2016 Q4 Goal Recap and 2017 Q1 Goals

Happy New Year! I'm still in Oregon, but I finished this post before I left. Let's look back at the last quarter and update these goals.

The canter was developed SO nicely this quarter

2016 Q4 Goals (October/November/December)

TC
- get cleared for turnout and get wizard vet to use the words "fully healed" and maybe even "ligament seems to have been turned into a very strong, unbreakable cable, weird" 
CHECK! We were cleared for turnout in early October and I finally let him have it in December. 

- survive the start of a new job, beginning of winter, and the time change
Still alive so far!

- perfect the free walk
 Definitely getting there, but not enough progress made to call it perfect yet

- perfect the stretchy trot
We were still struggling a bit with this before the stifle issue, but he was becoming much more willing to stretch down

- perfect the leg yield 
Definitely getting better before the stifle issue, he hasn't been allowed to do lateral work yet

- improve the shoulder-in (trot)
Definitely getting better before the stifle issue, he hasn't been allowed to do lateral work yet

- improve the haunches-in (walk and trot)
Definitely getting better before the stifle issue, he hasn't been allowed to do lateral work yet

- work on steadiness in trot
MUCH better

- work on straightness in trot
So much better than last quarter, still needing to lift his right shoulder a bit better

- work on lengthened trot
Oh man this was happening in a big way before the stifle issue

- work on lengthened trot transitions
Had been working on them a lot and they were improving

- install a lengthened canter without dying
Almost died but this did happen and holy shit his lengthened canter is fantastic, I hope to do it again one day. 

- perfect the trot to canter transition
This improved like crazy before the stifle issue

- perfect the simple change through trot
I wouldn't call it perfect, since sometimes it lacked throughness, but it's much better, maybe we can do it again one day...

- more throughness in canter
This was so much better before the stifle issue

- start working on the counter canter loops
Had been working on these sparingly but they exist, need to have more steepness and get him some more confidence with them, fingers crossed we can do them again in a month or two

- start working on the simple changes through walk
Had been working on these sparingly, the canter to walk is better than the walk to canter, which is quite off the bit, fingers crossed we can do them again in a few months

- improve the straightness in general, mostly in canter and mostly to the left
The left is doing great now that it's his sounder direction! The canter was much better before the stifle issue

- start work on collection
Welp that needs to go away but he was showing major improvements here, gotta take things a bit slower I think

Slowly starting to collect (I watch for the stance phase hock to be
bent in collection, this is better but obviously not yet collected)

My Riding
- work on the sitting trot on TC
This was on and off this quarter, my seat has improved though

- soften hip at the canter
Much better

- don't get against rhythm at the canter
Yesss I'm a thousand times better than this

- work on lightening up on the left rein
Fixed

- shoulders back, chest open, look up, basically make the position more stylized with more presence
Kind of failed at this

- keep (hopefully) riding other horses to stay ahead of TC
I ride a friend's horse sparingly and have gotten on some other horses too, not as many as I would have liked, but I really don't have much time in my schedule

Unfortunately this one has been most of my rides

Msc
- don't gain weight and lose fitness in the new job
Didn't gain weight, but did lose fitness, need to figure that out...

- keep up the step count even on days where I don't ride
This isn't great...

- defend thesis!
UGH no it got postponed to this month or next

- graduate (officially)
See above

- replenish emergency fund and savings account!
Vet bills absolutely destroyed this, though had I not been focused on restoring the emergency fund, the vet bills would have crippled me

My commute may suck but I love my job and at least it's a pretty commute

Onto some new goals for this quarter! Well, a lot of these are the same goals.

2017 Q1 Goals (January/February/March)

TC--- these really depend on his soundness and sanity, we probably won't get to all of this but I'm trying to be positive, and also these were all written down before everything that happened happened and so I'm stubbornly keeping them!
- move into a large paddock
- survive the rest of winter without murdering the horse or being murdered by the horse
- perfect the stretchy trot
- perfect the leg yield
- perfect the shoulder-in
- improve the haunches-in (walk and trot)
- maybe touch on half pass at the walk
- perfect the lengthened trot
- perfect the lengthened trot transitions
- improve the lengthened canter
- perfect the simple change through trot
- perfect the 10m trot circles
- perfect the 15m canter circles
- start working on 10m canter circles
- improve the counter canter loops
- improve the simple changes through walk
- improve the straightness at trot and canter
- improve the collection at trot and canter
- regularly travel off the property to the ranch, weather permitting
- visit another new facility, weather permitting
- bombproofing clinic in February?


My Riding
- keep working on the sitting trot
- work on feeling more comfortable sitting on the back edge of my seatbones
- try to make riding other horses on the weekends more of a priority
- work without stirrups whenever possible
- work in two point whenever possible
- figure out a gym plan and stick to it


Msc
- actually defend thesis
- submit thesis
- add money to my savings despite the horse really loving his vets

How about no vet bills this quarter??? That's too much to ask
I'm sure. I've literally had one every quarter I've owned this horse.
Like significant ones.