Goal setting
Having a goal to work towards and train for has always been my favourite part of horse ownership. I love the routine, the plan and working on each of the building blocks in the right order and at the right pace to be able to reach my goal.
My plan has always been to event Arianna and the Shepherd Ranch event in May 2018 is the target! My second goal is to take my Parelli level one online assessment, and I'm hoping we will be able to do this before Christmas.
Having a realistic goal is so important and helps focus on the things that are important and to avoid unnecessary distractions. It recently occured to me that this focus doesn't come so easily to some riders, and it's very easy to either get stuck in the same routine, or to spread yourself too thinly, trying to do too many different things at once and never really making any progress.
The goal you are working towards can be anything and will be totally dependant on your own riding level and your horses experience but setting small, simple goals both for the long term and for each session you work with your horse will see you making far more structured and rapid progress. Here are my tips:
1.) Decide which area you want to focus your attention. It may be eventing, it may be parelli or it may be about confidence or your own riding ability. It doesn't mean you can't work on other things, but this will be your priority and main point of focus.
2). Make sure your goal is tangible and realistic. Personally, my goal is to have fully prepared Arianna enough to complete the Shepherd Ranch event but I'm not focused on any particular placing. Completion means to finish the dressage, showjumping and cross country.
3). Have a small goal for every session before you start. It doesn't mean you can't be flexible and change that plan in the moment, but having a plan before you start the session is vital.
4). Again, ensure the goal is achievable and tangible. Just planning to 'improve my trot work' is too ambiguous. 'To maintain rhythm on a 20m circle on both reins in trot' is a far more specific goal, and will ensure you have a plan for your session and give you a clear focus
5). I like to keep a diary or training log. This way I can look back over previous week, months or even years sessions and go back and work on things that may have slipped or correct bad habits we've fallen into.
6). Ensure you log as many positive notes as you do areas for improvement! It's important to keep perspective so you don't get bogged down with to much negative self criticism. Always try to be constructive!
And example log entry would be as follows.
Plan: 'To maintain rhythm on a 20m circle on both reins in trot'
Session Feedback: Rhythm started out inconsistent but improved hugely as Arianna relaxed more throughout the session. I recognise that she finds this easier on the right rein. On the left rein we tend to get to much bend and drift out of the right shoulder which affects our rhythm (area to work on next session). I was pleased I maintained a good position and a very neutral energy throughout the exercise. Counting the number of my rises in the rising trot helps me recognise when we loose some of our rhythm .
Arianna
Rhythm and relaxation is an area I work on a lot with Arianna, as it is the foundation for all the training to build upon. Without relaxation you really can't get anywhere, and it's an area I think too often riders overlook. When Arianna is relaxed I feel like I have her whole attention and her body is soft and supple to do the work. It's also much healthier for her body as tension in the mind creates tension in the body of the horse and will lead to injuries down the line.
Arianna has also been learning about the bit, which is a requirement for completing the dressage part of our event. She has simply worn the bridle with the bit over the halter fora few weeks, just to give her time to get used to having something strange in her mouth. Once she was confident carrying the bit, I began attaching the reins and riding from the bit starting with a few minutes at the end of each ride. It's so awesome that I know I can stop with my breathing, and turn with my body so teaching these things with the addition of the reins was very easy. Now we are working on 'shaping' and Arianna is learning to soften in to the the contact. She is also learning to stretch out and down when I let the rein out (equally important). Every session I work with Arianna I feel such a sense of achievement and this is most certainly due to effective goal setting but also because I know we are working at a pace we can both cope with. This makes Arianna very happy as she loves to learn!
Out on trail
Trail riding is important because it adds variety to your horses training routine. Riding on different surfaces and inclines helps build strength and balance. It is also important to ride in different environments and expose your horse to new things. It doesn't matter how much training you do at home in the arena, if you never teach your horse to be confident about new places and how to process strange new things, you can do all the prep in the world at home, but when you take your horse to it's first show, it's going to have a melt down!
Arianna and I have been on some lovely trail rides with the other people at Shadow Hills. We are so lucky to have some of the best trails to ride on in Los Angeles and we have several sandy areas where we can canter and lots of streams to cross and ponds to play in!
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