Goal Setting

“What are your goals for this year?”

I am sure that by now, most everyone has heard of the importance of goal setting- whether that be financially, in academia, professional career, or general life choices…but what about for your riding?

At one point I was boarding Ruby at a very nice, quiet barn. There was no resident trainer, so Connie was traveling an hour each way to come teach me once per week. However, only so much can be done in only one weekly ride, and the fact that the other boarders had horses more as pets did not help my motivation. Stepping back, I realized that I was spending all this money on board and lessons for…what? Shortly after this epiphany, I moved Ruby to an active barn where others had more of the same goals that we did- showing the local circuit.

Debi asked me about my goals in my last lesson, and I honestly did not know how to reply. I mean, I knew I wanted to take Ruby to shows, but had not put much thought into what kind of shows/at which level/how far away. After all the years of incessant blood, sweat, and tears (literally), I suppose it never occurred to me that Ruby and I had finally reached a point where we had options: Did we want to compete Hunter/Jumper, Dressage, or continue with Horse Trials? Maybe all of the above?

Finances are still an issue for me at this point in my life: juggling the cost of living, Ruby’s other expenses, student loan debt, and retirement; because of this, I had to be especially careful/picky about this decision. Debi and I agreed that our near term goal would be our first recognized show in October: Middle Tennessee.

What is goal setting?

Goal setting is the process of defining goals (short-term and long-term). Seems pretty self explanatory, right?

In my opinion, there are a few requirements for goal setting that will make you more likely to succeed. For riding, the general guidelines for business goal practices are applicable:

1. Write your goals down: make sure to include a time-frame, specific terms, and make sure it is measurable. If you write/log your goals you are much more likely to commit to them!

2. Make a goal that has value- choose something that is important enough to you that you will not lose motivation when you hit obstacles.

3. Goals should be achievable, but challenging.

4. Choose a support group- having others who support your goals can help keep you motivated and on track.

I am going to start out with saying my goal for this year is: Finish BN at the Middle TN show with Ruby!