2017 To-Do List

I toyed with making goals when I started blogging in August of 2014. This taught me that I am not really a goal-oriented person. I didn’t realize that, until I tried making goals and found that goals fail to motivate me. Or I fail at goals, whichever color you like. Goals are also dicey when it comes to horses because there is so much I simply have no control over.

None of this means there aren’t things I still want to do or would like to accomplish. So I am calling this a 2017 to-do list. Some things on the list depend on time and budget, some depend on a sound and healthy horse, some depend solely on me. And knowing all this, even if I accomplish none of this it doesn’t mean failure to me. Just getting to ride my pony is success.

So here’s my to-do list for me and Eli:

1. PLAN & EXECUTE. This goes primarily for riding courses. I tend to ride in the moment a lot and that alone is not super effective. Eli also prefers it when I have a plan and follow through with it, rather than change my mind six times in the space of three strides out from a fence. Deciding stuff in advance makes for much better course work.

2. 6 shows. We did 3 in 2016. I will plan for 6, knowing that a few, or even all, might fall by the wayside for various reasons.

3. Maybe a clinic? This is a very tentative idea that I am not 100% sold on for me & Eli, but it’s a nice thought. There are only a handful of clinicians I’d be interested in riding with or auditing.

4. Refresh tack & attire. Eli’s bridles and bits are in good shape. He has all the BoT he can use. I have plenty of gloves and breeches (could use one more white pair of breeches but it’s not totally necessary). This refresh is strictly for new brown tall boots for me, a few more baby pads from Ogilvy, and a new set of sheepskin-lined open front and fetlock boots for Eli. This refresh is also obviously solely about money and budget and is therefore last and least important on this list. I should really stop buying all the cute things.

The list is brief and totally do-able. Number 1 will be the most challenging and is the most important to me to accomplish. I am enjoying reading everyone else’s much more ambitious posts about setting goals for 2017!