2018 Goals Recap

Here's my list from last December's 2018 goals post

This year did not turn out as I had expected, but I feel like that's just life (and horses!) I had a lot of Bridget dressage centric goals when I made these goals, and obviously just a few months later decided to not pursue those further to save both of our sanity. So, my year was filled with adventures of other sorts - trail challenges and lots of hacking with Bridget, dressage lessons on Audrey, getting to know Sophie, and random fun rides and adventures whenever offered. It was a year with a bit of everything, for sure.

So, let's see:

What Got Checked Off The List?

-Negotiate continuing to work from home. Check, I only work M-W in the office with the longest commute ever. I didn't need to find a new job, so that's a big win :)

-Weekly lessons with EC. Continue lessons on Audrey. I probably missed a lesson here and there due to life, but for the most part weekly lessons on Audrey were a thing.

-Baby Pony or Prospect Planning. Admittedly, this was something I expected to push out to 2019, aiming for something 3 or 4 years old. But, we welcomed a 2 year old Sophie in March! The one goal on this list that I way overachieved on :)

Back in the summer when she was shiny and clean, lol

Sure, If We Fudge The Details a Little:

-Topline Back to Back Event. I went, I groomed, I helped the kids, but I did not compete. And they just announced they're no longer hosting the event...so it's a riding goal never to be accomplished. LOL, that means it's checked off ;)

-Have Fun. I feel like this year was a struggle in a lot of ways, but I still definitely had a bunch of fun.

-TBird ToC shows. I don't think the show I went to in early spring was part of this series, I think it was one of their winter schooling series ones. I really didn't bring my best, nor did Bridget (I think our high score was a very hard won 62% at 1-2), but we kinda sorta did the thing?

-Be Braver Over Fences. Well, there was that lesson that went all wrong and now I feel less confident in my abilities and jumping 'strange' horses. But, I feel perfectly happy jumping Bridget over all the things these days. Jumping aside,  I've been doing my best to ride all the different horses and am brave with hacking or flatwork on pretty much anything I hop on right now, which is actually big progress.

-Flying changes.
-Second Level. It doesn't say so, but I assumed 'on Bridget'. However, Bridget was been making it abundantly clear dressage is not her happy place, and I finally listened earlier this year.
On the plus side, I'd definitely be comfortable with Second Level tests on Audrey, and I'm confident doing changes on her too. I AM gaining confidence in my abilities and toolkit for the future with Sophie, which I guess is really the most valuable part of the puzzle.

No pressure, Sophie, but please just be a little dressage star, thank you ;)

Definitely Half Assed It:

-Work Hard on Fitness. Yoga is a thing in my life now. I rode a ton. I did quite a bit of hiking, But...generally speaking I was not consistent week to week and my fitness is not where I had hoped (but not terrible, at least)

-Organize Monthly Clinics in Hometown. Not for lack of effort! I went down fighting on this one and I worked my butt off to make this a thing, but I gave up in late spring - there simply weren't enough people committing on a regular basis and as some of you predicted, there were problems with people cancelling at the last minute (or even taking lessons and never paying!) Unfair to EC to continue, despite my best efforts.

Not relevant, picture is just cause she's cute

Nope:

-Canada Cup Dressage Show. We just attended one spring show and I moved my dressage goals on to Audrey (and Sophie). It's a fun show, though and I hope to go back when Sophie is under saddle.

-Equestrian Canada Instructor Certification. This has been on my list forever, and requires quite a bit of study, paperwork, and some testing! I didn't make this happen again this year. Although I feel like my skills have progressed to where I wouldn't stress too much over the test, I'm more and more thinking this isn't a direction I'm going to pursue. I have my hands full with my current schedule and can't imagine adding coaching even on a very part time basis. That, and sadly I don't think there is much of a market for an english instructor here (I am literally the only person I know here who takes lessons (or rides english))

-Buy A Horse Trailer. Nope, I borrowed a trailer and bought a baby pony with that money. Next year?

With Bridget living the semi-retired life, who needs a trailer? ;)

Bonus! Great Things I Didn't Expect To Happen in 2018:

-Technically a carry over from 2017, but I heard early in the year that Bridget was reserve champion at Training level with our provincial organization.
- Galloping for miles on beautiful sandy beaches
- Canter pirouettes!
- Passage, and the start of piaffe.
- My best friend bought a youngster right around the same time I did, so Sophie and I have built in training buddies :)
- Moving back to one of my favorite barns ever. Sophie is so happy there!
- Showing adventures with EC and the barn kids. Yes OK, I didn't show as much as I wanted, but there was a super cool silver lining in that I almost enjoyed attending as part of the support network even more. Plus, I met a lot of new friends and connections!