Reaching for the Stars

After reading Jen's blog post on the Dressage Rider's Journal, I decided to impulse buy it. 

Not that this blog isn't a great way to record things, but I feel bad going on and on about how all my rides are the same. So I've now got something to write down all my boring rides and can save the blog for the less boring moments. 

Anyway, the journal starts out with a fun exercise for setting goals, evaluating your strengths and weaknesses, and going over actionable tasks for each goal. I figured I'd share some of the things I wrote down. 

You know who I am okay, this was inevitable

The goals have been broken down into three-month goals (so by March), one-year goals, three-year goals, and lifetime goals. 

I didn't have a tough time with the three-month goals (flying changes, do well in my first Part 2 session, have fun at the Mary clinic, improve my riding/TC's basics). I didn't have a tough time with the one-year goals (debut TC at Third, graduate with distinction from the L program, get on the r waiting list), and I didn't even have that much of a tough time with the three-year goals (PSG for TC, go to championships, enter the r program). 

But man, the lifetime goals, I have no FUCKING idea. My lifetime goal was to compete in the FEI levels and I did (2010). Then it was to compete Grand Prix and I did (2011). Then it was to get my Gold and I did (2014). 

So I've decided to write some lifetime goal ideas down and start figuring out what I actually want to do with the rest of my dressage career: 

Produce another Grand Prix horse

I'm not sure if this will be TC or not, but I do want to get another Grand Prix horse under my belt. 

Become a dressage judge

I hate to say "become an S judge" or "become an R judge" because I don't know how much I'll like judging and/or want to spend the money on it. But if I do like it, I'd like to become an S judge. If I don't, doing the r program or even just the L program is good enough. 

Compete regionally 

This is on my three-year list, going to regionals. It's never been on the docket because of how expensive it is and how competitive it is. I'm competing open against mfing Steffen Peters, Hilda Gurney, and the like. But I'd like to make it a goal for me.

Compete nationally

If in my lifetime I'm able to afford it (I'm on the west coast so traveling across the country is tough), I'd love to go to some form of national competition. 

He looks majestic like this

Compete internationally

I suppose this could be doing a CDI, which is probably more easily attainable than the above. But it'd be extra special cool to do something really fancy. 

Get all my freestyle bars

I thought TC would be my freestyle horse, but I've been so all over the place with him. I'd rather wait until I have the money to pay someone to do my music/choreography too, I'm just not that kind of a creative person. 

Buy a pony from the New Forest 

I'm kind of currently obsessed with the idea of buying an unstarted pony/small horse. First, I'm horse shopping for a client who needs a small horse and there just AREN'T that many fancy, smaller horses with good training on them (who aren't FEI ponies, who are usually told never to do lead changes). Also, the experience of going to the auction sounds really cool. Plus, the New Forest Pony is a really fabulous pony and I'm becoming more into them. 

Have a client get their Gold Medal

I don't know how much teaching I'll really be doing in the long term. I'm considering moving into management in my career and/or taking on a different type of job which would provide me with enough money to not need to teach AND a less flexible schedule so I couldn't teach anyway. BUT if I keep doing the part-time horse trainer thing, it'd be super fun to bring someone through the levels.

Compete in a Trail Trial 

They look like so much fun! 

He's kind of weird looking but I love him

You might have noticed some things missing from my list! Here are some goals that are not on my lifetime goals list:

Owning horse property

It seems like a dream but I value having my life outside of horses and I feel like there's a certain amount of passion/obsession/craziness that you have to have to own your own property. Unless I can hire someone to do all the chores I don't want to do when I don't want to do them, I have no interest in owning property

Going to the Olympics

I just don't want to have my riding on the television, let's just be real about my dumbass anxiety disorder and how I would not survive under that much pressure. 

Any Jumping Goals

I love jumping and would consider jumping again, but not in any sort of organized way. Eventing is so fun and I used to love it, but there's this compulsion for dressage that I don't have over fences. So while I'd love to jump for fun, I don't have any real goals for it. 

Horse related vacations

I don't do these, most of the time I'd rather ride my own horse. The only two I'd consider are fox hunting in Ireland and riding Icelandic horses in Iceland. 

He saw a dog, same

What is on your lifetime goals list? This was SO hard for me and I'm sure I've forgotten some of them. I don't tend to think more than 5-10 years out in terms of my riding goals so this was tricky. Dream big, right?