Equestrian Bucket List

 

Susan, over at Saddle Seeks Horse just did a great post about equestrian bucket lists.  I have always had a wish list percolating in the back of my head but have never really written it down or made it explicit.  I am such a goal driven person that I tend to focus on things I can do in the here and now, so bucket list items seem more like dreams instead of goals.  

 

Putting aside definite goals and going more into the realm of dreams and one day, with enough money and time, maybe, here is my list:

* Attend a world Equestrian Games see here(actually possible ??? with the games in Tryon in 2018)

* Spectate the Cross Country at Badminton see here

* Go for the whole show at Aachen see here

* See the equestrian events at the Olympics

* A dressage riding holiday in Either Portugal or Italy(this one has already been mentioned to the husband as a landmark birthday gift)

* combined biking(husband) riding(me) holiday in France hitting the vineyards and old Roman roads

* Train a horse to do all the Grand Prix Movements myself

* train a horse to go in a neckrope only doing a lot of the dressage movements

* Buy a fancy purpose bred dressage horse and ride it well(the ride it well is the kicker here!)

* Go fox hunting with the local hunt

* learn to ride sidesaddle 

 

As I started thinking about my equestrian bucket list I realized I have already been truly lucky to do some pretty amazing things:

* learned a style of training(Dressage Naturally and the TRT Method) that makes me and my horses happy to see each other and always making positive progress

* had my horses at my own cute little farm for over 20 years

* bred two foals and watched them grow

* got to spectate for Rolex cross country day and see William Fox-Pitt, Mary King, and Mark Todd up close and personal

* kept my old show horse in Comfortable retirement(she is 27 this year and still a complete pia)

* had ponies in my backyard for my kids and turned out both kids as kind riders

* Evented my old show horse(when she was young) and won an unaffiliated event at starter/novice

* Showed my old show horse through 2nd Level dressage

* trained my old show horse to do pretty advanced liberty work in a large arena

* cliniced with an Olympian-Kevin Freeman

* Jumped a 5' fence

* won a couple of circuit championships at 3' hunters at a local(Bend OR)schooling show series

* rode as a working student for an A hunter trainer and rode some very high $ horses

* took lessons on a retired PSG horse who was also a top six finisher at the 1978 Eventing Worlds in Lexington

* Rode said PSG horse in a neck rope only, doing correct two tempi's(one of the most amazing things of my life!)

* had many mountain/back country day rides in Oregon

* Ridden on the beach on the Oregon coast

* shown saddleseat on the A Morgan circuit including regionals 

* shown singles driving on the Morgan circuit

* helped start many babies under saddle and in harness on the Morgan farm

* worked as a show groom for an A barn

* spent large portions of my childhood on the back of a pony trail riding in the boonies with my childhood BFF

Looking at that list how could I ever complain about the things I might not get to do?  What is on your equestrian bucket list and why?