Will Someone Please Turn Up the Heat

Brrrrr...we've been in the icebox here with temperatures dropping to -12F/-24C at our house.  Misty and SaraJane have fared well with plenty of hay to keep their tummy furnaces stoked.  They usually eat their meals in the barn, but the last two mornings they have shown a strong preference for dining outside in the sun. Smart horses.

Patio Dining for Two

Last New Years I set some equine related goals.  I cringe a little as I look back at that post where I wrote:

1. With Misty, I would like to attend a horsemanship clinic and a trail riding clinic. And of course, do more riding and get out on more trails. 
2. With Marley, I would like to be able to drive him around the neighborhood by myself and attend some driving clinics and/or pleasure drives with other driving enthusiasts. 

Goal 1 Result:  I came very close to meeting my goals with Misty.  The trail riding clinic I had signed her up for was canceled (although I did ride Marley in a trail clinic).  But we did go on some nice trail rides and we attended a very productive horsemanship clinic. I feel good about the accomplishments I  made with Misty in 2010.  

Goal 2 Result:  Well, you know part of that story and Marley is in a new home.  I'm sad about that, but it was best for both of us.

While goals are great tools for helping us achieve our dreams, they needn't be set in stone.  Goals should be reasonable and they need to be periodically evaluated and adjusted. 

W.C. Fields said:

 If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. 
Then quit. 
There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.

I didn't meet my goals with Marley. I'm disappointed about that, but it actually helped me achieve my goals with Misty.  Marley made me re-evaluate my circumstances and see that I needed to simplify.   I decided not to purchase another horse. Instead I am focusing on Misty's saddle training while providing a foster home for a companion horse.

I don't have any specific equine goals for 2011 in mind right now.  I have more of a mission statement:

To enjoy my horse and keep improving my horsemanship skills by taking riding lessons and attending clinics and trail rides whenever I can.

I wish all of you and your horses a happy, productive, healthy, and safe New Year.