2023 Goals

Happy New Year! As the new year starts, it's time to reflect on the past twelve months and set goals for the year ahead.

I have spent a lot of this year in reflection. There have been a lot of ups and downs, big changes, and defining moments for me and Violet. However, I do feel like we ended the year on a high note. Violet is happy with her living situation, she's in great physical condition, we're in an amazing training program, and I'm in better place with my work/life balance.

Looking forward to 2023, there are some milestones I would love to reach. But, as we all know, any time you try to plan something with horses, they find a way to thwart those plans. So, I tried to highlight some achievable goals for the upcoming year.

Ride Training Level dressage.

In the interest of creating at least one SMART goal, I want to feel confident riding a Training Level test by the end of the year. Violet and I have spent the past two years figuring out our partnership, so we haven't actually shown anything other than Intro A. We have ridden Intro B a handful of times and parts of Intro C.

I am hopeful that by the end of 2023, we will be very solid in our Intro A-B-C tests and can confidently tackle Training Level tests. I also wouldn't be opposed to trying some Green As Grass (GAG) Combined Tests (CTs) either!

Focus on my health and fitness.

I have spent countless hours focusing (fixating?) on Violet's health and fitness this year. From what she eats to her daily management schedule to her fitness routine, her health and happiness was my priority this year.

Outside of my horse life, I had a lot of other demands on my time this past year. My horse-funding-venture (read: day job) was especially challenging and time-consuming, which often led to early mornings and long stretches without eating properly or exercising enough. Additionally, any free time I had in the first half of the year was eaten up by wedding planning and preparation.

This year, I am going to actively make more time to dedicate to my own health and fitness. My husband and I have gone back to getting a few meal kit meals delivered each week. (We use Hello Fresh, if you're interested in trying one yourself!) In the past, this has helped us stay on track with cooking at home and eating healthier.

As for my own fitness, I actually started focusing on this back in November, but the holidays obliterated my progress. I have started taking some local barre classes (again) and use a home-based stretching app daily. Additionally, on days I don't ride, I have committed to walking the dogs on our 1 to 1.5 mile neighborhood loop. It's not much, but I am hopeful small changes will lead to bigger routine shifts.

Be more patient with myself.

This year has been an exercise in re-learning how to communicate with Violet and rebuild our partnership. As a result, I have consciously worked on my patience with her and riding in general. Instead of getting frustrated when things aren't going as I had planned, I step back to re-evaluate the situation. Am I asking correctly? Am I asking for too much? What is she trying to tell me?

However, this patience has not extended to me. I quickly become frustrated with myself if I'm not able to do or understand something. I also beat myself up if I'm unable to ride on a planned schedule. Naturally, I trend toward perfectionism, and riding horses is a big trigger for me.

A wise, also Type 1 friend of mine recently shared a perspective-changing principle: no zero percent days. As a self-identified perfectionist, if I do something, it is going to be one hundred percent. On the other hand, if I don't think I can or want to do something, then I would do zero percent. But sometimes, less than one hundred percent is okay.

It is okay to come to the barn and just spend time with your horse. It is okay to get on and just walk around on a loose rein. It is okay to try something you haven't mastered yet.

In 2023, I am going to try to let go of some of the perfectionism that holds me back from simply enjoying horses and riding. At the recommendation of my friend Jen and my trainer, I bought the TRT Method training courses. At first, I was excited to try this program because I love learning new methodologies, but as I dove into the content, I realized there are other aspects to remain engaged with program, too.

For example, they have monthly challenges you can participate in. Similar to virtual dressage tests, the idea of practicing something at home and then being able to enter a low-stakes competition is appealing to me. It's a bite-sized goal that helps me with my motivation and commitment. Hopefully I will successfully complete a few challenges this year!

Here's to a great—and hopefully uneventful—2023! 🥂