My trainer asked us to send us our goals for this year and I’m struggling to come up with some. I have a coming 3 year old and thus far my goals have been keeping him alive and healthy (knock on wood) to this point, and it’s worked! Now that we are getting to start to think about the fun stuff and I’m like…um…what do I want to do with him?!
Would love to hear about your goals for the 2024/2025 year with your horses, young or older!
Thanks!
I have a bunch of horses but 3 which are my competition horses (or soon to be competition horses) and I wrote down my goals for mine at the beginning of the year.
Jupiter (my 10 year old who I moved up to the 1.30 last year)- jump at least one 1.30 at every show I go to
Do at least one futures Prix at WEC Ohio
Feel comfortable going faster in jump offs
Have no time faults in the first round unless I need to have a school
Rory (my 7 year old mare that I jump and I have a friend of mine event some)- eventually get to 1.20 so she’s ready to do the low ammie
Do at least one hunter derby
One time finishing on dressage score at Modified
One sub 30 dressage
Félicité (my 3 year old this year) - grow up
Go back to clasings in nov/ Dec to get ready to be my show pony.
Working on my half seat which is bouncier than I’d like it—it’s partly because my anatomy and my horse’s anatomy aren’t that well suited for each other, and partly a muscle coordination thing that I’m working on in and out of the saddle.
For both of us—we want to get better at nailing the first course of the day. That would mean starting with a good canter and making sure I’ve got my horse’s attention which wanders.
Additionally, we’re trying to be less dramatic about fences that have bright white gates or poles. He has always been highly suspicious. At best, his knees almost hit my eyes as we go over. At worst, he’ll try to slo-mo his approach so he can look at the fence more which doesn’t ever really work out that well. This horse doesn’t care about big logs or all the greenery in the world. But if a white pole looks like it got oxicleaned recently? Questions. Lots of questions.
The fun goal would then be qualifying (which we’ve done) and attending the Take2 Finals. A lot of that depends on where my wallet is later this year, however, and less on our ability in the show ring 
Ain’t that always the way? I hear you! My dreams are definitely more top-heavy than their support system.
The first year I had my “new” horse (2022) was about trusting that the horse WILL actually jump the jump (not his predecessor’s forte).
Last year was about putting parts together and proving to myself we could hold our own in our division.
This year, I am working on how to ride him better to help make his job easier. i.e balancing his canter and his stride so he gets to a distance he can jump better from.
As for showing this year, I can’t afford too many either, so I may focus on just a few, but do ones I haven’t before. Go somewhere new, do something different and enjoy the experience.
Good luck to everybody for 2024!
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