A good time to consider our goals for the next year!
Sharon: As the days get shorter and colder, it can be tempting to forget all about riding or showing and think more about cozy nights with a hot mug of hot chocolate, rum, and marshmallows or may be that’s just me! But this down time is also a good time to consider our goals for the next year.
I’m not a planner by nature, more a ‘fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants’ type of person. This can be fun when spontaneity is called for but even I surprise myself when I realized I hadn’t thought something through that I should have.
Luckily for me, I have a coach, Jen, who has helped me look forward; so much so I have begun to think about 2025 with only the slightest prompt from her. The prompt – the topic for this article!
Things for me to consider are: 1. What exactly am I eligible for in my chosen discipline? (Reining). Each year if you win money in sanctioned NRHA classes that money goes to your lifetime earnings and disqualifies you for certain class levels. ReinerSuite on the NRHA website can help you figure that out. If you don’t check and enter a class you have earned yourself out of you’ll get fined by the NRHA. 2. Where do I want to show? Most associations are putting their show schedules together so you can decide – am I staying local in Canada or branching out into the US? If you’re thinking of showing in the US you have to plan when to get your Coggins test done (that lasts for 6 months) but the horse health papers only last for 30 days. 3. What other types of classes do you want to do? Ranch Riding is getting more popular in general and some Reiners find it a great way to make being in the show pen different for the horse. I enjoy Ranch Riding. We also offer Ranch Trail at our shows but although Jen and I love putting those patterns together, it’s not something that draws me in.
Once you have your goal for shows and classes, you have to take stock of where you are at as a rider, where your horse is at as an athlete and where the two of you are at as a team.
At Jen’s – Jonas Performance Horses – the whole group of us had a fun day late in October where we practiced the show-pen experience and did both a ranch pattern and a reining pattern. We were all able to pinpoint what we need to work on over the winter! Knowing that is crucial for success next year!
Jen: All those factors are important to take into consideration when planning for the next year. At the end of show season, I like to ask each of my clients - ‘What are your goals for the next year?’. This leads into a deeper discussion on what they need to work on over the winter months to obtain their goals. We make sure the goals they set are realistic and attainable for the level they and their horse are at.
Another huge factor for goal attainability is the mental aspect of it. I don’t think this is taken into consideration a whole lot when people are setting their goals. I think the biggest reason why goals are not met - is rider mind set and the ability to control your thoughts, look ahead (not live in the past experience), take the small wins and not compare yourself to others around you. It is amazing when you can open and shift your mindset to this way of thinking. Your focus is clearer and you feel inspired by your goals. Always remember, you are on your own journey with your horse and should enjoy the ride
Pro and Non-Pro articles written by Jen Jonas of Jonas Performance Horses (Pro) and Sharon Jones of Be A Better You (Non-Pro). Together, they are J&J Reining Inc. Both Jen and Sharon are believers in continual learning – if you’re not learning you’re not growing.