I know that I said I don't do New Years Resolutions, but I do like to set goals. I feel like they're an important part of my "not being boring" quest for this year, and it makes sure that I'm actually headed somewhere. So here's a breakdown of a few of the goals I have for the next year.
Compete at 2nd level
I used to show dressage horses, then I moved to North Dakota and the nearest shows are a long ways away, so I haven't competed since college. I have two horses now, a 6 year old paint mare named Indigo who is a rough training level and has some issues with the canter, and a 17 year old Saddlebred gelding named Loki who has an unknown history, a lot of muscle atrophy, but phenomenal work ethic. He knows all of the first level movements, though is no where near the physical condition to really perform them right now. I'm hoping that I can get a second level test or two out of him by the end of the year. The process of reaching this goal is going to be multi-faceted.
1. Personal fitness
I'm pretty good at using the winter here as an excuse to be lazy and eat lots of chocolate and carbs. If I'm going to compete again this summer, I'm going to need to not only be back to a fitness level that is required by serious athletes, but I'm going to need to be able to fit in my old show clothes. Buying new ones is definitely not in the picture for this year. I will achieve this by
a. Running minimum 3 days a week. Depending on how things look over the next few months, I might try to aim for a race or two just to give myself a little more motivation in this area. I'm horrifically slow, but having a race to look forward to would help me stay accountable.
b. Yoga once a week. I'm stiff and tight and that doesn't help my horse out at all. I did yoga in college and it did wonders for my riding, I need to start again.
c. Improving my diet. Athletes don't survive on cookies and crescent rolls. I need to eat foods that will fuel my body.
2. Equine fitness
Loki is in horrible shape. He doesn't live with me right now, but is staying with a friend in central Washington. He hasn't been worked regularly in close to a year. As a result, his topline has pretty much completely atrophied and he has basically no condition. He's rideable and still has phenomenal work ethic, but he needs some basic fitness before we can really start training. So.
a. Find a barn for the horses in Washington. Going to look at some places at the end of the month. I'm looking for a place with an all-weather arena and access to trails, preferably with some good hills.
b. Trail rides and hill work for the first month or so. Before we can really start dressage training, he needs to build up a little bit of basic fitness and muscle definition. This will definitely be weather permitting, depending on the hills, as there is a lot of rain the area we're moving to, and I don't want him slipping and pulling something scrambling down a muddy hillside.
c. Find a trainer. I don't think I'll be looking at weekly lessons, but someone that I can work with once or twice a month would be a huge boon. I haven't had a lesson since I graduated and I know that I've developed bad habits. Also, the work beyond second level is going to be new territory for me, I'm going to need help from someone more experienced to guide me through that training.
3. Financial Fitness
This one's big. Shows cost money. Horses cost money. Loki needs a saddle and bridle. Trainers cost money. I still don't have a truck or a trailer, so I've got to either purchase one or make myself a show buddy. Either way, I'll have to pay for gas. On top of that, I still need to be able to feed my family and pay the rent, which obviously comes first. With that in mind
a. Find a job. Something that pays more than minimum wage would be excellent, but I'm really looking for something with regular hours that will allow me to train in the evenings and show or clinic on weekends.
b. Make saving a priority. I've said this before, but I haven't practiced it, and it's definitely a need. Take the money that is being saved out of my paycheck when I first get it so I'm not tempted to spend it later. This is incredibly important. I'm pretty frugal, but saving doesn't just happen by accident. If I save in a purposeful manner, I can get a lot more accomplished.
c. Pay down debt. I have considerably more credit card debt than I'd like, so that's a big one. With less debt to pay off every month, there will be less money accumulating in interest and more money that can go towards savings or towards the purchase of fun things, like new saddles.
Start a Garden
I have a black thumb. I am not good at plants at all. I have found many new and exciting ways to accidentally kill them. That being said, the idea of growing my own produce appeals to the health-conscious side of me, as well as the frugal side. Plus, the idea of going outside and picking a cucumber to snack on just sounds like something out of a fantasy to me. We're looking at renting for the near future, probably in an apartment, so I'm going to need to do some research into container gardening as well as appropriate plants and produce for the area where we will be living. I'm going to try to find things that are fairly "easy" at first, and hopefully as I learn I'll get better at this whole keeping plants alive business.
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