Check Your Goal Before You Wreck Your Goal
Everyone knows how karate works and that black belt is the highest level. The progression of basketball is winning a division, then region, then state (I think, haha). But where do we go with horses?! What exactly is my student working toward? Well, it’s not a black belt and it’s not a state championship.
For my students, we set reasonable, accomplishable goals and I do quarterly and yearly evaluations on each student to see if they are progressing toward those goals. Here are some of my standards for goal-setting:
The goal must be reasonable for your age, skill level, experience, and horse’s ability.
Example: Laura wants to go beginner novice at a show next year. She has been schooling the appropriate height for beginner novice, has a horse that is capable and experienced at beginner novice, and is 14 years old which is an appropriate age.
Bad example: Laura is 6 years old, has been riding for 6 months and is just starting jumping on a small pony who is capable of intro level and below. Laura is not going beginner novice if I have anything to say about it.
Completely adorable. Not going beginner novice tomorrow.
You must be willing to put in the work to accomplish the goal.
Example: Ashley has a goal to move up to a bigger, more athletic horse. Her trainer told her that if she practices on her schooling pony and is able to control her position and leg, she can move up.
Bad example: Ashley wants to move up to a bigger, more athletic horse but isn’t willing to practice her position or skills. She moves up and isn’t able to control the horse, so she is injured in a fall.
The goal must be realistic financially.
Example: Sarah has talked with her parents about her goal of riding at a schooling show. She has learned that the show she wants to attend has an entry fee of $50. She will also have to pay for her horse’s transportation to the show ($25) and a coaching fee ($30). Her parents have decided that if she earns half of the $105, they will pay for the rest.
Bad example: Sarah tells her trainer she will be attending the next show but hasn’t discussed the financial side with her parents, who do not have the funds for her to show outside of the barn.
The goal cannot be your parent’s goal or based off of an expectation from anyone but yourself.
Example: Jessica has set an appropriate goal to be able to jump a 2’6” course by the end of the summer, which is something she has wanted to do and has discussed with her trainer.
Bad example: Jessica’s parents want her to “jump higher” so they pressure her to ask her trainer to jump higher or she will move to a different trainer.
Appropriate goal. Appropriate horse. Student’s own goal and not parents’. Perfection!
The goal may change due to the unknown and unpredictable nature of the sport (horse injury, rider injury, training setback, etc. may delay or re-inform your goal) and you must be flexible with changes or challenges that may occur.
Example: Anna recently changed horses to a greener mount. She had a goal to attend a dressage show with her new horse, but the practice sessions prove that he is not mentally prepared for a show environment. After her instructor discusses this with her, she decides to take her other, more experienced, pony to the show instead and keep working on training with her green horse.
Bad example: Same story as above, except that Anna is so focused on her goal that she takes her green horse to the show and falls off, injuring herself and putting her out of riding for several months. Additionally, her horse has such a bad experience that he requires months of re-training to get back to the place that they were before the show.
I will do everything in my power to help you accomplish your goal, but I am not a miracle worker/wizard/veterinarian/mind reader. If something is preventing you from reaching your goal that I can fix, I will fix it. If I can’t, see above rule about flexibility.
Example: Jenny has a goal to complete her level 3 requirements for riding and horse management before next year. She tells her trainer this is her goal and they work together to learn the required skills to pass off level 3.
Bad example: Jenny blames her trainer that:
A. Her horse cannot physically accomplish the requirements for level 3
B. Even though she’s only been riding 3 months, she hasn’t completed level 3
C. Her horse is lame so she can’t pass off level 3 requirements
D. She hasn’t completed her level 3 requirements when her trainer had no idea that she had that goal in the first place
Your goals have to fit within my framework and program. If your goal doesn’t line up with my ethics, you’ll have to change your goal or move to a different barn.
Example: Amanda has a goal to develop a better connection with her horse.
Bad example: Amanda has a goal to win 25 blue ribbons this year.
If enjoying horses and loving every minute of being around them is one of your goals, you found the right place!
Both the good and the bad examples are all real scenarios that I’ve dealt with. I hope these can help set a good structure for goal-setting and that you all can learn from my experiences! I believe that goal-setting is important, but that a flexible mindset is even more essential with a sport like ours. After all, the saying does go, “make a goal and watch your horse laugh!”