It’s always the same. The same sentences are being spoken and written about the same things. And I’ve been thinking about why it is this way. Why do most riders make the same ‘resolutions’ year in and year out? Rather than growing, building, and developing so that they get to create something different each year they are together?
How about this year, you try something different for you and your horse? Something that you can feel a sense of accomplishment about?
Commit to ‘Doing It’…
Now, I get that ‘doing it’ is fairly vague! It’s one of those phrases that can mean anything to anyone. And this is where the magic lives. It is as individual and unique as you and your horse are when working together. Which allows you to make it anything that you want it to be.
I am going to suggest that from today, you begin to think about what ‘doing it’ is for you and your horse.
Start with thinking about what ‘being an equestrian’ means for you. Does it mean a deeper connection with your horse? Perhaps it is with horses in general. Maybe it is riding skills and training skills that really define an equestrian for you. Or the number of hours spent with horses on a weekly basis…
‘Doing’ horses or being an equestrian can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. However, all that really matters is what it means for you…
Start Making Small Tweaks
Once you have defined this for you and your horse, begin thinking about small things you can do on certain days to move you closer to ‘being’ this in your life. Maybe it is something as simple as listening to an episode of your favorite equestrian podcast (hopefully the Daily Strides Podcast😉 ) about something you want to work on or learn more about.
It could be something as simple as buying a bag of carrots and committing to giving two a day to your horse and having some ‘quiet time’ together…
Often the thing that holds us back from achieving our version of ‘doing it’ is that we expect absolute perfection from the start! Anything that is not 100% like the picture in our heads just doesn’t make the cut, and therefore doesn’t get done.
And yet, it is these small imperfect but intentional actions that move us closer to actually someday realizing that we are indeed ‘doing it’ and ‘being an equestrian’.
What’s Your Version?
So, with all of that said, my question to you today is ‘What does your version of “we’re doing it” look like when it comes to you and your horse?’. What will you focus on doing more, so that you can feel proud, accomplished, satisfied, and content when it comes to your next riding review?
Or when, 11 months from now, it comes to looking back over the year that was 2023? What will prove to you that you and your horse ‘did it’?
That is where to start… Begin focusing your energies and attention there and see where it takes you going forward🙂
Happy Riding
Lorna
