My equestrian bucket list!

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:

1. Buy a horse of my own. Use all my own money for it.
2. 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.
3. Own a horse over the course of its entire life.
4. Go through a fast food drive-thru on horseback, or in a carriage.
5. Go swimming with a horse.
6. Try mounted shooting. Or mounted archery. Or mounted falconry. OR ALL OF THE ABOVE.

Riding:

1. Jump to my highest ability, whatever that ends up being.
2. Go foxhunting!
3. Foxhunt first flight.
4. Learn to ride sidesaddle.
5. Gallop a racehorse on the track.
6. Ride on the beach!
7. Ride internationally. I don’t necessarily feel the need to complete internationally, but I’d love to just go and ride wherever I can.
8. 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:

1. 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.
2. Learn how to do quarter marks.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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!
6. 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!
7. Learn more about horse health, nutrition, and vet care beyond basic first aid.

Showing:

1. Ride in an international hunter derby.
2. Take the high options in a hunter derby.
3. Compete in an ‘AA’ rated show.
4. Show in the jumpers.
5. 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!