Goals

Goal setting is something that Bonnie has always stressed to us in the barn.  And really this blog is the perfect way for me to evaluate our progress towards those goals.

2012 Goals
  • Once again my confidence issues are number one on my goals list.  This is one of those things where I know I have made huge progress, But I still have that mental block in certain areas.  So, we'll just keep chipping away at it.
  • Work on First and Second Level Dressage with Bugsy.  The jumping part is easy, I just have to point him at the fence and stay on.  Dressage is the hard part, and I want to do it right.
  • Ride a variety of horses-Naughtie, Airy, Twinkie, Mystic, Buddy, etc.
  • Qualify for the AECs.  Even if I can't afford to go, I at least want to be qualified.
  • Use every opportunity I can to improve my riding and knowledge.
 January/February Goals
  • Work on laterals with Bugsy-leg yield, half pass, shoulder in, haunches in, etc.
    • Success!  Still working on improving the laterals but it's getting there.  I'm having some breakthrough moments.
  • Work with Mystic to improve his suppleness and bending, get him responding to my leg and inside aids.
    • Still a work in progress but we are getting there.  There's a lot of bad habits to undo with him and that takes time.
  • Keep the ponies happy in the cold weather.
    • Success!  The ponies have all happily survived the winter.  And knock on wood, hopefully the cold weather is over for the year, certainly seems like it this week.
  • Renew memberships-USEA, USEF and USDF.
    • Halfway success, I updated my USEF membership, not the other two yet though.
  • Plan a show schedule.
    • Well, I thought about it.  And made some sort of plans, but nothing actually written down yet.



2011 Goals
  • Continue to push my boundaries with my own confidence issues
    • Success!  Again I know this is something I will struggle with for the rest of my life.  But this year I have really made a lot of progress.  I'm riding horses that I wouldn't have gotten on before.  Bugsy can try his nastiest bucks and I just laugh at him.  I still need to work on becoming more confident over fences.  But we are getting there.
  • Move up to Training level with Kaye
    • Well, as much as I would like to be able to check this one off the list, the reality is I stopped riding Kaye.  And that's ok.  I will get to training level someday.  Just not with Kaye and not this year.
  • Work on dressage with Kaye.  Become solid at First Level, schooling Second Level
    • See above.  Although I did work on some first level dressage movements in the first part of the year when I was still riding her, we never moved beyond that.  
  • Rehab Miss-keep her in work for as long as she wants/is comfortable
    • Well, even though my Baby Girl is no longer with me I can still count this as a success.  Miss stayed in light work into the beginning part of the summer.  This fall when she let us know that she was not longer comfortable and happy, we let her go.
  • Work with Titus at the walk and trot.  Get him ready for walk/trot dressage this summer.  
    • Well, I got back on Titus, and we did some walk/trot work.  Unfortunately he didn't come back to the farm until it was much too late to think of any dressage shows this year.
  • Work with Twinkie both on the flat and over fences.  Get her going solidly under saddle.
    • I didn't really work with Twinks much over fences this year.  But she is going very, very well on the flat.  So I'm counting this as a success!
Jan/Feb Goals
  • Ride more!
    • Success!  I have been riding Miss every week and Kaye fairly often again.
  • Begin to develop a show schedule
    • Success again!  Tenative 2011 Show Schedule is up.  Of course it will probably change many times before all is said and done.
  • Start to budget for said show schedule
    • Well, didn't happen so much.  Of course I don't like to think about finances (or lack there of) so that's probably why I avoided this goal.
March/April Goals
  • Start jumping
    • Success!  Not only did I start jumping Kaye, I have been jumping Fanny and Naughtie as well.  
  • Start riding Twinkie and Naughtie
    • Half success.  As you can see from the previous goal, I've been riding Naughtie.  Unfortunately I haven't found the time for Twinkers yet.  
  • Work on developing my own fitness
    • Half success again.  I did start to work on my fitness.  And I am improved.  However I'm not finding that riding Naughtie takes a lot out of me.  So I need to up this even more.
  • Budget for 2011 show season
    • Success finally.  I'm sure there will still be some tweaking, but I think I have it figured out.
  • Study for PHR certification
    • Success!  Still a lot more studying to do before the test at the end of June, but I've got a good start to it.
May/June Goals
  • Improve Naughtie's dressage
    • I'll say it was a success.  We scored a 36.5 and a 35.5 in her first show.  I'll take that.
  • Ride Twinkie
    • Big ol' fail on this one.  Just never got the chance to get on her before the end of June.
  • Prep Naughtie for her first recognized horse trial
    • Well, we did prep for a horse trial, and pretty well.  We did the combined test at South Farm in early June and she was very good for that.  But we never actually made it to a horse trial.  However since the goal was only to prep for it, I'm saying it was a success.
  • Ace the PHR Exam
    • Well, I don't know that I'd go so far as to say I aced the exam.  But I did pass.  And hopefully that will open some doors for me employment-wise.
July/August Goals
  • Ride Twinkie
    •  Success!  I've gotten a couple of rides on Twinks lately and she is progressing so well.  Our last ride was fantastic, she was bending and moving off my legs.
  • Work on improving my own ability to ride Bugsy in Dressage
    • Success!  33.8 in dressage at EHSC HT says I'm improving.
  • Work on my own fitness
    • Not so much a success.  In fact, I didn't really do much on this on.  Fail.
  • Continue to work with Naughtie
    • Another fail.  Actually I don't think I've even been on Naughtie in the last two months.
  • Become more comfortable riding lots of horses
    • Success!  I've been riding Bugsy, Twinkie, Airy and actually I feel like I would be fine getting on any horse in the barn.  Even Cuddles. And I think Bonnie wants me to start riding Mystic a bit.  Of course not sure when I'll have time for that...
September/October Goals
  •  Continue to work with Twinkie
    • Success, I had some really good rides on Twinkie in September.  She's really coming along well.
  • Begin schooling First Level dressage with Bugsy
    • Success!  It's not a whole lot yet, but Bonnie had us start working on some of the laterals and the extended trot.  We're getting there!
  • Work on my own fitness
    • Well I signed up for the fall Walking Campaign through Pitt.  So I guess that's a start at least.
  • Start the "babies" under saddle
    • Titus was started under saddle again.  So that's one down...

November/December Goals
  • Continue First Level work with Bugsy
    • Success!  We're still learning, well I'm still learning, but we're getting there.  I've started to get the shoulder in and half pass.  The haunches in still needs some work and we've gotten some decent extensions at the trot.
  • Start jumping again
    • Success!  I haven't done much jumping.  But there have been a couple of jump schools, including a very fun one with Kaye.
  • Continue to work with the "babies"
    • Well the babies went to Tammy's in November, so I haven't had much opportunity to work with them.
  • Build up my own fitness
    • I'll be honest, I haven't really done as much with this as I'd like.
  • Ride Naughtie, Airy and X
    • Well I didn't ride Naughtie as she needs her feet done.  But I did ride Airy and X.  And I started riding Buddy and Mystic.
  • Find a way to balance my time with D and the barn    
    • Success!  I've been much better about splitting up my time and getting equal time with both.


    2010 Goals
    • Successfully compete at Beginner Novice with Naughtie
      • Unfortunately a big fat fail with this one.  But I wasn't really given the chance as Bonnie didn't want to put the time or money in her.
    • Work to overcome my own fears and confidence issues (I know this is something I will struggle with my entire life, but if I can honestly make progress I will be happy)
      • This actually was a pretty big success.  I know I will struggle with this probably my whole life, but I really feel as though I made a lot of progress this year.  And jumping several training level questions at the Boyd Clinic in October really just proved that.
    • Get X out to a schooling show
      • Well I took X to the ICHA show at Canfield.  Didn't show him though.  So pretty much a fail.
    • Consistently be able to jump 3' courses
      • Success!  I showed Novice twice at South Farm combined tests with double clear stadium rounds both times.  And I was schooling Training level prior to the Boyd Clinic.
    • Move up to Novice by the end of the year
      • Again success!  Kaye and I moved up to Novice at the second South Farm combined test.  And we won both on our dressage score.  Big success I'd say.
    • Become solid at First Level with Kaye
      • Well we are schooling some First Level dressage.  But not enough that I would say we are solid.  So I'm going to say progress on this, but not enough to cross it off yet.
    • Work with Twinkie both on the flat and over fences
      • Well, I did work with Twinkie some, both on the flat and over fences.  But I didn't work with her as much as I would have liked.  Again part of that wasn't my fault, she really needs her feet done and that's out of my hands.  I'll say progress, but I'm not crossing it off the list yet.

    January/February 2010 Goals
    • Work on laterals, especially off my left leg
      • Well, I didn't do a whole lot of dressage work. In fact I wasn't able to ride for quite some time in February because of the massive amounts of snow that was dumped on us. That being said I am working on improving my own fitness and strengthening my legs. I'm taking a pilates class this semester and I began running again. I feel that will help to improve my laterals. We'll see. This goal will be going forward to March.
    • Start jumping again
      • Needless to say this goal was a huge success. I think I can check it off the list!
    • Work to get Kaye cadenced at the canter
      • As I am riding better and I have a better seat I think this is coming along. However I haven't specifically worked on it. So this will be another goal that moves forward to March.
    • Work with Naughtie to get her supple through the back and lighten her sides
      • I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I haven't worked with Naughtie all that much this year yet. So no really progress on this goal.

    March/April/May 2010 Goals
    • Work on my laterals, especially off my left leg
      • Well, I still didn't do much true dressage work.  But I did start using a lot of laterals in my warm up.  Every ride, I start with leg yields, half passes and shoulder ins at the walk and trot.  
    • Work to get Kaye cadenced at the canter
      • We did specifically work on this, but the other improvements in my riding overall have helped us to achieve a more cadenced canter.  So I'm going to check this off the list!
    • Work with Naughtie to get her supple through the back and lighten her sides
      • I've been riding Naughtie a lot on the lunge, and the little kids haven't been riding her as much.  That alone has made a huge difference in her.  A lot lighter sides, and somewhat more supple through her back.  And I honestly think that I've done all I can with her.  She really needs some rides from Bonnie at this point.
    • Continue to improve my jumping
      • Check, check and check!  Making huge strides in my jumping and my confidence over fences.

    June/July/August 2010 Goals
    • Continue to work on my jumping
      • Check!
    • Start X jumping again
      • Well, X started jumping again.  Only not with me in the saddle.  Rachel has jumped him a couple of times.  
    • Work on my western riding
      • Check, really made some improvements with Dalal.  The little sucker would make a nice little dressage pony if Tom would let me.  LOL.  Still have some work to do, but without really being able to ride him on a regular basis I'm somewhat limited.
    • Work to relax Kaye on the flat, asking for the collection and frame rather than forcing it
      • Check, well getting there at least.  I'm learning not to force things with her, but rather to wait for her to relax and give it to me.

    September/October 2010 Goals
    • Continue to improve my jumping
      • Check!
    • Prepare for the Boyd Martin Clinic
      • Check!  And having a lot of fun in the process.
    • Start jumping X again
      • Well, again X is jumping, but still not with me.

    November/December 2010 Goals
    • Focus on dressage with Kaye
      • The few rides I had on Kaye were pretty much dressage rides.
    • Learn from our experience at the Boyd Clinic
      • Well the one jumping lesson I had, we did try to incorporate some things from the clinic.  I haven't done this as much as I would like though.
    • Start jumping X again
      • Yeah, big old fail on this one.
    • Start riding Twinkie again
      • Another fail.
    • Light dressage work with Miss
      • Well this is the only goal I can really count as a success.  Started walking Miss under saddle.  We've been doing a lot of dressage work at the walk to build up her muscle and topline.  We've alternating walking on a loose rein and then periods of contact.  Lots of laterals and circles to build her up.  She's doing great with the walking and eager to move up to more work.

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