As we count down to the New Year, it seems fitting to talk about our goals for the next season, particularly as equestrians flock to warmer climes in search of adventure and improvement. In order to make the most of starting out 2024 in the horse capital of the world, i.e. Ocala, set goals for your trip before you leave. Don’t be intimidated – your goal could be as simple as “don’t fall off” (a goal I definitely did NOT achieve last time I went south for the winter!).
We’re taking the SMART acronym for goal-setting and making it applicable to every equestrian who goes south this winter, or to anyone who is planning out their 2024 season, really. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. You’ll find a few slight variations out there. Some people like to replace Attainable with Achievable and Relevant with Realistic, but the acronym still achieves the same thing: a goal that challenges you, pushes you slightly outside of your comfort zone, but is still realistic in the time frame available to you.
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Specific: I want to decrease my dressage score.
Right off the bat, many people make rookie mistakes with their goals. They tend to set a goal as something like “I want to improve my riding” or “I want to have a successful horse show.” But what does that really mean? Is a successful horse trial one where you come home with a blue ribbon or score better than before, or maybe one at which you just had a great time? If you want to improve your riding, do you mean in all three phases or just a faster time on cross country?
A specific goal is one that gives a concrete benchmark to work towards. So, instead of saying, “I want to improve my riding,” try a goal such as “I want to decrease my dressage score.” Decreasing your dressage score is a specific action you can take that will improve your overall riding performance.
Measurable: I want to decrease my dressage score by five points.
Okay, you’ve chosen the path you want to take to improve your riding. But what does decreasing your dressage score mean? Are you happy with a half point lower? Four points lower? At the end of the day, you could spend your entire life working towards a lower and lower score. How do you know when it will be enough?
Your goal has to be measurable. To know if your goal is measurable, ask yourself – how will I know if I achieve my goal? “I want to decrease my dressage score by five points” gives you a hard number to work towards. Whether or not you’ve achieved your goal is black and white. You’ve either decreased it by five points while you’re in Ocala or you haven’t. You’ll also know if you’re making good progress towards your goal or going in the wrong direction.
Attainable: I want to decrease my dressage score by three points.
Goals look different for different people. An attainable goal is customized for where you are in your riding journey. For example, my attainable goal for my OTTBs first horse trial was “not fall off…” but we’re all at different points in our eventing journey.
Look back on how long it took you to get to where you are today. Are you being realistic? Are you expecting perfection? Do you have the time to ride often enough to reduce your dressage score by an entire five points? Do you have the budget for the lessons/clinics required?
In Ocala, you’ll most likely have more time to ride than you would at home, but keep in mind that equestrians as a whole have a tendency to be perfectionists, which sets us up for failure. I once had a trainer tell me that if your goal is perfection, you’re actually being lazy. Perfection will never be attainable. So, when you’re striving for perfection, you’re actually working towards nothing at all. It’s better to set a goal that is realistic but still challenging.
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Relevant: I want to decrease my dressage so I can pursue my dream of getting my USDF bronze medal.
Why do you want to achieve this goal? Is your dressage score preventing you from coming home with a blue ribbon? Do you want to do more pure dressage? If your goal isn’t relevant to the bigger picture, then there’s no point pursuing it.
Before you head down to Ocala, take some time to reflect on the bigger picture. Think about what you want your future to look like. What would make you happy? What would make your horse happy? Are you retiring your horse from eventing and hoping to resell them as a proven dressage horse?
If your goal isn’t relevant to your big picture, pick a different goal.
Time-Bound: I want to decrease my dressage score by three points before I leave Ocala.
Having a time frame for your goal is important. Without one, you could procrastinate your goal and take years to lower your dressage score. But, your time frame still needs to be attainable. For example, it’s unlikely you’ll manage to drop your dressage score after just one lesson or just one horse trial. Luckily, going to Ocala gives you a built-in time frame. Set up your goal so that it is attainable and realistic to accomplish before you leave.
Ocala is a great location to accomplish your goals. You’ll have access to some of the best trainers and clinicians in the world and more time than ever to ride your horse. As a matter of fact, the biggest risk of going south for the winter is that you’ll want to come back year after year.
Disclaimer: Eventing Nation is not responsible for any equestrian who goes to Ocala on our advice, falls in love with the horse capital of the world, and winds up buying a farm. The best we can do is recommend you use Ocala Horse Properties as your realtor.
This article was sponsored by Ocala Horse Properties and their amazing team of realtors. If you’re looking for the perfect Florida horse farm, look no further. Explore their website.
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