Okay, COTH, help me brainstorm some fun competition goals for an adult amateur who plans to (hopefully) have a lot of fun playing at the lower levels, but who loves goals (and being competitive with herself). A traditional long-format hree-day event? Qualifying for AECs? What else?
I’m an adult amateur who doesn’t want to show higher than Training and I’m in no rush to get there because I really want to have fun showing (e.g. not be constantly pushing to move up). My big motivating goal is a long format 3-day event and there is one in my area at BN and up. The challenge of the fitness, preparation, timing, etc give me lots of things to work on and have fun doing so!
I don’t have the money or time of work for AEC, so goals that can be accomplished at least somewhat locally work best for me!
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USEA has a really nice medal program. Each area also has its own championship event each year and sometimes there are team competitions as well that can be fun. There are many fun local year end awards programs, too, whether you compete in recognized or unrecognized events-- for example Maryland has MCTA, VA has CDCTA, SE Pa has DVCTA etc. Each area also has its own year end program that is really nice.
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Thank you!
Do you listen to the eventing podcast? Maybe a goal could be to improve your different metrics? They have some cool ones that you could do yourself and keep track of all season.
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I know going to this competition or that level is what most people do, but I find if I focus on performance goals the bigger goals take care themselves. Things like nailing the canter departs, improving my downward transitions, keeping my dad-blammed right shoulder up and back for the whole ride. Getting the correct lead in stadium on my green bean whether it’s done over the the fence, through the trot, or, my word, I get a flying. Finding all my distances. Then on XC getting a “foot perfect” ride, or a fitness goal for myself (have I done the work in the gym to compensate for my crappy knees?)
I find goals like “moving up a level” to be made up of so many small accomplishment that if I focus in on the details I’m more likely to get there–so I keep the big stuff in the back of my mind and try not to spend energy mentally going there.
Figure out what details are your weakest point and spend your time and mental focus there.
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Thank you, I will look for that one! Is that the title - the Eventing Podcast?
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If you and your horse live long enough, you can do one of the new Century rides in eventing. A 76 year-old woman and her 24-year-old homebred just completed the first.
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Yes!
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My goals go as follows, as an adult amateur, lower level eventer on a budget:
DON’T crash and burn (meaning if my make a mistake, I’m able to fix it rather than spiral)
Clean XC (I find this easier than stadium)
Clean Stadium
Dressage score under 30
Find the jumps “boring” and “small” and “easy”
Move up to the next level
DON’T crash and burn
Clean XC
Clean Stadium
Dressage score under 30
Find the jumps “boring” and “small” and “easy”
Move up to the next level
DON’T Crash and burn
Clean XC
Clean Stadium
Dressage score under 30
Find the jumps “boring” and “small” and “easy”
And so on…I’m at Novice with my horse now - a year or so of on/off crashing and burning at BN before we figured out exactly how bad my saddle was for me, then a year or so of fixing those resulting anxiety issues, then some financial issues, then finally moving forward.
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