Sometimes the very thing you are frustrated about is the thing you wished for previously.
I trailered my mare to an arena to work on barrels a few days ago. She was turning her first barrel really well, but when it came to her second and third barrels, she would get heavy on her front end and swing her butt around. (Part of this is definitely my fault and I am not lost on that.) I found myself feeling frustrated. I quickly reminded myself that even 2 years ago, I wouldn’t have known what it felt like for her to be heavy on her front end and I wouldn’t have known what was even going on under me.
My reasoning for sharing this is that I wished to be a better rider. But even more importantly, I worked for it… diligently. I have put in the time and money to become better. But I am getting frustrated with the growth. Because everything I was frustrated about during that ride was due to my growth as a rider and a trainer. I wouldn’t have been able to be frustrated about what wasn’t going well if I didn’t know how to feel or identify what the issue was.
I am grateful that I have put in the work and have more awareness when I am riding. Sometimes we need to take a few walks around the arena and realize that the very issue that you are allowing to create negative feelings inside of yourself is really just GROWTH. It’s a great thing that we can now identify the issue. It means you're closer than you think you are.
-LD