29th June, 2013 I Get So Emotional Baby

I turned up at the gym on Thursday. It's been three weeks since I saw Sally my Personal Trainer what with going to the Isle of Wight, an injury to my Achilles, life and one thing and another. She put me on the treadmill and while I could still breathe I told her all about my aches and pains, my concern about the marathon, how I didn't have the satnav to get to my next appointment and how I was worried that I would lose all my fitness. She looked at my gait and rhythm and saw that it was all over the place...just like my mind; lamenting the past and wishing for the future, left, right, in front and behind the actual moment of just running on the treadmill. When it dawned on me what I was doing and I just settled down to concentrate on my stride, there was a vast improvement.

I have lost count of the number of times I have worked with owners, persuading them to leave their emotions at the gate - particularly the negative ones - as they are of no use whatsoever in the training of a horse. Work with what you have got on the day. Just that.