Getting Serious

With a couple weeks of decent riding weather under my belt and my horse friends all starting to get their show seasons started, I've found my motivation to really start working again! But although it's somehow already May, my show season really isn't planned out at all at this point. My new work schedule and limited days off also makes it tricky to block out entire weekends for shows, and the weeknight schooling series that I love to attend now require me to leave the office early and coordinate with my coworkers so I don't leave anyone in a tight spot. I'm definitely not used to the level of planning horse showing with a traditional 9-5 job requires!

But as my goals post for 2018 outlined, this year is going to have a more dressage-centric focus, and I THINK I've got my first dressage show penciled into the calendar. After taking a good look at the First Level tests, I'm pretty confident that Dino and I can just jump right in there instead of riding a Training Level test for our first outing. He's working well, I feel super confident on the flat, and the worst that can happen if we over-face ourselves in dressage is a bad score and a bruised ego. (Not certain death, like in eventing...) I've got my eye on a horse trial or two as well, just for fun, and I plan on playing things by ear as far as entry deadlines allow. If I'm able to get us both fit enough, there's also  hopefully an LD ride in our future this fall.

But for now, it's time to buckle down and start chipping away at the First Level tests!