This week, I will be exploring goal setting when our original aims no longer exist, and breaking down what can be done in the absence of more or less everything.
For Fay Thomas’ Freya FST, reassessing my aims and how to get there was a mercifully straightforward process. While at the start of the year, I had grand ideas of riding at Hagen, my new goal is just as exciting. By the end of 2020, I want to be able to ride through a full Grand Prix with her. To do this, I have put into place several process goals of different sizes. It would be too tedious to list them all here for you but here is a selection:
- Establish a quicker rhythm in the half-steps to ease the transition to full piaffe;
- Wean the one-time changes off the long side by doing lines or seven or nine across the diagonal and building up to the full fifteen;
- Ride through the Inter 2 weekly to put the new exercises into a test situation;
- Increase my cardiovascular stamina by going running twice a week;
- Find a good alternative to my regular gym sessions that I can do at home.
Once you really think about what you can get out of the year, the rest follows fairly easily. For Caroline David’s Dormilon XV, the goal is similar (I want to ride through the Inter 1 by the end of the year) but the approach is different.
But what about those of us who are not able to ride? It’s more difficult to have a defined goal, but certainly not impossible. In this instance, I would home in on the ‘Dream Goal’ – that big idea that sneaks into your imagination from time to time before you dismiss it for being too fanciful. Ride at the Nationals? Win the Nationals? Compete in a CDI abroad? Now is the time to commit yourself to it and work out just how you’re going to get there when you’re back up and running.
You need to figure out what exactly that big dream goal needs, then use your time to get yourself fitter, better prepared, and more informed. Whatever your goal is, write it down and commit to it, even if it’s only between you, your horse and that piece of paper. Then think about what you can do now to make it a reality and eliminate some of the things holding you back. Here are some ideas:
- Find an exercise routine that works for you;
- Address competition nerves with the help of a sport psychologist;
- Swot up on the theory – ‘The Principles of Riding’ cannot be beaten as a training manual, and I recently found Karl Greenwood’s ‘Control Your Stress and Enjoy Your Horse’ very helpful;
- Watch YouTube videos or subscribe to ClipMyHorse. What does a 69/70% test look like? What does an 80% test look like, for that matter?
- Give structure to future competition days – What will you eat and drink? How will you warm up? Do you visualise your test? Do you need someone to give you a prompt before you go in?
All of these are just ideas and advice, but I know I want to come out of this bizarre time as a better rider and trainer. It’s not often we have all this extra time to focus on ourselves and what we want out of life, so we might as well make the most of it.