Dressage - Setting Goals

Do you still have dreams? In the garden of what is my life, dreams have been overrun by various family and work responsibilities. I need to take the time to weed and find out what dreams are still alive and tend them so they can become vital and growing. Certainly this applies to all aspects of my life, but what a great feeling it would be if my riding could be an experience that would enable me to live out my dreams.

"When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life." - Greg Anderson, American basketball player

Most of this quote discusses ideas that I have already addressed in this article but the one thing that this quote includes that the other does not, is the idea of love. In dressage, to me, this includes love of horses, love of a particular horse, love of dressage and love of riding in general. I think that we have to love what we are doing in order to invest the time and effort needed to achieve the goals we set in our riding. Otherwise, the goals become work, items on a list to be done and then move on to something else. In working on our goals, we have to love the process, the journey as well as feeling pride when one of our goals has been achieved.

In the process of writing this article, I have not formulated any goals for my riding. But it has caused me to think about why I ride and how that can be compatible with setting goals. Doing this thinking will improve my experience of riding. It is only a baby step but it is a step. It is difficult to get started in this process. But as another one of Nancy's quotes says "All things are difficult before they are easy." - John Norley

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