2017 Wrap Up

Well, it is the end of the year, and somehow it feels like this whole year has just flown by. I just cannot believe where we started at the beginning of the year, to where we are now. It feels like a different lifetime ago.

At the end of 2016, I made some goals for 2017 that honestly seemed pretty lofty at the time. But I knew without a driving goal (or eleven) for the year, I would not push myself, and I needed to push myself.

1. Start being competitive (bringing home ribbons) at the 2'3" and 2'6" levels locally

We accomplished part of our first goal very early in the year. In March, we went to a show and competed at 2'3" and brought home a 3rd place ribbon. It was nothing fancy, but I found it to be the perfect start to our 2017 year. 

2. Begin to play in the 2'9" and 3' classes locally

Our second goal took much longer to attain, but I knew it would. And honestly when I came up with that as one of our 2017 goals, I thought it was more of a pipedream than anything else. In September, we I had a healthy dose of bravery and competed in our first 2'9" class together. It went immensely better than expected and we ended up clean with a second place ribbon! We did not make it up to our 3' goal this year, but I'm more than okay with that. 2018 goal, here we come!

3. Do our first XC schooling together

We did our very first mini cross country schooling in May. We schooled up and down banks (both of which he is a beast at!), a ditch, and some some logs. It was pretty low key, but later in the year we did 3 more cross country schools and did increasingly more at each one, both in height, difficulty and number of jumps done. This horse is a machine at cross country (when he isn't being a freight train and ripping my arms off...). Can't wait for more cross-country adventures next year!

4. Start taking regular lessons again (weekly or every other week) in the springtime

Let's put a big huge check mark here! In March, I started weekly lessons and in April, Charmer got a month of professional training by our favorite trainer. Then we continued our streak into May and got a second moth of professional training, but this time it was for both of us! I had 10 lessons in May, and soaked up a lot of knowledge on how to work with Charmer. We continued to have lessons semi-regularly throughout the remainder of the year as well.

5. Try our first Beginner Novice level derby or unrecognized event

Knocked this goal right out of the park as well. We did two BN rounds on the local cross country course for a derby day and Charmer was amazing. That day still blows my mind. We got tons of compliments from many of the spectators as well as other competitors. Charmer was calm, cool and fast, without ever getting winded. The people in the start box were impressed that he stood in the box with a leg cocked and seemly no care in the world. We even came home with a blue ribbon, and a saddle pad this day.

6. Play in some local dressage schooling shows, and score at least a 65% on one Training level test

Well, I had all of the best intentions for this one, but our dressage showing took a back burner this year. I barely had time to show in any jumping shows, so we did not hit any dressage shows. This will definitely be a goal for next year (and hopefully we will have a dressage saddle to do them in!).

7. Audit or attend at least 2 clinics

Proud to have marked this one off the list as well. The barn I train with has multiple clinicians come in every year and they offer free auditing, so I definitely took advantage of that, and audited Karen O'Conner in April, and Jan Byyny in August, and I went with my trainer up to Sun Valley and participated with Charmer in her clinic up there.

8. Work on Charmer being ridden bridleless W/T/C

This is another goal that unfortunately got put on the back burner for this year. I still would really like this to be something in our bag of tricks, but it just wasn't in the cards for this year. We got focused on more showing and jumping than on the bag of tricks side, but hopefully we will be able to accomplish this in the coming year or two!

9. Become braver and more confident in my own riding, and learn to trust my horse and our training

I am so immensely proud of everything that Charmer and I accomplished this year, but this particular goal is the one that makes my heart swell with pride the most. I have struggled for over 2 years with fear that nearly crippled me at times. Some days, cantering sounded like more than I could do. But throughout this year, with a whole lot of support from trainers who pushed me, and a barn family who helped me, I finally feel confident again. And the epitome of it was on that derby day (when the above picture was taken), and we galloped around the whole course. I felt like I could fly. And Charmer was foot perfect. A year ago, I never would have gone around a course like that, but this year, it felt completely doable. I am so thankful for my partner in crime who makes it all feel easy. 

10. Upgrade our jump saddle to something higher end, that works better for both of us

This was a huge goal for me, since Charmer is pretty particular about how his saddle fits. I am less particular about my own specifications, but he needs to be happy or ain't nobody happy. We got a used 2010 CWD 2G, with a 17.5" seat and a 3L (fits more like a 2L) flap. This has been the perfect purchase for us. I am secure and comfortable, and most importantly, he is happy and comfortable. I was lucky enough that my trainer is sponsored by CWD, so I got to try out several models around the barn to see what Charmer liked best, and he really took to the 2G. Some of the other saddles almost seemed to fit him better, but the 2G is by far what he liked best and went best in. So I found a screamin' deal on one in May and now this gorgeous saddle has been ours ever since. 

11. Start saving up for a dressage saddle to fit the beefy princess pony

Well again, this goal did not get finished this year. We have our eye on some things that might end up working for him, but with the purchase of a super fancy jump saddle, a nice dressage saddle just didn't make the cut this year. Charmer is pretty particular about how things fit his shoulders, so finding something that clears his shoulders comfortably can be a challenge. Hopefully this will be something we can accomplish next year, so we can actually get some dressage done next year (although I'm dreading those long stirrups...). 

Overall, I am feeling really, really proud of how this year went. It took a lot of work, and pushing our my comfort zone, but it was all worth it in the end. Charmer is a total beast thanks to all the help from our local trainers, and I am finally feeling confident again! Here's to maybe trying to do a real show next year! Financially who knows if that will happen, but I finally feel like I could actually take Charmer out to somewhere next year and feel proud and ready. Also I accomplished 8/11 goals this year, and that feels pretty good. These goals felt like I was reaching for the stars last year, and they were going to be completely unattainable, but looking back, it was not nearly as impossible as I thought. Maybe we will reach some more "impossible dreams" next year.