So I just realized I had never really finished my end of year/ new goal-setting post from January. Not sure how that happened, but it did, I guess. We are now currently 78 days into 2026, and while it has not been awful, I don’t know that I feel like we have started off with a bang. January and February were pretty standard for us. I got out and rode 3-4 days a week. I am still struggling with having a training plan for when I ride. I have all sorts of resources, so I don’t know why I struggle so much.
At the beginning of March, I signed Bacardi and I up for a schooling dressage show at a new venue for us. I was really excited and confident, and spent the first 2 weeks of March training for it and really preparing. Unfortunately, due to my anxiety and stress, Bacardi and I ended up scratching in the warm-up ring. With further reflection from my friends and trainer, we kind of all have concluded that he and I both feed off of each other, which sets neither of us up for success.
Right now, the current plan is to work on groundwork and focus exercises to give him a place to be, calm down, and come back to in unfamiliar environments. I feel a little disheartened after all the work I have put in, that it’s going back to basics, and while logically I know that it has nothing to do with me as a rider and person, I perceive that as failure on my part as the trainer. Because of all of these emotions, I have decided my goal for the rest of the year is just to enjoy my horses. Enjoy riding them. Enjoy getting to know them and really finding what works for each of them as individuals, and really grow these relationships. I am tired of stressing about show goals and whether we measure up to our friends.
I am kind of feeling lately like I have lost my joy, and that’s not a fun feeling. Right now, or ever really. So I have to find the joy again.
Here’s to finding joy.
A