Six New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Actually Want to Keep in 2020

2018 AEC Jr. Beginner Novice champions Ella Robinson and Fernhill Fearless des Terdrix. Photo by Leslie Wylie. 2018 AEC Jr. Beginner Novice champions Ella Robinson and Fernhill Fearless des Terdrix. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Whether or not you’re a resolution maker, there’s something about the clean slate feeling of a new year that makes us feel optimistic for the future. It’s easy to write out a list of all the things we want to change in the new year, but for the sake of being realistic it’s important to set goals that are attainable. Even if you don’t make a list of resolutions, it’s still an optimal time of year for reflection and goal setting for the upcoming season — and we all know how much eventers love to plan out their year in horse terms!

If you’re grasping about for some resolutions or improvements to make in 2020, allow us to help get you started:

Resolve to learn more. Much as with other skills, the art of riding is something that must be continually practiced and improved upon. No matter how many years of experience you have under your belt, there is always something to improve. There is no shame in learning a new lesson, and there will always be someone who has something new to teach you. Attend a clinic, even just to audit. Watch more live streams or replays. We have three entirely different phases to fine tune — it’s a process, and learning to embrace it will make you a more complete rider.

Resolve to get fitter outside of the saddle. No matter what your stance is on barn work as exercise, it remains a fact that fitness is an important component of a rider’s skill tool set and it’s an element that many of us don’t take into enough consideration. But don’t worry, it’s not about resolving to go to the gym every day — if you’re like most riders, time is limited, and it’s precious. So instead of setting up a badass but perhaps unrealistic in terms of time workout plan, find opportunities in your existing schedule for some extra exercise. Laura Crump Anderson has some great pointers for rider fitness right here on EN — click here to read her articles.

Resolve to start treating yourself like the athlete you are. Taking care of your body is important, and it goes beyond fitness. You wouldn’t ask your horse to push through pain, would you? Yes, it’s true that taking off time is nearly impossible when life will always press on without you, but take the care to invest in proper care when you’re nursing an injury or illness. Go to your physical therapy appointments. Book a sports massage once a month. Eat healthy and eat enough. Your body is half of the equation out there on cross country. Do you want to be at anything less than 100 percent?

Resolve to learn more about your horse.
Establishing a bond with your horse goes beyond riding every day. Take your horse’s vitals periodically. Learn all of their normal routines and behaviors so that it’s easier to know when something is amiss. Listen to your gut. Learn their mannerisms at feeding time, in turn out, under saddle, away from home. It’s likely you already know all of these — great job! How can you take your bond with your horse to the next level this year? Try some horsemanship or tackless work on the ground. Go somewhere new with your horse. Dabble in other disciplines. Learn to listen more closely to what your horse is telling you.

Resolve to be nicer to others. With the increased use of social media, I’ve found it’s easy to get sucked into the gossip and rumor mill. This year, let’s resolve to give it a rest. Stop gossiping so much. If we spent the time it takes to have a twenty minutes text conversation about a peer watching a few of Ingrid Klimke’s videos or doing some rider fitness work, think of how much progress we’d make on our own individual riding.

Resolve to remember your bite-sized goals.
The concept of setting bite-sized goals has always stuck with me. I think that a lot of us, myself included, get caught up in the end goal. In the process, we miss out on the steps it takes to get there. We get discouraged. We experience setbacks. Those goals seem more like dreams. To make life more manageable, less defeating, the idea of bite sized goals is a lifeline. Just as with any other resolution — going Prelim, running a 5k, reading more, meditating, losing weight — it’s easy to get caught up in absolutes and unrealistic expectations. So write out a list of bite-sized goals — manageable, small changes you can make. You might find that those lead to the bigger changes you never thought would be possible.

So, EN, we want to hear it: what are your goals and resolutions for the new year?