Are You Riding Towards A Goal?

Whether riding is a hobby or your profession, sometimes we all need a reminder to set some personal goals. My own reminder arrived this last month in an unrelated vein. Feeling as though my progress has been treading water – neither moving forward nor drowning – I made an ultimatum decision to set some lofty yet reachable goals through the summer.

Goal #1 – Run A Half Marathon!

Yep, that’s right… I work out regularly because it improves my riding skills and keeps me happy, not to mention healthy. When you go to the gym regularly and develop a routine, everyone will at some point reach a plateau in their progress, and I am not willing to sit in that stagnation! At just over 13 miles, this half marathon is going to test my dedication mentally and physically. The date is set and there are no refunds so I am locked into this goal!

Goal #2 – Bring Jobi back through his retraining to perform Piaffe, Passage and Flying Lead Changes by mid-September!

We have a lot of ground to cover, but even if we fail we will have made progress in the right direction and any positive progress is the right progress to make.

What was important to me in setting these goals was to pick goals which would not encourage me to sacrifice my safety, my horse’s safety, or my ideals. I chose goals which, whether I win or fail I will inevitably enjoy the process even when it is “kicking my butt” difficult. I also chose goals which are not too far out. My marathon kicks off in just under two months.

Have you set any goals in your personal and riding life for this summer? What are they and how will they challenge you to grow?