How to Set Attainable Goals

My Goals From Last Year

At the start of last year, I was asked by my coach to set goals for the show season which I describe below. I am happy to report that I achieved all of them – and then some. 

These were my goals for the past year:

1. I want to get to a place where my horse and I are comfortable hauling out and going to new places, where she can behave like a lady and not a large orangutan – both on the ground and under saddle. Any successes on top of that will be just icing on the cake.

2. Once we have tackled the first hurdle, I want to put in consistent, solid rounds, where I can walk away feeling I’ve done the best I could do and honoured my horse. I am not married to the idea of staying in the Baby Green ring all year given that my horse is rising five, but also don’t mind taking it slow with her if needed. It would be great to take her in the jumper field this summer to play around a little, too.

3. I would be lying if I said I don’t want to win, or at the very least place consistently. But for me, that can never be the goal, or I will put so much pressure on myself I would pretty much self-destruct. I need to work on my own anxieties when it comes to horse showing, and make sure I don’t pass them along to my horse, or abandon the skills I have worked so hard on the moment I step in the show ring.