Find Focus & Motivation: Write Down Your Riding Goals

Hi Athletes!

Today is the first day of spring! It’s also the international day of happiness. That can’t be a coincidence and I am pretty sure an equestrian is responsible for that.

I am looking at the weather forecast now and salivating, because frankly I can’t look at the footing at the barn right now. It is that delicate in between where it’s not safe to walk through the barnyard (I myself had a spill this past weekend!) but it is just sooooooo tempting to make plans to ride. I am trying to do the math to figure out how long we need with these lovely temps to melt the thick base of ice and snow, and wishing this type math was offered to me in school vs calculus. Maybe it was hiding in there somewhere and I wasn’t paying attention.

While I am doing this math in my head, I am also weighing it against my goals for this year and my current training plan. Now is a great time to start setting myself up for success.

Spending a little time on my spreadsheets and writing down my goals helps me manage this gap between “Its sunny I want to ride” and “Oh boy, not many places to safely go yet!”. Busy work is a good distraction, but it can also be productive. Not to mention, clearly defining your goals will help you on those days when you are trying to make a tough decision.

So, I have made a quick goal worksheet that I have used for my own horses this year and wanted to share. It’s totally free for you awesome subscribers and only takes a few minutes to complete, but trust me, it pays more dividends than you think!

Print it, fill it out, post it somewhere you will see often (maybe your tack trunk?). Remind yourself frequently of what is important to you and find focus and motivation come just a little easier. Forgiveness too, because sometimes making progress towards our goals also means letting things go or say no. Having that visual reminder will simplify and just help you BREATHE again.

Cheers!

Sarah