Setting Goals, Making Plans

Setting goals and making plans has always been important in all aspects of my life. Retraining myself and Jag is no different. So I have set some goals for this summer's show season. My goal is simple and broad. I want to get Jag (and me) to the show ring and be respectable. Jag has never been to a horse show - this is outside the fact that it's been a long time for me and I've NEVER been in a dressage show. I talked this over with Betsy so we could create a game plan and put it into action.

The first show we hope to get to will actually be a training show which will put us through the motions of showing without it actually being a formal show. This sounded good to me. If Jag had a bucking fit or became very high spirited, I would be in the company of my peers in a little bit of an informal setting (no big time judge). A good way for us to start.

will winter ever end?

I have two opportunities. One will be on May 9th at a cool winery/B&B/Stable called Black Star Farm. It's only a few miles away from where my horses live and it'd be fun to be part of a "for fun" show to start. The other opportunity is a training show strictly for Betsy's students. We are talking about holding it at one of the student's farm which is up for sale and quite literally around the corner from the barn where I keep my horses! If I go to that show, I may take both my horses. For some unknown reason, Toby has come down with a phobia for horse trailers. He had always trailered well in the past. This will give us an opportunity for a short ride and if all else failed I could still get him home - I'd just have to ride him home!

Assuming Jag does well handling my nerves in the show ring, the plan is to then make Horse Shows By The Bay our goal. Horse Shows By The Bay is a big 3 week long horse show that brings in many of the top riders across the country. It's the biggest show in Michigan and it's right here in Traverse City! Unfortunately, I will be working the U.S. Senior Open the weekend the dressage events take place. So Betsy will show Jag for me and I'll get the big event video taped. Going to a big show will be great experience for him to have under his belt and it'd be fun to have my friends there cheering for him. I imagine they will be texting me with updates!

This is our game plan and hopefully we will get to where we want to be. We may have some potholes in our path but we will tackle those as they come. And maybe we won't get to Horse Shows By The Bay specifically but my goal is to get him into the show ring. I'm sure we can meet that broad based goal!!