Goals Revisited

Goals set for 2013

1. Register Thee Ashke. Still working on this . . . have to get the bills paid off first.

2. Figure out the bit/bridle thing. Get him into a rig that he is comfortable with, but still listens. I love the new bit and Ashke seems to like it too. He moves it a lot in his mouth and it helps keep his mouth moist.

3. Get him collected, balanced and strong at all three gaits. On cue. On the correct lead. And backing up when requested. Ashke is so much more balanced, although we are still working on the collection, in all three gaits. It takes longer for him to tire. He can pick up both leads correctly on cue. He backs easily.

4. Ride a LD fun ride (15 miles) and come home sound.

5. Ride the top of the mesa. I got up there and we rode around. We haven't ridden all of the trails, but I am confident that we will.

6. Find a way to ride from TMR to Boulder. And then back. Not sure how realistic this is . . . Boulder is 20 miles away. That would be almost a 50 round trip. We shall have to see how our riding plays out this summer.

7. Lose another 20 lbs and gain core strength to improve my riding. I would love to say I was working on this, but I can't seem to find the motivation to diet. : /

8. Go camping with the horse - either with Lisa or with Nicole - or with both.

9. Teach Ashke to neck rein and to do a flying lead change. Ashke neck reins really well, the majority of the time. We are still working on getting strong enough that I can canter him that much.

10. Network and develop relationships with other riders at the barn to grow our trail riding group.