I made a vlog! So don’t judge my filming/editing etc, it is very much my first attempt. It’s much harder than it looks. I had a pretty chilled day, just riding and hanging out by the pool before starting my work. But wanted to see what I get up to? Go watch 🙂
Hope you enjoyed! Give my youtube a subscribe and instragram a follow (@harrietkristina)
Vlogging is strangely addictive and editing is fun – much harder than I expected. Time to get learning! Who doesn’t love having to learn a new skill.
I turned up to the stables on a Monday morning to have my usual private lesson, it went really well, practised my rising trot and even a little sitting trot (I’m like five lessons in). When washing off my beautiful horse my riding instructor asked if I’d like to help collect the horses after a trail ride that had gone out that morning, I’m a yes girl, so I said yes.
Trail views over Atlantic Ocean
We drove down and collected the family who had just had a wonderful stroll through the countryside to the beach on horseback. They were as happy as could be and couldn’t stop saying thank you. Then they were in awe as they watched two of the horses be let free and gallop back to the stables. They then got in there air conditioned taxi and headed back to their hotel.
At this point I was mounted and luckily in control of my horse so he didn’t follow those galloping into the distance. We set off walking back up hill with the odd trot, which I was super happy about (getting in that practise), then my riding instructor asked how I would feel cantering a little up the hills (darn me being a yes person). So off we went….
So beautiful
Bloody hell this is fast
My sunglasses are definitely going to fall
My bones might shake apart
I’m not falling off though
THIS IS AMAZING
It was scary but so amazing, I trusted my horse and as my instructor loves to say ‘went with the horse’. The hack back was insane, beautiful and incredible fun, we walked on long reins, trotted and cantered up hills. We made it back in about 45 min (it was a two hour walk down). It made my Monday!
The more time I spend around horses and in the saddle the more I want to be, its turning into quite an addiction. Anyone tried a trail ride while on holiday? What did you think?
As always please go follow @harrietkristina on Instagram for more 🙂
When did you last set an achievable goal? When did you last actually achieve one of these?
Because I JUST DID and I’m so happy.
I normally fear setting goals as when I don’t manage to hit them it makes goals become so uninfluential and easy to ignore. I am most definitely guilty of setting goals that are too big and too hard. Having recently started riding I decided that all I really wanted to be able to do was to be confidently walking, turning and trotting. Well in my riding lesson yesterday there I was trotting in a circle :D.
I am fully anticipating being awful at my next lesson, but for now I’m super happy!
My next ‘baby goal’ is to be confident with rising trot on three different horses.
More general update is that I’ve got a block of ten lessons booked in and a hack when I’m in the UK in May. My stables are already hinting at leasing me a beautiful Palomino #i’vegotthebugsobad called Candance.
As always please do follow or check out my instagram (@harrietkristina)
Health and fitness. Its one of the UK’s biggest industries, every January gyms get swamped with people trying to lose weight, tone up and get fit. Sadly these motivations often burn out as normally they are fueled by aesthetic reasons which is quickly forgotten on a cold, dark, drizzly Monday morning.
Personally I’ve always been into my health, I notice a huge difference in my mood, my mental and physical health with a direct correlation to how much I move and what I eat. Probably not at all surprising considering that food is our fuel and our bodies are designed to move daily and a lot.
My Goals
Riding Motivation
I’m not here to be a fitness buff, I don’t want bulging muscles or to be able to run faster than everyone else. I do want to be able to not get out of breath on a jog, strong enough to snorkel for a long as my attention span, have a perky butt that I’m proud of in a bikini and have a strong enough core to master trotting #ridinglife. I want to be fit enough to live the life I love and find fun!
How am I going to achieve this?
Morning tennis!
My personal stance (and full disclaimer – I am not a trained PT in any way) is to do a wide variety of movement, exercise and sport as often as you can, ideally daily. For me this means yoga, riding, swimming, going to the gym and walking. When I spent most of my time in the UK I loved running, but it’s simply too hot out here for me (the melt is real). This really does vary for everyone, I’m sure some people hate the idea of going to the gym or spending an hour on a yoga mat!
Gym Selfie
When looking at your movement I would advise looking at incorporating different types of exercise to ensure you have something to work on your mobility (e.g. Yoga), your cardiovascular (e.g. swimming or running) and an exercise that is high in osteogenic capacity (builds bone) such as dance, resistance training or running. The most important thing is moving regularly so chose activities you enjoy – its okay to change things up and start something new.
How to keep accountable?
Happiness Planner
For me, I like to write things to down. I use my Happiness Planner (https://thehappinessplanner.com/) to keep track of my months goals and plan things out – aka my whole life. I literally go nowhere without my planner and my wonderful matching pen I found! I’m also going to start do a little fitness update each month on here to log what I did and what went well and what was a challenge.
What are your fitness goals? What do you love doing to get your body moving? Let me know in the comments 🙂
As always please follow my Instagram for more and to follow what I get up to day to day (@harrietkristina)
Horses have always been a love of mine, I was fortunate enough to have lessons and attend Pony Camps as a child, as a teenager I rode sporadically, normally borrowing a friends horse for a hack, but nothing structured or regular. So now that I’ve got some spare time and needed a hobby to fill this up with (I’m just not a Netflix binger), I’ve naturally migrated back to ponies.
Don’t worry, I’ve ordered boots and more suitable clothing!
I am a beginner, past remembering how to hold the reins, I seem to remember very little about riding, and this is oh so very humbling, its also the best fun! My love and enjoyment while riding has definitely not changed. I wake up excited the mornings before my class, enlightening a memory of me waking and getting dressed at 5 am thinking this would mean I would get to go riding sooner at the age of six.
Bijoux
I’m four lessons in and making some good progress with my posture and trot as well as tracking up and post lesson baths for the horse. I may have already booked in my next ten lessons and a few treks :).
If you’re think about starting something new, or revisiting a childhood hobby, all I can say is do! You wont regret it. Life is about experiences and memories, about enjoying and trying.
Blonde Traveller 