Well, we are well into the middle of November now. And some who have been participating in a No Stirrups Challenges like mine, may just about be completed with their 10 rides. How is it going for you? Just so you know, today is only the 19th. So if you haven’t gotten in your 10 rides yet – there’s still time!!!!!
For myself, I have 7 rides in. Yay! Super proud right now.
And each ride has been with intention, and deliberate. I have not removed my leathers and stirrups from my saddle, but I have dropped my stirrups many, many times.
And one thing I have been seeing over and over again on social media is that people are saying No Stirrups November isn’t a good thing. I don’t understand why honestly. I think it’s a good idea for equestrians to practice without their stirrups – no matter what time of the year it is. But focusing on this exercise in November gives me the motivation to get outside and ride my horse. And if a month long challenge motivates you to actually ride your horse, how can that be a bad thing?
It has worked to motivate me. I have crossed my stirrups, dropped my stirrups, and done lots of other things to help motivate me to have a plan to ride my horse.
I worked my way up to completing a complete ride without my stirrups too. Because this is one of the squares on my No Stirrups November Bingo Card! It wasn’t a long ride, but it was a ride! It also was a good time for me to do it. I was dealing with Plantar Fasciitis for the first time ever. And it just happened to happen right at the beginning of November! So actually riding with my stirrups caused pain in my ankle as well as my foot. But riding without my stirrups was actually pain free!
Thankfully, I have been stretching with the help of a product recommended to me by my real job boss. It’s called the Pro Stretch Double Calf Stretcher. And this thing is AWESOME. It works better than any gastroc stretch, or TheraBand stretch. After using it for about a week, I can actually walk again with minimal pain.
But I digress. I am supposed to be talking about my No Stirrups November Bingo Card! Have you seen this yet?
Yes! I have a No Stirrups November bingo card! I originally saw this idea last year in the Equisarte Challenge group and I loved it so much, I decided to make one for my challenge.
No Stirrups Bingo
And the bingo card has different exercises for you to practice different tasks without your stirrups.
None of these exercises are meant to be hard. But it is meant to challenge you and give ideas or goals of movements to practice when you are doing no stirrup work. And of course there will be prizes along the way if you are participating in the No Stirrups November challenge with me!
And the first challenge is this – get a bingo! It doesn’t matter if it is down, across, or diagonally. Do you have a bingo yet on your bingo card? Do you even have a bingo card? If you don’t, fear not! You can refer back to the blog post where I originally shared it right here.
Got your card now? Great!
Have a bingo already? Wow! Even better! If you do, share your bingo card in the Facebook Group! If you are a participant in my challenge, the first 3 people to post a photo in the group, and say “this is for the bingo card challenge” will get a prize that will be added to your package when I ship out the ribbons, I love ribbons!
And this is kind of a ‘secret’ prize! I am not announcing this in the group – I want to see if you are reading the blog posts that I’m including from my blog posts. I know, sneaky right? It pays to pay attention. It’s easy to mark up your bingo card either with your phone, or even just checking off the boxes, and then taking a picture.
This is my bingo card right now, and look at that, I have 2 bingo’s! But don’t worry, I’m not including myself in getting a prize. My prize is seeing you be successful with the challenge.
Just think how awesome it will be for you not only to receive your ribbon, but also a few prizes at the end of the challenge! I get excited for you just thinking about it! So get to work on your Bingo card, and post your bingo’s!
Affiliate Disclaimer: Some of the blog posts on my site will allow you to purchase different products and services online provided by other merchants, and not myself. Some of the links that I post on my site are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive an affiliate commission.* I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn a commission by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. *Disclosed in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Prizes, Prizes, and More Prizes
And this isn’t the only time I will offer prizes, nope! At the end of the challenge, I will be having a drawing. And I think I’m going to do it live on my main Facebook page – that is if I can figure out how to do it. So those who have participated, and submitted their calendars to me can watch live what the prizes are, and see if they won.
I have prizes from Total Saddle Fit, Corro, Riding Warehouse and Myself. And I think the biggest prize that I have is the Effol Equestrian Advent Calendar. Literally the biggest, not the most expensive. Total Saddle Fit comes in with the most expensive prize as they have donated a pair of stability stirrup leathers!
I have been searching for this Advent Calendar online ever since I bought mine, and this one for my prize and I am having a very difficult time finding it. I have found it in a couple UK sites. And I bought this one from Fundis Equestrian way back in early October. If I find out who in the US has this amazing advent calendar available, I promise I will let you know!
No Stirrups November Bingo Card Challenge
Alright! That is about it for today. I hope you are having fun this November with your horse, and making the time to ride a little bit more. And if you are a part of my challenge, be sure to send me an email with your Bingo Card if you have a bingo! You can send me an email at lgoodwin80107@gmail.com . The first 3 people to do this will get an extra prize sent out with their ribbon! And no, I’m not going to tell you what it is – because it’s a surprise!
Happy Riding!
