New Beginnings & All That Shit

I guess I've put it off long enough. Its time. Its my birthday, which signifies January is half over and it really is a new year. Time to be an adult and do shit.

2015 goals.

Win all the blues.

I hate doing a goals list. A New Year does not magically freshen up your life and make things a brand new start.

Just...no.

Its simply a continuation of the same life, just with different numbers on your checks and bank statements.

I never make resolutions. I get annoyed when other people do. People rarely keep them. Like I'm glad they're all for bettering themselves but a New Year does not signify the start of that. I'm more along the line of thinking "Just try and keep your shit together, like, all the time".

keeping our shit together

That all sounds really negative and I'm not trying to make that impression. I just hate how frisky everyone gets over resolutions. Sure, I love watching the ball drop and popping champagne on NYE, but its still the same after that. THATS why I've been avoiding it.

But everyone actually needs goals. Especially if you have a seriously green OTTB on your hands.

future event horse right hurr

I also put it off because I really didn't know what 2015 had in store for us. I still don't really know, but I at least I have a real person job with reliable paychecks, and I don't think I'm moving. At least not within the next 6 to 8 months. I would love to go south & leave all this winter fuckery behind for good, but one needs a savings account first.

So with that, my tentative 2015 goals go a little like this....

But seriously. I can't afford more than probably 3 or 4 sanctioned events. maybe not even that considering they cost a cool grand for the whole weekend when its all said and done.

So my plan is to get B out to some local schooling shows early in the year. First show anywhere close to me is in April. So thats the first goal.

First first would actually be to like, RIDE.

Back when I actually showed 

I'm hoping in a few weeks the world will thaw and I can travel to the indoor a few times a week [lets be realistic, once a week] to get some solid jump schooling under our belts.

B is still SUPER UBER green over fences and I havent really done much jumping in oh, about a fucking year.

Once and IF that all happens, I will feel better about spending money on shows.

Hoping to do one schooling show every other weekend. Because who knows how he will behave off the property.

Then my next goal is to make our eventing debut at Midsouth HT. Its always been one of my favorites and its super close to me and at the end of June, so gives us plenty of time to prepare. If thats isn't disastrous, I was hoping to also compete at Champagne Run and Hagyard Team Challenge. I don't know if baby brain will be ready since those are end of the year shows, but I love those events. We might also hit up Jump Start, because also excellent.

With Bacardi, I just want him to stay in the ring and go over most of the jumps without mishap. Maybe later I can nail down more specific goals like, low 30s dressage tests and double clear XCs. But I'm trying to be realistic.

At home, it would be awesome if I could get some real lateral work down pat with him. Also, super clean canter departs. If I could nit pick his trot, it would be to work on maintaining proper carriage for more than half a lap- he tends to get heavy in my hands. I mean, have you seen the set of shoulders on that guy? I would also love to dabble more in his flying changes too.

So to recap
1. Lateral work
2. Proper carraige
3. Canter departs
4. Tentative flying changes

1a. April schooling show-don't die
2a. May schooling shows-more not dying
3a. June USEA show- stay in the ring, no refusals
4a. End of year sanctioned events.

Not a very decisive goals list, but its a start