My last post was met with mixed reviews, like, "Wow, you're motivated, but I just hate the cold." I get it. Here are nine things Northerners can do, without ever hopping on a horse:
- Sift through your tack box. I can only guess what's hiding in there.
- Memorize your tests. The sooner you know them, the sooner you can start imagining all the ways you might screw them up. Let the show nerves begin!
- Take an inventory of all things horsey; get a few new things if you need them, and out with the seen-better-days, never-to-be-used-again junk. For the love of all things holy, get rid of all the single gloves.
- Teach Pookie to lead better, by which I mean, drag Pookie around the ring until Pookie learns to follow along like a gentleman without dragging you to sniff the poops or spooking at the corner monsters.
- Read a classic training book. What is shoulder-in anyway? Try Steinbrecht's Gymnasium of the Horse, or Podhajsky's The Complete Training of Horse and Rider. Into jumping? How about Steinkraus's Reflections on Riding and Jumping? Have fears to conquer? Go for Sally Swift's Centered Riding, or Jane Savoie's That Winning Feeling.
- Get s*** done. Literally. As in, take a fecal sample to the vet. The ground is frozen, and your horse isn't likely to be picking up many new worms, so get those egg counts down.
- Is your trailer road-worthy? Dig it out of the snow and take it to the shop...where else would you find some old dude to call you sweetie? Get your fix of sexist old guy time early this year.
- For the ultimate at-home-sitter's winter task, organize your ribbons from last show season, while watching YouTube videos of your classes and singing along to Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days".
- Or, you could go ride. It's probably easier than doing all this other crap.
Squee! Ribbons! 
Inventory and organization, check.
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