New Year Resolutions and Goals. Bring on 2018!

End of year Wrap-up and Goals for 2018

As I say every year, I love to start planning for a fresh year. With a fun young horse, it's even more exciting this year. However, when I started writing this post, Gadget was healthy and I was feeling so optimistic for both horses. Now, Gadget has been hospitalized with a large abscess on his hock. So my number one goal is to get Gadget healthy and back home asap.

 First, I want to look back at the goals that I set for 2017 because I feel like I accomplished so much this year!

2017 Goals:

1.   Get my last score of 60% at PSG for Silver Medal. This seems very obtainable, but I still don't think it will be easy. To get bronze and silver on Gadget will be so fulfilling, if it happens.  CHECK! At our first show in March of 2017, we scored a 65% to finish my silver medal! I'm still so incredibly proud of Gadget.
2.  Nail the Tempis!  I think I am getting the timing and feeling how uphill he needs to be to get through an accurate line, so now I want consistency! I want to be able to nail these in the show ring! I feel like this is getting so close to being true! At the last several clinics, I have been able to bang out 4s and 3s perfectly. Even the twos are getting better. This is probably one goal that will live on in 2018 though!
3. Improve the Left Pirouette. It's getting better, but because he does not bend easily that direction, it does not have the sit and flow of the right pirouette. It's a work in progress. It is so much better! We have definitely made huge improvements. Still work to be done, but the pirouettes are much better this year.
4. Keep Gadget feeling his best For some reason, Gadget always starts feeling a bit off in the fall. I need to find a way to manage him better through the summer so his body stays happy. He may need a bit of downtime mid-summer. Also, now that cellulitis is a concern, I am hoping to keep his legs looking and feeling good through the next year too. Gadget again feels a little funky this fall. I thought it was in his front end and had him checked out by the vet who found nothing. I'm still trying to keep him feeling his best, but it's a work in progress.
5. Begin shopping for a young horse to bring along in the Spring. I think I am ready to start bringing along a youngster while Gadget works at the upper levels. I don't want to push Gadget beyond his limits. I want him to go back to easier work before he "breaks." I think a younger horse will help me keep things in perspective. This is also part of a YOLO (you only live once) perspective. After two years with injuries, I don't want to wait too long to buy the young horse of my dreams. I want to do it now. You never know what life has in store. I am so excited about the prospects of a talented young horse that I can hardly contain myself. I'm sure I have a very steep learning curve ahead of me! CHECK! Yay! Iggy is even more wonderful than I imagined. He not only has the elastic, big gaits that I dreamed of, he has a personality sweeter than I've ever met. He makes my heart melt on a daily basis. I am so excited to see where we go together in 2018!
6. Get Healthy a/k/a Skinny White breeches. Shadbelly. Enough said. I'm hoping to clean up my diet and add in regular exercise. I may even try a personal trainer once a week to learn a bit more about light weight lifting, etc. Currently at my highest weight -- need to make a change! Yeah, so this definitely needs to stay on the list. Going to make some changes for 2018!

2018 Goals

1. Work on strengthening and balancing Iggy's big canter. His canter is amazing, but it's so big that he seems to lose his balance and still swap around a bit. I'm hoping with time and consistency this will improve.

2. Get Iggy to his first horse show! I can't wait to start showing him. I really want to make it a positive experience and give him some perspective of the structure of a show. It will be fun!

3. Expose Iggy to different places. Hopefully we get to lots of show grounds and that I have the bravery to take him across the stress to our big hayfield. I'm going to try to embrace as many opportunities to get him out and about as I can.

4. Take my time and enjoy him! He is so incredibly sweet and so talented. I wanted to enjoy the journey and let Iggy enjoy it too!

5. Get Gadget sound and keep him sound. I am actually scared for him. The infection has now been active for over a month and he has been unsound. Praying that he recovers fully.

6. Nail the tempis in the showring. Pre-injury, I could get tempis at home consistently, but they still escape me in the showring. I'm hoping to change this. It means keeping him consistently in front of my leg!

7. Try the I-1. I cannot even believe I am typing that. But Ryan keeps telling me this is the year, so I'm adding it as my "reach" goal. 

8. Get myself healthier! I still need to lose at least 10 pounds and I'd love to lose more to feel good in my breeches. 

Looking forward to a fun 2018 and hopefully one where both horses and humans are healthy and sound.