Time for a Reboot

With the winter season at an end, this is the perfect time to stop, breathe and reflect before we plunge headlong into the summer shows. This can be very hard to do, the qualifier dates are being released and we are feeling that there is so little time to get everything done. However, it is essential that we assess where we are in order to plan constructively and give ourselves the best possible opportunities

Reflect

Where to start? We can, especially when things are not where we thought they would be or we have suffered setbacks, write off our whole winter. DON’T. No matter what has happened every experience, every step, offers us the chance to learn and sometimes what has gone wrong teaches us much more than the good. Take out a pen and paper and jot down the answers to these questions? ( these are some questions I ask myself, you might others that suit your situation better)

1. What is my horse more confident/comfortable/capable of doing better than last year?
2. How have changes in my training affected my horse/me?
3. Is my horse feeling stronger/weaker?
4. Is my horse showing enthusiasm for his work?
5. Has my feeding regime left my horse in better/worse condition?
6. Am I feeling more confident or less?
7. What can I do now that was previously difficult?
8. Am I feeling enthusiastic for the season ahead?

When you stop and look at your answers you will hopefully see that there has been progress. If you don’t feel positive take heart that, fingers crossed, you now see where the gaps or weaknesses are. There are questions not only about the horse but about yourself. We are team mates with our horse, we need as much care as them if we are going to thrive. So what now? Now you congratulate yourself on all the good points no matter how small. Every win is a step in the right direction so don’t be quick to dismiss it.

Take a Break

Before you plunge headlong into creating that new plan, take a break. With the weather having been so dry recently, now is a great time to get out of the arena into the field, out on a gallops or a trip to the beach. Do something new with your horse. A change is as good a rest they say, so this can really invigorate both of you. Get back, for a little bit, to just enjoying your horses company with no agenda, no goal in sight. Ask yourself whether your horse would benefit with a break from riding particularly if their winter has been busy. The summer season has got longer and longer so you will still get plenty of shows. This can allow you to get some vital jobs done:

1. Stables – perfect time to remove the winter beds and give your stables a spring clean and fix or replace anything
2. Tack – does your tack need any repairs or to be assessed for fit (especially necessary if the horse is young and their shape has changed)
3. Blood work – without knowledge of how your horses health is, you really are just stabbing in the dark when it comes to their needs especially if the horse is new or is returning from time off
4. Feeding – as the requirements of your horse changes – summer grazing, more work etc., getting advice from an equine nutritionist can be a worthwhile investment
5. Physio – A visit for both you and the horse to help with any niggles that you may have could be the perfect preventative step needed to ensure a successful summer
6. Dentist – regular visits by the dentist are essential to help your horse to stay willing in his work
7. Worming – taking a worm count and sending it to the lab is the best option so you can target specifically and are not worming for the sake of it
8. Arena – this is a great time to get any the fences repaired and the surface level or paint your poles ready for summer work.

Before you set out a plan

It’s fairly easy when winter training and competing has gone well to be positive and this helps you to see the areas of weakness as something that can be dealt with. We see, when we are in this mindset, solutions rather than problems. But what happens when, either through injury, work pressures, bad luck or whatever, we aren’t where we thought we would be? The first thing I would say is be honest with yourself,- were the goals you set achievable in the time? Many times, especially as amateurs, we are basing what we can achieve against what professionals do? Their 6 year old is doing half pass and starting flying changes where as mine is finally giving me a decent canter transition! Be realistic, either through our lack of time, experience, knowledge, or training we can not achieve at the same pace. This is not to say we can’t do it but, we may need a little bit longer and that is FINE! We are still going to get there. So before you can set out a plan you need to see what hasn’t worked. Is it the feeding, tack, training, is the horse or you ready or able to do what is being asked? Why haven’t you achieved your goals? Don’t be tempted to turn this into a blame game, either blaming yourself, a trainer, or whoever that is not helpful. If you have someone whom you trust to talk things through with do this. An independent voice can help you tease out what is really going on?

KEEP THE GOAL CHANGE THE PLAN

Set backs happen – FACT. The quicker we accept this the easier it is to develop our resilience to them. We also get much better at assessing the cause of our problems and therefore better at creating plans that are effective and constructive for us and our horse. So what now? How do you move yourself forward? Well my first question to myself is what do I want to achieve this season – particular shows I want to attend, a qualification for a championship, a movement I want to learn. Then once I have decided this I can look at dates if my goals are competition based and work my way back from this. If my goals are more training orientated then I need to critically assess what I need to do in order to build towards that goal – fitness, knowledge, movements.

To sum up

1. Every experience has something to teach us
2. Setbacks happen even when our plans are perfect
3. Be honest with yourself when planning – what is achievable, sometimes our steps need to be smaller to help us keep moving and stay motivated
4. Be clear about what you want to achieve then you can make clear purposeful plans
5. Knowledge is power – whether in relation to the care of your horses or gaps in your training the more you know the better your plans can be
6. Lastly remember KEEP THE GOAL BUT CHANGE THE PLAN if things aren’t working out, nothing has to be set in stone.