The Best Year Yet
Well here we are, about halfway through the first month of the new year. I don’t know about you, but I am ready for summer, and long days with my horses. But since I still have about 75 days until spring, I thought I would think about things that I can do to make the most of the time that I have with my horses.
Setting goals now while I am limited with daylight gives me something to look forward to with my horses. There are so many things I want to do this year, especially with my younger horse Ethan. And there a lot of little things I can do to work up to my bigger goals. Baby stepping your way to bigger goals is a great way to plan, in my opinion. It’s like you have little baby goals that build up to the ultimate goal.
And when you decide to set goals, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Have you ever heard of a SMART goal? No? Well, let me share it with you.
SMART Goals
I am very familiar with SMART goals because of my job. But I thought it would be fun to set a SMART goal for me and my horse. But you may be wondering what the heck is a SMART goal? A smart goal is:
- S: Specific
- M: Measurable
- A: Attainable
- R: Realistic
- T: Time Based
So what that means is setting a specific goal that has a way to be measured, that is realistic and attainable in a set amount of time. Sounds easy, right? Well, it can be, once you have done it a couple of times. Let’s go back to my example of me and my horse, Ethan. Let’s set a smart goal. Ok, here we go…
I want to be able walk, trot, and canter on Ethan by July 2018.
See, that was easy right? But I can get a little more specific I think…
To be able to walk, trot, and canter in both directions while keeping my hands and seat quiet, and without fear on Ethan. I will concentrate on ground work for February and March. And in April I will work up to walk and trot. In May I will continue walk and trot while I being to work on Canter. In June I will focus on trot and canter work in the arena while I incorporate confidence by going for trail rides that I can continue to work and trotting. By July I will be able to ride Ethan at all gaits, walk, trot, and canter, comfortably. In order to achieve this goal, I will ride Ethan 3 days a week for at least 30 minutes.
I like that one a lot better. Not only was I specific, but there were actually several little goals intertwined within my main smart goal, which is to be able to walk trot and canter on my horse bu July. Not only did I give myself little goals to shoot for, but I also gave myself the goal that I will ride 3 days a week. For me, this is realistic and attainable.
This may seem like a silly goal, but it works for me. And that is all that matters, that the goal works for you. The real goal here is to do something that will matter with your horse. It doesn’t even have to be your horse, it could be a goal you want to work on during your riding lesson, or on a horse you lease. Heck, it could even be a goal of how you are going to get your own horse!
This is why I love smart goals, you can make them whatever you want them to be! How about you? Can you think of a goal you would love to be able to achieve this year with your horse? Leave a comment below and share your smart goal!