just like CrossFit feels like a long-term investment in my own health and fitness, and I'm excited to see what it continues to do for my riding over time.