{"id":7771,"date":"2020-07-22T18:09:37","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T22:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/equestrianbootsandbridles.com\/?p=7771"},"modified":"2021-03-24T09:12:56","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T13:12:56","slug":"goal-setting-for-riders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/equestrianbootsandbridles.com\/goal-setting-for-riders\/","title":{"rendered":"Goal Setting for Riders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Table of Contents<\/div>
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    When we\u2019re growing up, we\u2019re taught that setting goals for ourselves is a good thing. By setting goals for ourselves, we\u2019re incentivized to strive for the next level and become better at things. But realistically, have you ever been taught any kind of goal setting for riders?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Often when I was younger, other people would set goals for me. The English teacher would set me a goal that Romeo and Juliet has to be read and summarized in 7 days, for example. My parents told me that by 7pm, I needed to have cleaned my room. I felt oddly detached from these goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I would imagine that you experienced the same thing, right? And like me, you probably didn\u2019t put too much stock into these goals. They weren\u2019t your goals. Whether you reached them or not, not all that much was going to change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Also, because these goals were set by others, they were always set in small, bite-sized chunks. No teacher ever says \u201clearn everything for Grade 10\u201d and then lets you run the show for the whole year on your own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Goal<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    But once we\u2019re older and we\u2019re trying to do things for ourselves, now we\u2019re in charge. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We get to decide our goals. What they are. How long we have to reach them. What size they are. The amount of pressure we put on ourselves. How accountable we hold ourselves to work towards these goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What I’ve learned riding horses for almost 20 years, and starting a business is that:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    #1.<\/strong> Goals are only as useful as you make them for yourself, and <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    #2.<\/strong> If you misuse goals, you will make yourself miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You may have heard of SMART goals<\/a>? Personally I hate acronyms like this because I find they overcomplicate things and make a simple concept sound so \u201cacademic\u201d. But the bottom line is that every goal you set for yourself has to be in your control. If you set goals outside of your control, you set yourself up to fail and to feel miserable about it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples of bad goals: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. In the next 30 days, I\u2019ll do my lead changes perfectly.<\/li>
    2. In the next 6 months, I\u2019ll win that dressage competition.<\/li>
    3. I\u2019m going to be able to jump 1\/2 foot higher each month.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      What do all of these have in common? They are out of your control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"Goal<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Examples of good goals: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. In the next 30 days, I will ride 4 times a week and practice my lead changes for at least 10 minutes each ride. <\/li>
      2. Over the next 6 months, I will: