Equestrian Clinics

We all start the New Year with a bunch of overwhelming resolutions. But when we try to pull off lots of life-changing aspirations all at once, we don’t know where to focus. And if we don’t immediately see results, we feel like a failure, get frustrated, and sometimes just give up. So here is some unsolicited advice that I am trying to follow myself this year: Stop trying to fix everything at once and aim for smaller successes.

Pick one area of your life (weight loss or strengthen your core) and your riding (better lower leg over fences or ride a more effective track) that you’d like to improve and write out specific steps you can take. Sit down with your trainer and formulate a plan/course of action. Commit to that plan for one month – it is imposing to thing about doing anything for an enter year. In that time, you’ll have made some progress, which will motivate you to move toward your next doable goal.

In an interview with George Morris about teaching he said “the quick way to learn is to concentrate on one thing at a time for a short time. Repetition is what gives you the physical body memory that gives you the habit. Repetition with a good technique or a bad technique is how we develop good habits or bad habits.”

This year, I want to compete in Medal Finals. I started the year off by overwhelming my brain with all of the things my horse and I need to work on. But I am now taking the above advice and am attempting to set us both up for success - - one step at a time.