Defining your goals.

I made it home from my winter Scandinavian tour after having a great time there, and came down with a bad cold as soon as I walked in the door! I've been worthless the past few days! Feeling better now, so I'm going out this morning to look at a 4 year old Quarterhorse filly for sale. My wife Erika looked at her and thought she had a good mind and body but had a few bad issues in her training. If she's as good as she sounds in her mind we can probably straighten out her training. She may go to a friend looking for a good horse to work with, or we may end up with her. I'll let you know.

I enjoyed Ulrika's comment in regard to my last post about contact. She writes about defining her goal with her horses, and it's a great goal! I look forward to working with her on it. I really think that when you get to the point in your life where being the best horseman or horsewoman you can be is the most important thing, then competitions and specific events become a means to a goal rather than the goal itself. I enjoy competitons because they are a great training tool, and I enjoy learning all I can about different events and styles of riding since these things can be very helpful as a way of developing "feel" and skill. But I'm past the point in my life where winning a competition is the most important thing - I want to use a competition as a way to expose my horse to different environments and to make him the most well-rounded, balanced horse he can be - and to do the same for myself. It sounds like we are on the same page Ulrika.