As equestrians, whether we ride for pleasure or aim for the Olympic Games, we all share a common passion for our equine partners.  We also share a lot of the same hurdles - injuries to horses, personal health issues, work / business strains, financial barriers and family commitments just to name a few.

Hopefully I can share some wisdom to help you achieve your goals and overcome the disappointment that comes with the journey!

Tip 1 - Have GOALS!

Write down the goal.  Keep it simple and relative and give the goal a deadline.  Then it becomes real and we can start to make plans!

For example: I would like to take 'Bob' to National Championships at the end of the year.

Now, let's see what we need to achieve in that time frame to make the goals achievable.  Bob needs to jump 1.30m.  So now we can break it down and plan the schooling / lessons and competitions between now and then.  As a short term goal, I'd break this example down into months. If I am aiming for a 3 year goal, I would break it down into yearly, 6 monthly, and then monthly aims.

Your goal might be to ride at a local show, on a trail, to improve your riding skill level or a goal you want to achieve and with a certain horse.

If you really WANT IT - WRITE IT DOWN with a DEADLINE!

 

Tip 2 - Be real with yourself!

Get to know your strengths and weaknesses and be honest. Ouch... but it helps.  Denial won't help you achieve your end results and neither will negativity.  When we are raw in personal assessment, then we start to work on the weaker areas.  In contrast, we need to see where we excel and believe in ourselves!

Your personal assessment might include needing work on your mindset, a certain aspect of your riding, your general horse knowledge, how to handle certain horses for example - breeding stock and young horses, your own physique or your general fitness just to name a few.

If this is starting to get your brain ticking over, then we are on the right path!  Jot a few thoughts down and see what stands out.

If I can acknowledge my fear, then I can seek help, if I can acknowledge that I don't have the skills yet, then I can seek help.  If I can acknowledge I'm just not as competitive as my peers, then I can seek help.

We just need to be real with ourselves and understand that highlighting an area of weakness, could be a strength if we seek help.  Leads me to the next point.

Tip 3 - Seek the right help!

If you want to be the best - train with the best! Train with the best coach for YOU!

Coaches and mentors are undeniably the key to growth, however they are like ice cream and you need to find your flavour!  Turn up with an open mind and be prepared to go outside your comfort zone.  Try what the instructor or coach is telling you.  Ask questions, go home, practice, experiment and try to recreate the feeling you have learnt.  Not everything will work for you, but eventually you will find your favourite instructor.

I'm not even being specific to the horse world.  We could be talking about a business advisor, psychiatrist, personal trainer or sports coach, eventually you will find someone that's right for you.  Be positive in the area you need expertise and seek regular lessons.  Understand your learning behaviour - some riders will be far more successful having one lesson a month and going home to practice the homework, than weekly riding under instruction, because it's habit.  Weekly lessons are great if you are thirsty enough for new information but you have to want to improve and keep working on what you have learnt.  

HARD WORK IS THE KEY - be self disciplined and be prepared to put in the hours.

 

Tip 4 - Team work makes the dream work!

It's the support crew behind the horse and rider that influences the performance.  Your team may include immediate family, employees, vets, owners, farriers, coaches and sponsors.  All contribute to the end results and deserve a lot of thanks and praise!  Look after them, support them and thank them!

As a young rider your parents might be financially supporting you.  Try to repay them by helping with household chores when you can.  If your farrier is out on a hot day, offer him shade and cold water, like wise a cup of coffee in winter.  Good farriers are hard to come by so look after them. The same principle applies with your instructor, be punctual and if you have to cancel, make sure you give them plenty of notice.  If you have sponsors, make sure you are giving back to them, whether it's recommending products, advertising on social media or thanking them.  They are gold!

Give your support crew as much as you can, because their expertise will enable you to follow your passion and keep your horse/s performing at the best of their abilities.

 

Tip 5 - Success never goes as planned...

It's a road with lots of (jumps) hurdles!  When it goes pear shaped, take  a breath, re-evaluate and look at a new positive goal heading forwards.

 

When I was a horse crazy teenager, I read a very poignant quote "you will win, when you are ready to".

We are only competing against ourselves and trying to better ourselves as horse people.

I have never put 'winning' as a goal.  My goals are specific to myself and my horse.  If I improve enough that I beat the other competitors, then I should reflect on my personal achievement only.  When I was 15, my motto was 'When there is a will, there's  a way'.  I can still remember my goal was to ride at the Young Riders 3 Day Event Championships in Naracoorte.  I had every day leading up to that event written on my calendar with dressage, jumping or fitness training.  Back to Tip 1, but planning is the key and I learnt that skill at a young age and it still works!

Without saying, we all recognize this is a partnership.  Look after your equine buddies, they are the reason we have so much fun.  Pat them, love them, spoil them and give them the very best care.  Some days we need to scratch from a competition, or call it a day and their welfare should be paramount at all times.

 

Success has hurdles, plans get changed, horses go lame, we select the wrong horse, the timing isn't right or we have outside stress influencing our passion.  I'm not saying it is easy - it takes a lot of guts, cold mornings, hot sweaty days and hip pocket pain.  The hard times will be there but if you work hard and are committed to your goals then the joys will be worth it.

When you achieve your goals - be proud of yourself.  Celebrate in a way special to you, go to dinner, buy a 6 pack or a bottle of Moet, do a happy dance.  I don't care, but make sure you acknowledge your success!

The road to success is never easy.  There will be hurdles and obstacles and fire breathing dragons, but if you are brave enough to write your goals down and break them down in to steps, seek advice and help, then you are far ahead of someone who isn't trying.  I personally had to overcome some significant obstacles in my late teens and early twenties.  I chose to accept and adapt and to keep moving forward.  I did a lot of planning in my down time and focused on the way forward.  We all have that choice.  Like any other rider, I have my fears and weaknesses along with the achievements.

What's special to me is the partnership I develop with every horse.  The special journey I undertake, getting to know their personality and learning style.  Yes the ribbons are nice, but knowing you are riding a horse that has that much trust in you is remarkable.  It's a partnership unequalled in any other aspect of life.

We are so lucky!

Authors Bio : 

Kate Dreverman (Rogers) has been a sponsored rider of Herdz since 2012.  Kate is a Queensland based International 3*** Event Rider who regularly competes at major events across the eastern states of Australia including the Adelaide International.  Her most recent major success was winning the TEG CIC 3*** in May 2018 with Global Victory.

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