Resolutions

So.. here we are- 2009. Traditionally, on the New Years, people make a resolution to change something about themselves in the coming year. Then, on the second day they break it. No, just kidding. Sometimes they last a few days. We all know my resolution- I was swearing off cookies; at least for a little while. So far, so good. I've cut wwwaaaaaaayyy y back anyway. My actual resolution? I want to be more fit in the year 2009. I think that can only be to the good for my riding. I'm doing fair at it. A little more yoga. A little more pilates. A LOT more water.

Now we have Kenn, the traditionalist that he is; he did NOT make a resolution for 2009, so I made one for him. It seemed rather common of late that we'd been hearing a lot about how expensive horse showing is. How it's expensive and and people work to hard to afford it, to not have fun at it. Kenn, being the driven, focused person that he is, can become very competitive, and occasionally this rubs people the wrong way. So, my resolution for him fell into the realm of "customer service"- back off, and relax. They're doing this for fun. That resolution lasted a whopping total of 4 days.

No, he didn't go off on anyone. He didn't hound anyone for slacking. As a matter of fact, I was the one who released him from his promise. Now why would I do that??

Well, it was actually a Non-Pro that really cleared this grey area up for me. She put it so succinctly that I could find no arguement. She's completely, and totally right. She put it this way:

She works too hard to have the money to go to these shows (breed shows are expensive dammit!) to NOT go and try to win. She invests too much to shirk on her "homework"- her horse's training, her clothes, the trailer, the equipment, and mostly, the hours of practice. She spends too much time and money hauling to these shows to NOT push herself and her horses to be the best they can be, and to see just how far they can go together. That is the point. That is the reward. If she just wanted to have fun, she says, she'd go to Open shows. Not only are they cheaper, you usually stand a shot of winning back some money. In addition to less fiscal commitment, you don't need the time commitment. You can be a true weekend warrior at the Open shows. No need to scramble and juggle just to find time to practice during the week. Skip that, and just go show.

That's not to say that horses are her first priority. They are not. Her family is. She is very clear about this. Horses rank second on the list. But here's the thing: she's got a "list". She knows what her priorties are. In knowing, she's able to balance her time and finances in such a way that she's achieved a LOT of success in the horse world.

So maybe the thing to do in the new year isn't to make a resolution. Maybe it's time to take a deep look at ourselves- and assess our goals, priorities, and motivations. We can save ourselves a lot of time, money, and frustration just by showing at the appropriate level- talent AND commitment wise.