Goals and Resolutions... 2013 Style

 

As I write this in the wee hours of the first morning of 2013, it strikes me how odd and wonderful perspective is.  This time of year brings about our tendency to reflect, both on the positive and the negative.  Its interesting how if I were to judge my past year simply on the goals I laid out for myself, it would have been quite the failure.  Yet in that year, I accomplished more than I could have hoped for, had an extremely successful season with my mare, made lots of mistakes, and did lots of things well, and most importantly, ended the year with myself and my loved ones (both two and four legged) happy and healthy.  So really, what more could I ask for?


Anyhow, this post will be long enough without me rambling, so lets cut to the chase.  I set resolutions (personal things I'd like to change or do better) and goals (riding related things to work towards achieving).  The division makes sense to me, so lets just leave it at that.  To view how the 2012 goals and resolutions went, click here.  I gave it its own post because, well, this one ended up being really fricken long.


Resolutions for 2013:
1) Go to the gym twice a week.  
I tried (and was moderately successful) this in 2012, and it went well till about mid-summer when it started to go down hill.  Crazy work load at school dumped this baby right off the tracks.  So starting in February (for life-related reasons) I would like to go to the gym 2x/week.

2) Focus more on health and nutrition.
Not too many resolutions for myself.  Last year I got sucked into the festivities and went WAY overboard in terms of goal setting and resolution making.  This year its simple- eat better and exercise more.  I know 'focus on health and nutrition' is vague, but really awareness is the precursor to change, as awareness leads to information.  I'm not 100% sure WHAT changes I need to make regarding my eating habits, so for now I'd like to just be aware of them.

Goals for 2013:
1) Keep Cadence sound, healthy, and happy with her work.
Really, this is the most important one.  If I get nothing else done this year except for this goal, I can count myself lucky.

2) Keep RFTGU going until 2014.
2014 seems so far away, and yet I guarantee that at this time next year I'll look back on that statement and laugh.  I've loved this journey that's arisen through keeping this blog going, and while I'm completely aware that from a social media perspective this blog is an inconsequential little nothing, my sole goal here has always been to simply keep a record of my life with horses.  So from that perspective I think thus far its been relatively successful.  Next year will bring some major changes to my life, changes that will probably cause this blog to be moved to the back burner.  All I can hope is that next year I'll be sitting in this same position writing about another successful year of blogging, riding, and well... life, but you never know what the future holds.

3) Compete at first level, and do more than one dressage show.
We seem to do one dressage show in the spring, and then kind of forget about it... but now that I have a (somewhat) trained horse who's on her way out of the green bean baby stage, we'll actually get to... providing things go as planned... have a somewhat normal season in which we do things like plan out what competitions we're going to go to more than one week in advance ;)

3) Compete in meter jumpers.
Show jumping is my least favourite part of eventing.  There, I've said it.  So really, I'd like to try to focus on it a little and improve that area a bit more.  I think having a show incentive would be a great push in the right direction. And 1m seems like a reasonable height, considering the fact that Training level might possibly if things go REALLY REALLY well be on the horizon for late in 2013, and that jumper courses are naturally a lot more technically challenging than stadium courses, so I definitely wouldn't want to go higher.  Ideally we'd start out with .96m jumpers to get a feel for 'real' jumper stuff and work our way up to the 1m classes.

4) Complete a T3D
Every year I like to set an ambitious, challenging yet not completely out of the realm of possibility (just out of the realm of LIKELY possibility) goal.  Shooting for the stars and all that.  If I were to be perfectly honest (and why wouldn't I? That's kind of the point of this blog...) running the training 3-day at the KHP would be like a dream come true.  Will I be supremely disappointed if it doesn't happen? No.  But it can't hurt to try.

So on that note, I hope everyone has a happy and healthy 2013, and I can't wait to see what this new year has in store!

2012 Goals and Resolutions Revisited

2012 Resolutions:
1)I'd like to continue on with the 'drink more water' resolution from 2011, but this time make it more quantifiable.  I'd like to drink two glasses of water/day.  Yeulch.
Well, I've basically rid myself of my hatred of water thanks to two years of hard work.  Did I drink 2 glasses a day? No, so technically this was a fail.

 2)Work out 2x per week.  I think I can manage this one, and I think it'll be helpful in regards to both my riding and my overall health.  This may sound odd coming from a 5'9 105lb girl, but health isn't just about weight, and while I may be thin I also eat awfully which brings me to my 3rd resolution.
Oddly enough, it was summer that killed this one.  Normally I run on the treadmill, but the weather was just so fine I couldn't quite bring myself to go to the gym... only I didn't exercise outside either.  I did get back into it, only to have my efforts squashed by my dreadful fall semester.  At least we're almost through it!  I plan on recommencing this one in February.

3)Stop being such a mooch.  I'm an awful mooch; I jus see food and have this uncontrolable desire to eat it!!! It doesn't really matter whose it is, so long as it ends up in my mouth.  I have poor impulse control; this is my attempt to correct it and do something for society as a whole simultaneously.
Yeah... fail. Big a mooch as ever, but I decided I don't really care.  I love food, and it pains me to see other people eating delicous stuff that could be in my mouth.  So what's the harm in asking?

4)Eat healthier.  Another one of those unquantifiable/unqualifiable resolutions.  MAYBE I can make it quantifiable by 2013 ;)  (I seem to have a penchant for goals that area easy to say 'yeah, I totally did that' without REALLY doing it...)
I really like cookies... and carbs... and most things I'm not supposed to eat


2012 Goals:
1) Compete at 1st level.  A challenge? Yes.  Doable? I think so.  
Well, we ALMOST got there... but I opted for an XC school instead :)

2) COMPLETE an event, and hopefully pick up some ribbons.  I'd like to be successfully going Entry by the end of the season, and MAYBE try a PT.  Maybe.  That's not a goal, just an 'outline'.

We completed this goal, and then some!  With two firsts, one sixth, and a tenth place all in hte span of a month and a half, we had quite the season.

3) Go camping with Cadence, or go on a fox hunt (or training hunt) with Cadence
Fail.  I don't think I'll ever be able to take Cadence camping; she's just not that type of horse.  A hunt or something along those lines would be fun though.
 
4) Get a car... it would make my life oh so much easier.
I still don't own my own vehicle... so another fail.  I really can't afford the insurance at this point in time though, so I'll have to stick with carpooling, borrowing, and public transit ATM.

4) Keep RFTGU going until 2013!  What an odd thought... 2013.  How time flies when you're having a good time.
Success!  At times I most certainly let the blog slide more than I should have, but to be perfectly honest, that's just a part of life.  I lead an incredibly busy life between school, horses, volunteer work, music, and a few fun side projects.  I'm also absolutely dreadful when it comes to doing anything on a regular baasis.  So in short, I'm kind of stunned I've kept the blog going for as long as I have.

Happy New Year! 2012 Edition

I'm going to be away, and I probably won't have access to the internet, so here's my New Years Eve blog post just a wee bit early.
Hello, and welcome to the end of the universe.  Well, not yet I suppose.  I was extremely disappointed to learn that the end of the universe wouldn't be until NEXT December.  Wholly unfair, if you ask me.  I had my hopes up thinking it'd come sooner than that... I never have been the patient sort.
Alas I digress; the intent of this post was not to discuss the end of life, the universe, and everything (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, anyone?) but to discuss goals and resolutions.  Oh, and in case anyone's wondering, in the world of Kate, a goal is something to be completed, and a resolution is something to do continuously throughout the year.


2011 Resolutions:
My 2011 new years resolution: Drink more water
Success? Sort of... it's hard thing to quantify/qualify.  I did put in a concerted effort to drink more water.  However, it was more of a here & there kind of thing.

2011 Goals:
1)Ride in at least one sanctioned horse trial: Success, I rode in 2!  However, Miss Cadence and I didn't OFFICIALLY complete any.  Ah well.
2)Ride in one Dressage show: Check.  Cadence and I got first and third, with scores of 59% in Walk/trot test A (she would NOT go near the end of the arena; there was a scary car there) and 69% in w/t test B.
3)Get 4/10 rider levels: Fail.  I didn't get any of my rider levels...  I was never too serious about this one, but I think I'd still like to get them.  Eventually.
4) I had an 'unofficial goal' to get a horse.  Horse goal? Major success!
5)Keep RFTGU going until 2012: Success!

I've been putting a lot of thought into my goals and resolutions for 2012.  More so my goals than my resolutions.  Its not something I generally put a lot of validity into, but I found that looking back on my 2011 year, and the goals I created for it, was a lot of fun and quite helpful.  With that in mind, here's what I've come up with:

2012 Resolutions:
1)I'd like to continue on with the 'drink more water' resolution from 2011, but this time make it more quantifiable.  I'd like to drink two glasses of water/day.  Yeulch.
2)Work out 2x per week.  I think I can manage this one, and I think it'll be helpful in regards to both my riding and my overall health.  This may sound odd coming from a 5'9 105lb girl, but health isn't just about weight, and while I may be thin I also eat awfully which brings me to my 3rd resolution
3)Stop being such a mooch.  I'm an awful mooch; I jus see food and have this uncontrolable desire to eat it!!! It doesn't really matter whose it is, so long as it ends up in my mouth.  I have poor impulse control; this is my attempt to correct it and do something for society as a whole simultaneously.
4)Eat healthier.  Another one of those unquantifiable/unqualifiable resolutions.  MAYBE I can make it quantifiable by 2013 ;)  I seem to have a penchant for goals that area easy to say 'yeah, I totally did that' without REALLY doing it...


2012 Goals:
1) Compete at 1st level.  A challenge? Yes.  Doable? I think so.
2) COMPLETE an event, and hopefully pick up some ribbons.  I'd like to be successfully going Entry by the end of the season, and MAYBE try a PT.  Maybe.  That's not a goal, just an 'outline'.
3) Go camping with Cadence, or go on a fox hunt (or training hunt) with Cadence
4) Get a car... it would make my life oh so much easier.
4) Keep RFTGU going until 2013!  What an odd thought... 2013.  How time flies when you're having a good time.

I hope everyone has a wonderful new year, and I'll see you all on the other side.  Cheers!

Welcome to 2011!

Happy new year everyone!   2011 started off with a pop for me... one of my eight blisters popping to be exact.  Yes, It was so warm here yesterday I decided to forgo my nice warm riding gloves, and I paid dearly for that misteak.  With eight blisters to be exact.  Don't think I'll be making that misteak again any time soon.
Anyhow, I did make a new years resolution last night. My new years resolution.... drum roll please.... is to drink more water.  Odd, I know.  I did write out a nice long boring explanation as to why I did that, but I got bored writing it so I doubt anyone wants to read it.
Okay, weird resolutions aside I do have some goals for 2011. 
1) Ride in at least one sanctioned horse trial.  Hopefully more, but we'll stick with one for now.
2) Ride in one dressage show.
3) Get 4 out of 10 rider levels.  I'm not overly concerned about these, hence why I've yet to get any, but I'd like to get them eventually.
4) My secret goal is to have a horse of my own horse by the end of 2011.  While I don't mind part boarding my boys, I do long for a horse that I can truly call my own.  We'll see about this one, but I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and let come what may.
5) My final goal for 2011 is to keep this blog going until 2012!

Lesson and update on Bailey

Well, I have good and bad news to report , so I think I'll start with the bad.  Bailey's going to be off for another month.  He's doing a lot better, but Bailey's Mom really wants him to make a full recovery, so we're going to err on the side of caution.  I suppose that's not necessarily bad news, but more disappointing. 
On the plus side, Bailey's Mom and her husband are going to be having a baby this spring!  So Bailey's going to have a sibling to share his Momma with ;)

Also in the good news category, I had a lesson on my coaches horse today.  It was more of a learn how to train young horses lesson, and for me a learn how to use draw reins properly lesson.  I tend to shy away from draw reins, as I've seen them misused so many times.  However, when riding a young green horse they can be really helpful.  Z was fantastic!  She's going to be a great dressage horse, and I was honoured to be able to ride her.  Needless to say, I was also a little nervous.  This wasn't helped when my coach informed me that I was one of the first people, aside from herself, to ride her.  Z kept looking into the middle at my coach as if to say
"Why aren't you on my back?  What's she doing up there?"
It was a ton of fun, and I guess I did alright, since I've been invited back to ride her once a week while Bales is off.  I wish I'd gotten some pics, but no such luck.  Anyhow, happy new year everyone!