I’ve been blessed to do a lot of amazing things in my equestrian life – I’ve attended WEG and the Olympics, I’ve handled Grand Prix jumpers. I’ve spent a week touring Thoroughbred farms in Kentucky. I’ve seen the Spanish Riding School perform, I’ve been a spectator at Devon and other big horse shows, and plenty more… but there’s always more I want to do and learn. I have a lot of goals, so I’ve divided them into categories.
Equestrian Life:
- Buy a horse of my own. Use all my own money for it.
- Breed, raise, and train my own horse from birth. Although I certainly would not be averse to working with a trainer on this (especially the first time) I really love doing things myself.
- Own a horse over the course of its entire life.
- Go through a fast food drive-thru on horseback, or in a carriage.
- Go swimming with a horse.
- Try mounted shooting. Or mounted archery. Or mounted falconry. OR ALL OF THE ABOVE.
Riding:
- Jump to my highest ability, whatever that ends up being.
- Go foxhunting!
- Foxhunt first flight.
- Learn to ride sidesaddle.
- Gallop a racehorse on the track.
- Ride on the beach!
- Ride internationally. I don’t necessarily feel the need to complete internationally, but I’d love to just go and ride wherever I can.
- Be able to ride skillfully up to Second or Third level dressage (read: lateral work). I like jumping. I like going fast. I am also a huge fan of dressage and I think it’s immensely useful for both horse and rider.
New Skills:
- Get better at braiding. Learn how to plait with yarn and do fancy hunter tails. Bring a horse to a fancy show where braiding is required and braid it myself.
- Learn how to do quarter marks.
- WRAP LEGS PROPERLY, DAMMIT. At least six different people have taught me how to wrap legs. I have wrapped legs a hundred times. And yet? I am inexplicably horrible at wrapping legs, and it’s kind of a safety issue.
- Buy a big truck and a trailer (I know exactly the kind I want, too – a head-to-head that converts to stalls) and learn how to haul my own horses. Hopefully in the reverse order.
- Properly learn how to drive. I know how to drive a carriage, and I’ve driven a number of times, but we’re talking the trail riding equivalent of driving. I’d really like to learn how to do it properly, with a whip, at multiple gaits. Maybe even drive a double or a four-in-hand!
- Learn about farriery. Although it’d be nice to be able to shoe my own horses, I can settle for just learning how to keep their feet nicer between visits!
- Learn more about horse health, nutrition, and vet care beyond basic first aid.
Showing:
- Ride in an international hunter derby.
- Take the high options in a hunter derby.
- Compete in an ‘AA’ rated show.
- Show in the jumpers.
- Compete in an equitation medal.
Lie about my age and win in the big eq (“I’m not a high schooler, but I play one on TV…”).
There are other things I’d like to do – keep horses on my own property for one – but these are the ones I think I’d be most disappointed about if I died before completing them!
Mounted falconry?! I wanna try too! And I’m with you on the leg wrapping, no matter how many times someone shows me I just can’t get it right. That goes on the list for me too this year- we will triumph!
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Oh, thank God – I thought I was the only person who couldn’t figure it out! xD Hopefully having a horrible-leg-wrapping buddy will help us both get it!
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Great List, mounted falconery is on mine as well!
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Your very first goal is something I recently did, and it was SO rewarding. Even though it was a little scary writing the check, I’ve never regretted it for a single second and consider it the best money I’ve ever spent!
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I’m jealous! As much as I would love some mysterious benefactor to purchase endless fancy horses for me I just feel like this is something I really want to be able to do myself. I’m glad to know it’s as rewarding as I hope it will be!
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