As equestrians
we are constantly analyzing and re-evaluating our achievements - large
or small. It's what we, horse people, do. I've always felt that horse
people are cut from a little different cloth than "regular"
people and, as such, expect more from ourselves.
You may feel somewhat
disappointed with
where you are right now in your riding. You thought by now you would
be, somehow, further along. But, if you look back to where you thought
you would be right now, did you REALLY know? Did you have a clear, measurable
model of how to gauge success?
You might have had a vague notion that "things would be going well"
or you "eventually wouldn't be as nervous" riding. Or, maybe
you thought you would begin competing, at some point.
This wishy-washy method of goal setting is very common and rarely effective.
This plan doesn't give us a tool for recognizing milestones nor a direction
or timeline of achievement. I suggest you buy yourself a white board
or teachers planner to chart out your goals. Commit yourself to checking
and updating it every day you work with your horse. There is great satisfaction
in seeing your progress in writing.
SHORT TERM GOAL
SETTING
Instead of saying, "I
want to be less nervous riding" we could say, " In then next
30 days, I see myself riding my horse down the road, alone, passed the
mailboxes and barking dogs and the occasional passing car. My horse
and I will remain calm and confident as we do walk-trot transitions
to the stop sign, where we will turn and ride at a relaxed walk back
to the barn."
This type of goal setting
is very precise and measurable. A 30-day plan, such as this, can now
be broken down into manageable steps. Let's assume our horse is trained
and experienced, but somewhat nervous about riding out without other
horses. Let's also assume that the rider has been riding for about a
year and has recently felt ready to begin doing some riding without
her friends. The timeline for this scenario may look like this:
CHANGING YOUR TIMELINE
Of course, all goals and timelines
are meant to be only a guide. You may set your goals and find that you
haven't built in enough pre-requisites. Or, you may reach your goals
much faster than anticipated. You may even decide that another aspect
of riding has become more important to you. It's fine to change your
roadmap - but do it officially. Take the time to physically change your
written goals. With your goals in writing, you won't make changes lightly.
LONG-TERM GOALS - THE
STUFF OF DREAMS
In
my tackroom, I keep a large white board listing my short and mid-term
goals. They range in time from a week to three months and I refer to
it and update it daily. (I get such a thrill out of putting those little
smiley faces beside a completed task.) But, at home, I keep a little
black book with my long term horsey goals. They range in time from a
year to 20 years. When writing these goals, you can allow your imagination
to run wild. Ask yourself what it is you REALLY want? After all, with
a well-thought out plan and relentless commitment, you can achieve anything
anyone else has. Really open up your mind and don't rule anything out.
Maybe you would like to be a world-reknowned horse trainer or a Friesian
breeder with a 1000 acre ranch or a trick rider or a Grand Prix champ.
Maybe you want to buy that 4 horse trailer with living quarters. Or,
you might just want to have a nice two stall barn with two healthy and
sound horses that your grand children can safely ride. Whatever your
dreams might be, I absolutely believe any of us can have any of these
dreams.
The table below outlines a
20 year plan one might have to become a nationally recognized and respected
clinician. Here's an example of how a long term plan might look.
If you know the backgrounds of many
of the top clinicians today, you know that many of them started from
very humble beginnings. The principals of Sports Psychology (NLP) teach
us that anything that can be accomplished by one person can be accomplished
by any other.
Plotting out your goals in this manner
will make you aware of the skills and direction you will need along
the way and you will develop short and mid-term timelines to help you
build those skill sets. You will begin making decisions based on whether
or not those choices will or will not be beneficial to your long-term
goals. If you just drift along in the sea of choices, allowing the tide
of every day life to chart your course, it would only be by happenstance
that you will reach your destination or even recognize it when you arrive.
Remember, there
is no such thing as failure. There are only results. No
goal achievement is without trial and error and setback. As Anthony
Robbins states in his book, Ultimate Power:
"The super successes
of our culture aren't people who do not fail but simply people who know
that if they try something and it doesn't give them what they want,
they've had a learning experience and simply try something else . They
take some new action and produce some new results."
These people do not see failure. Instead,
they see "outcome" or "results". The word "failure"
does not exist to them. That's the axiom we must adopt in order to mirror
their success. There will be times when you will have to readjust your
timeline to allow for additional learning or new methods. That's part
of the process and not to be viewed as a negative.
Get out a pen and paper right now and
start brain storming. Just throw down every single dream you've ever
had and start from there. Then, rank them in order from least to most
desired. Take a few of the top ranking dreams and start jotting down
some of the pre-requisites, ie. skills, facilities, tools, money that
would be required.
Really do this. You
won't believe the immediate boost in your motivation.
------
Teresa Hughes has over
20 year;s experience as an equestrian and trains her own horses. She's
loved horses from her earliest childhood memories and begged her parents
until she finally got her first pony when she was twelve. After several
years of being away from horses to raise a family, she was horrified
to discover (although all the passion was still there) the confidence
she'd enjoyed in her younger years was gone. After much trial and error,
she has found her way back to enjoying her horses again as she did as
a child and is not only riding, but starting colts as well. She shares
on her website, Positively Riding!, the methods that were beneficial
for her in overcoming fear. She hopes to help others, experiencing lack
of confidence issues, to find a shorter path back to enjoying their
horses.
Contact info:
Teresa Hughes, Owner
Positively Riding!
www.positivelyriding.com
Imperial, PA
