2018 was really a pretty great year despite having no goals. Jet and I showed on the DLSC several times at Training Level with some good scores and really nice judges’ comments. We were year end Reserve Champion Sr. Division Training Level against some quite nice horses, and even more importantly we really had fun at the shows. Jet thinks horse shows are where you go to get lots of treats, do a little easy work, and then get hand grazed everywhere and explore. I really like having the whole philosophy that if horse shows aren’t fun, we aren’t doing them, and that showing a true level down from the work at home makes things much less stressful.
Since I had no goals, all of this felt like a win in the most low key way. In 2019 I’d like to do the same thing, showing at First Level and schooling Second. This will be a little tougher, with some challenges with energy/relaxation, but Jet’s work so far this Winter has shown some nice moments of collection, with more power in the working gaits. I’m trying to think of First as Training with a bit more umph and a few new test movements we already do well. I think this will help with the test riding and also the relaxation factor. So anyway, that’s the 2019 plan barring illness, lameness, and all the other stuff life can throw at you with horses.
I really had a mixed bag on my 2018 resolutions. I wanted to exercise every single day(done) and add in cardio(done). Didn’t find this hard, especially doing HIIT on the elliptical watching Netflix. My second resolution was to push my boundaries and get a bit out of my comfort zone. I pushed through when horse showing was a bit hard a couple of times, took a family trip to France that wasn’t necessary but wanted, had some discussions with my husband about how we want to live as empty nesters, and started exploring volunteering more in my community. So all good. My big failure was saying something positive to everyone in my household every day. Do you KNOW how hard this is with two teenagers? I will say though, I did do more thinking about it and I was successful at telling my husband a lot more often how much I appreciate all he does for our family. I’d call that resolution a work in progress.
So on to 2019(a few days late!). What are the resolutions I can make that will have a global impact not just on my riding but also on my life? There are many habits I hope to continue with like exercising every day, watching a Dressage Naturally video before every ride, and pushing my comfort zone, but what else strikes me? One thing I think, is to make more connections with people I have more in common with and I think the way to do that is through some volunteering and also getting to know some of my DLSC competitors better. Another thing is that I want to start teaching lessons more. I’ve recently started again and I had forgotten how much fun I have teaching. More please. Lastly, sadly, I want to use Lose It to log my food and exercise every single day to lose that last 10 pounds.
So, totally doable resolutions. What is up for you in 2019?
No comments:
Post a Comment