tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941830352879493498.post6523248062523943065..comments2023-06-30T06:19:17.125-07:00Comments on Panic and the Pony: Do You Set Goals?Mona Sterlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077277801514781079noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941830352879493498.post-42232389968889406252012-02-28T13:40:02.025-08:002012-02-28T13:40:02.025-08:00My barn supports EVERYTHING it is so nice theres a...My barn supports EVERYTHING it is so nice theres always something different to do and something to learn about all the different disaplines. When i started riding it was for pleasure, then to jump, now for G we are going to go into dressage and are looking to start competing next year :) Goals are forever changing :) i try to just go with the flow.Jessicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941830352879493498.post-75454320580784897662012-02-23T07:33:23.835-08:002012-02-23T07:33:23.835-08:00Moon and I *currently* are focused on Dressage b/c...Moon and I *currently* are focused on Dressage b/c we want to show just once in my life and we kinda suck at everything else ; ) (total jumping chicken here). But long term? I want to gallop over wide fields and just LOVE riding him. Probably a bit like you, I want to mess around with local shows and every discipline. EXCEPT mounted archery. I'm an avid archer, but pretty sure if I tried on horseback I'd shoot Moon in the ear... ; )<br /><br />Try everything once. Who cares if no one else is in a western saddle? Inspire them!Sand.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04371583910189754998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941830352879493498.post-8886657751934463242012-02-22T21:36:40.956-08:002012-02-22T21:36:40.956-08:00Thanks for everyone's comments. It's inte...Thanks for everyone's comments. It's interesting to see what everyone else does. I think that maybe I need to intersperse our 'goals' with some fun days where we just screw around.Mona Sterlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12077277801514781079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941830352879493498.post-66528873354072547192012-02-22T13:50:19.873-08:002012-02-22T13:50:19.873-08:00I think that dressage training lends it's self...I think that dressage training lends it's self well to just about everything. My QH and I have done quite well at recognized dressage shows (70%+)and hope to make our 2nd/3rd level debut this year. We also have buckles and ribbons in english pleasure, english equitation, western riding, western horsemanship and reining (all at local levels). Our dressage background makes us contenders at just about everything...<br />Goals are important. I have 2 GRPs who will hopefully go FEI dressage someday. My QH and I have the goal of PSG... Someday.If it happens, great, if it doesnt, at least I tried.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13084292466032827414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941830352879493498.post-80770297555775386192012-02-21T08:05:54.690-08:002012-02-21T08:05:54.690-08:00I board at an eventing-specific barn. You don'...I board at an eventing-specific barn. You don't have to compete (or necessarily jump), but it is one of those places that requires X number of lessons (or training rides, but everyone does lessons) per month, so a certain amount of on-the-same-page-ness is in practice required. I totally get why that would not work for some folks, but it's a feature, not a bug, for me. Means that I can't guilt myself into skipping lessons when money gets tight, and cuts out a lot of the drama that seems to occur at some barns where people are going in all sorts of different directions and possibly some folks are a little unsafe. We do indulge in some extra-curriculars and everyone is pretty supportive of that.<br /><br />I am uber-goal-oriented in my hobbies in general, but not a big believer in committing to big grand-scale several-years-out GOALS. I get how that keeps some folks motivated! But for me, that's biting off more than I can chew, and allows too much room for error. A goal for me requires that I can see the path from here to there, and can actively and concretely work towards, with a reasonable expectation of successful achievement even if there end up being a few bumps along the way. If there's too much wish-and-a-prayer in a dream, it maybe lives on my radar in the vague soft-focus distance, but I don't work towards it consciously, and generally don't talk about it out loud.<br /><br />For example, I would like to go Prelim with Tucker. I started thinking it about a year ago, but we weren't solid enough at Training at that time for me to discuss the idea with anyone. Last season ended really well; I could see the springboard from there to Prelim after most or all of another good season at Training. So I mentioned it to a few friends, and then I discussed it with my coach, and I understand what we need to do in order to get there. So now I have X steps to accomplish, and Y improvements to make, and I roughed-out timeline (maybe this September; more likely 2013). It's possible that something could go wrong and derail the plan (temporarily or forever) and that's understood, but it's real enough to be a goal.<br /><br />On the other hand, I would also maybe like to someday go Advanced, or ride upper-level dressage, or complete Tevis. But to do those things, I will certainly need a different horse (or seven), and a different financial set-up, and basically a significantly different _life_ than the one I have now. It might be possible, but I can't see the route from point A to point B and I can't (or am not sufficiently motivated to) work specifically in any of those directions. The size of the goal, if I were to make one out of any of those, would be overwhelming. Too big to get my head around. So I work towards what I can work towards for now, and then at some point in future (it's always worked this way in the past) I will pick my head up and there will be another goalpost materialized a little farther down the road, and I will work towards that.Hannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12237668899993749427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941830352879493498.post-73753847523356020972012-02-20T15:12:22.498-08:002012-02-20T15:12:22.498-08:00Insomnia girl here. Lol. For me it's the exact...Insomnia girl here. Lol. For me it's the exact opposite. I had friends that showed Arabs native costume and saddleseat and that's all I wanted to do. I bought a little mare who didn't do ANYTHING. We settled on huntseat and hopefully western in the future. For 10 yrs I was focused on my goal of her being a show pony. For a couple yrs she just sat. <br /><br />Now I pasture board on a wonderful private road with 3 adjoining farms. Everybody does something different. And I just ride. We ride in the creek on the trails in the arena sometimes. I have bought a dressage saddle and a bareback pad. We've learned to jump cross rails and cross water. And we're having a blast. I've noticed that both of us have relaxed. Fun shows, hunter paces, clinics, and maybe an overnite ride are in the future this year.prettypinkprincesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13692096903139574964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941830352879493498.post-39381419467490605232012-02-20T13:04:39.472-08:002012-02-20T13:04:39.472-08:00I think goals help you see the forest and the tree...I think goals help you see the forest and the trees, where you have been and where you are going. Since I keep my horses at home and mainly ride by myself having big goals keeps me focused. I have ridden and shown in different disciplines, right now we are perusing eventing but since money is an issue I am not as single focused as a lot of my friends. We get to lessons and shows when I can afford it but also spend a lot of time trail riding, swimming in the river and messing around bareback.<br /><br />For me it is about my relationship with my horse and how much fun we are both having, sometimes there are those rides that suck but in general I have a blast with my little mare.<br /><br />Injuries are frustrating but I agree it to soon for you to write off dressage, maybe have two days a week where you "work hard" and a couple "play days", that might be a better schedule for your body right now then forcing it to work hard everyday.Dangerbunnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07476329705713380924noreply@blogger.com