I seem to be going through a disconcerting period of being neither here nor there.? I now live in North Carolina, where the weather is fine for riding, and even for showing (in my mind), but there are no ?shows here now.? Those will be starting up next month.? When I lived in the North (Fairfax County VA to New York), winter was for schooling.? With an indoor arena, I could put the pedal to the metal and work on new movements.? I was ready to hit the ground running for the spring shows in one way or the other.
The concentration of East Coast dressage shows in Wellington, Florida, in the winter has turned the calendar around for the people in the northeast, even to a certain degree for those who stay where it is cold.? Some of the people who go south now consider winter to be their show season and use the summer more for schooling.? This has had an impact on the summer shows since that means fewer entries.? Some who go south do so because there are wonderful opportunities for clinics and training.? They will return north for the shows, but there is now a 3- or 4-month gap in continuity for the trainers or students they leave behind.
My own calendar isn?t just about training and showing but also about judging and clinics.? I’m often on the road in the winter, but it isn?t for my own riding.? What also happens more in the winter are educational forums, and I’m often headed somewhere for one of those.? In fact, last weekend I was supposed to be in Connecticut for the Dressage4Kids Weekend Educational Program, but with 3 feet of snow from Blizzard Nemo due, I got a 6 a.m. call as I was getting in my car to head to the airport.? The suitcase is still packed because we hope to reschedule, but I imagine it might be hard to find an open weekend for everyone involved at this late date.
Anyway, I go out to ride and school each day, but I still don’t feel the pull of the show season to motivate me yet.? Maybe it’s because the flora here has me confused.? I planted some pansies at Christmas just to have some color in the front of the house, even though my soul was screaming at me that pansies are an Easter flower.? Now, in the depths of February, my pansies look better than they ever did for me up North in April.? The daffodils are up now, and I even saw forsythia blooming in December.?? Maybe I will feel better when the snowbirds get back and the shows get into gear.
