It’s the end of the year, a time for cheer and fuzzy scarves and family and, between bites of baked goods (in spite of my annual plea to our clients to not bring us the stuff, which always goes ignored), reflection on the year’s events.
Back in February, I had a great chat with a friend who’s also a sports psychologist. She encouraged me to write my goals for the year down, rather than just thinking them, because a) there are studies that show that those who write their goals down are more likely to achieve them, and b) it makes reflecting on them a lot easier.
I wrote this blog about them, writing them down not only for myself but for the Universe, to manifest whatever is out there and see if it would help. As it turns out, it didn’t. I get about a C for 2014 goals, though admittedly many for reasons completely beyond my control.
But I’m so glad I did write them down like this, because I was feeling a little frustrated last week, feeling like I’d really had a not-so-grand year; seeing them like this has made me realize that I achieved more of my dreams for the year than I’d thought, and even gone above and beyond on a few.
Let’s review the 2014 list.
1. Qualify Fender for the Developing Horse championships.
1a. Qualify Fender for the USDF National Championships at Prix St. Georges.
2. Ride Fender to 70 percent or higher at Prix st. Georges from an FEI starred judge.
These all got flummoxed by Fender’s May injury, from which he has almost completely recovered; even though I’m putting pieces of Prix St. Georges together now, I’m squeamish to declare him 100 percent until we get the all-clear from my vet, who comes out next week. (He feels great and is trying to buck me off—in a very half-hearted and pathetic way—at least once a week, which is a good sign, I suppose.) Injuries happen—more on that in a minute—and before he got hurt, he did get the scores he needed to qualify for the Regional Finals at Prix St. Georges, the first step towards the USDF Finals, as well as one qualifying score (above 70 percent, though from two USEF judges, not FEI starred ones) for the Developing Horse Championships; if that one score had been his qualifying average, he would have gone to Illinois. So while obviously things didn’t work out, we were certainly heading the right direction.
3. Put clean changes on Fiero.
Here’s a confidence booster—not only did he get his changes, he showed third level, scored up to 77 percent, and qualified for the USDF Finals. And now he’s putting the Prix St. Georges together as well. How ’bout that?
4. Have Johnny ready for the 5-Year-Old tests before leaving Florida, and for second level before the end of the year.
This goal was a little fuzzy; how “ready” was ready? Yes, I think Johnny could have put together the 5-Year-Old test by April, but I’m so glad I didn’t. He grew almost a hand this year, and is still on the rise. And even if he hadn’t, I still feel that by keeping him home and plugging away at the training, instead of trying to take him out and show the heck out of him, I have a much more well-rounded and developed athlete ready to start thinking about his changes and about more serious collection as a 6-, and eventually 8- and 10-year-old, than a horse who probably would have gotten beaten at the 5-Year-Old level by very fancy moving horses with less talent for collection.
For what it’s worth, I do think that, if I wanted to, I could show him second level tomorrow and score well. I won’t, because second level isn’t really important to me, and I’d rather get the changes going and think about the bigger picture. All told, let’s just call this goal accomplished and move on.
5. Ride Farrah at a show, and then sell her.
50-50 for this one. Farrah made it clear to us that she’d rather be, of all things, an event horse. Weird for an animal with not one drop of jumping blood up front in her pedigree, but there she was, getting huge marks in her Young Event Horse classes with my good friend Tiffany Catledge, and then selling to wonderful friends who are clients of Allison Springer’s. So while I never rode her at a show, she is sold, to wonderful people to do a job that she loves. And her brilliant sister is smartly under saddle, clearly very happy about her path towards a dressage career. Victory!
6. Sell Ella, and go get the next one (or two or three).
Again, 50-50. Ella is still mine, though shares for the Ellegria Syndicate are selling (for more info, contact Michael!). And even though, as such, I didn’t have the money to spare, when Danny came along, I couldn’t say no. So I’m slowly paying him off, and selling Ella completely to the Syndicate is Priority No. 1 for next year.
7. Sell at least half the Goya shares.
This goal just got lost. Farrah’s desire for a career change meant that selling her took longer than I’d hoped, and I’d thought I’d have time to get photos and video of Goya this winter to put a really lovely presentation together to start approaching investors. Time got away from me on all fronts, but I’m actually OK with this. I think I’ll have a much stronger “case” to present to investors once Goya’s gone to a show and proven herself a bit, and even if that doesn’t happen until the middle of next summer—Goya is a BIG girl, already 16.2 as a 3-year-old, and I’m in no hurry—she’ll only be more beautiful, developed and impressive next Spring. So video and photos and presentation on her will also be a priority for 2015, but I think that’s the right timing.
8. Get my youth riders to a competent showing at NAJYRC.
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Three of my students qualified for the NAJYRC. One unfortunately couldn’t attend due to horse injury, and one was the team alternate for the Juniors (Kristin Counterman on my wonderful Bellinger, who went off and got their USDF Silver Medal and won the Regional Finals at Prix St. Georges instead; not too shabby, thankyouverymuch). Hannah Bauer did go to the Championships, where she and her teammates won team gold. So, yeah. Done and done.
9. Get my pony riders to U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions in Gladstone, N.J..
More successes—not only did both my pony riders qualify, but we also had a representative in the Junior and Young Rider divisions. Blam.
10. Do an open water sprint triathlon.
And another one checked off the list. I did my first open water tri in July, where I was second in my division by 30 measly seconds. Next time!
11. Run two more 10Ks.
12. Run 10 miles.
13. Bike 30 miles.
But it wasn’t the physical summer I wanted. I ran a 10-mile race in the spring, for which I trained really well, but got hurt during the race itself, and I spent all summer chasing the injury down. I think I’ve finally gotten it under control, but it really did a number on my love of running. I’m eager to get to Florida (since I am COMPLETELY a fair-weather runner, no bones about it) so I can really test whether I’m healed or not, and hopefully I’ll find my love again.
I did do the 10-miler, and I did bike all summer with a wonderful local bike group, including several 30+ mile days, so I can cross those two off the list. The bike group was a particularly wonderful find—I’ve never loved biking, but it’s arguably the most important phase of the shorter-distance triathlons in which I participate, so having a group to go out with kept me on the road, and I know I’m a better athlete for it.
So there was 2014. Let’s bring it forward to 2015…
1. Qualify Fender for the Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Championships.
Assuming we get good veterinary news next week (fingers, toes and eyes crossed!) there’s nothing holding Himself back this year. Let’s go.
2. Qualify Fiero for either the DH Championships or the USDF National Finals at Prix St. Georges.
Fiero’s a year younger than Fender, and finds himself in pretty much the same place now that Fender did a year ago—he’s putting all the movements together, but there’s a big gap between that and Developing Championships ready. So I’ll let him tell me what he’s ready for. And if that’s neither of these things, then that’s OK, too.
3. Show Dorian and Danny successfully at third level.
They’re equally unready to horse show at that level right this minute, though for different reasons; whether they show now or in spring or in summer, I don’t care, but I’d like to get them both out at least once.
4. Get Goya to a horse show.
I’ve got plenty of riding on my plate right now, so Goya’s being ridden by my wonderful team of people, and I’ll let one of them take her to a show once she’s ready.
5. Get Ella syndicated or sold.
2015 is do-or-die time on this one. I am so excited for the opportunity to keep her with Michael, and I hope it comes to fruition, but whether she stays with him or finds a new outright owner, this will happen this year.
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6. Sell all the shares for the Goya Syndicate.
By 4 years old I’ll be able to prove Goya’s pudding, by showing her to be the smart, trainable and very special future FEI horse I’ve always known her to be.
7. Win my division at a sprint-length triathlon.
I’ve come so, SO close several times now. And while I’ve never won one, I can now appreciate what my training program needs to look like in order to do it. (Hint: more time on my bike!) So game on.
8. Continue my commitment to weekly yoga classes, and master a headstand.
Where 2014 took me that I didn’t expect, health-wise, was towards yoga. I’d dabbled in yoga and pilates before, but didn’t really appreciate all it could do for me. I’ve struggled with back problems, both those induced by my career and stemming from a childhood injury that left me in a pretty bad way, and had used chiropractic and acupuncture care to keep the symptoms at bay, but certainly didn’t get “fixed.” Yoga has fixed me. I’m an inch taller, much more flexible, MUCH stronger, and in dramatically, dramatically less pain.
Since joining the class I’m taking now since mid-summer, I’ve conquered the backbend, and have moved onto headstands. By this time next year, I’ll be able to do one, on my own, unassisted. Whee!
9. Run a 10-mile race WITHOUT getting hurt.
I’m grateful for my injury in that it guided me towards better people, better shoes and a better technique. I hope it’ll let me hold out for another distance race, this one for time.
10. Send my three girls to the NAJYRC.
Abby, Hannah and Kristin are all on strong contenders, and they would all be huge assets to the Young Rider and Junior teams, respectively.
11. See the Prix-St.-Georges-By-2015-Or-Bust and the Third-Level-By-2015-Or-Bust Clubs to victory.
These guys deserve their own blog, because they’re a riot, but the short version is that I have a handful of clients who want to make their debuts at these levels by this year, and I want to help them all do it.
12. Get put back on the Developing Rider List.
I’m 30, I’ve made a handful of Grand Prix horses, including two from scratch, and I’ve got a pipeline of terrific horses and a plan to see them to success. I’d like to think I’m what the USEF should be looking for.
13. Help my Pony Clubbers step towards their Dressage Specialty Ratings.
Last but not least, I’ve got a big group of girls all gearing up for their Pony Club Dressage C-2 in a few months, and hopefully a Dressage C-3 by year’s end, or if not, by 2016. I’m so impressed with the Pony Club system, particularly in this part of the world; passing these ratings will mean that I’ve done my job in making these girls not only good riders, but good future trainers and good horsemen, and that will be a job well done indeed.
So there it is, Universe. I’ll check back in a year!
