New Year's Resolution(s)

I made two this year: one is not at all relevant to horses, and since it's a wee bit personal, I'll leave that one alone. The other is very much related to the horses. It is this: I want to work on being patient while having a good attitude. To me, that means being happy in the now no matter how tough things seem, but being hopeful and open to the changes that I want to see realized. 

Right?!

I realized that simply stating I was going to be patient while having a good attitude wasn't exaclty specific or measureable in any way, so I had to be a little more clear with myself. I realized that what I really meant was that I need to figure out a way to be happy with Izzy, or I need to send him down the road.

​Okay ... so what does that mean? In short, I realized that I am not entitled to a finished, medium level dressage horse. Nowhere does it say that buying a horse with potential guarantees you a horse that moves up a level each year. It will either come with great patience and hard work, or it won't. I asked myself if I am truly committed to this horse and whether or not I am willing to put in whatever work it takes.

Jen and her horse Paolo.

My friend Jen is one of my inspirations. She has taken her home-bred gelding to the international levels, but it wasn't easy. She's not wealthy (not even close), but she works hard and has taken her time. My other inspiration is Laura Graves and her gelding Diddy. Have you read that story? That's patience.

Laura Graves riding Verdades.

I've had a couple of weeks to get started on this better attitude thing, and to be honest, it is making me feel better. I am less frustrated by Izzy's immature moments and find myself sympathizing with him. In fact, when I really stop and look at his face, I see a very young horse. His size makes it easy to assume that he is more mature than he actually is.

I like Izzy, and I want us to have a long partnership. Since I truly want that partnership to come to fruition, I am simply going to go at a pace that Izzy can handle. With less of a focus on SHOWING and more work on the relationship, I know we'll get there. It might not be where I first thought we'd end up, but we'll be somewhere!