Goals - April 2014, Plus a Thought

Yesterday, I recapped all my 2014 goals, so today I'm going to plan out April.  :)


April 2014 - Horse Goals

• Film 1 riding session. Should be easy enough. Just get an empty camera and a person/tripod. Just gotta do it.  :P
• Practice riding the trot with help (on a lunge line, etc.) Need someone who can lunge my horse. Just need to ask either mother or big sister.
• Take The Pony out 4 times. I'll have to make time because she is a bit difficult, but once a week isn't too bad.  :)
• Complete a set of Level 3 OnLine tasks.
• Work with a flag - desensitization, etc. Get out the flag that is sitting in the tack room. Just do it.
• Lead by one ear, and backwards by a hind leg. We've done this a little bit before, so we'll have to build on past experience.
• Drive from zone 5 (behind the horse). Done some before too, but its always been challenging.
• Back up and draw solidly on a 22 and 45 foot line. This one happens, but its not solid.
• Solidify transitions on a 22-foot rope, and trot change of directions. Again, it happens, but not solid.
• Move sideways from Zone 1 (in front of the horse). I can do this, but I want to try it from further away.
• Play with tarps, especially going under them. Need to find a tarp.
• Get a difference between a medium and a free walk. Haven't really tried this one, but we'll see!

See how a lot of this is not hard stuff, I just have to push myself into doing it. Yeah, me too.  :P
Also... I decided to add to my Spring 2014 list - since I'm working hard on getting Lady more confident away from home and around other horses, I have added a 3.6 mile ride to my goals. Just locally, around the gravel roads and then back home, but it will still be success!  :)

April 2014 - Personal Goals

• Get a workout routine started. Started a little bit this morning. Going to build from there!
• Go to Wednesday night church. Plan to go this week, unless school goes late.
• Win Camp NanoWrimo with 30,000 words. Off to a great start this morning!
• Record a video for blog (either this one or my writing one). Ummm.... eeeek.
• Read four novels. Some just need to be completed. Not too hard, if I push myself.
• Practice piano 3x a week. This one takes more time, but shouldn't be too hard.
• Learn 2 new songs on the violin. I actually have two songs laying around. Need to schedule time to work on them.

Really all I'm trying to do is make better habits, at least in my personal life. With the horses there is more improvement to make, not just habits.

Something I've been thinking about lately is getting Lady and I to brave the canter and finally get into the gait so we can work in something other than the walk. She is less hollow in the canter (unlike the trot) and I can actually ride the canter decently. The problem is that I get tense and therefore tighten my legs AND my grip on the reins. Also, she bucks, especially if I try to guide her in any way. My thought or idea which I've been contemplating over the last few days, is possibly taking a chance and pushing through it, by which I mean riding Lady into a canter and continuing until she relaxes. I'm fairly certain if I prepare and set it up carefully, that I can stay relaxed. What I'm thinking is to set up a large square or rectangle with a barrel on each corner so that I have some points to focus on. 

Anyways, I'm not sure yet, but we'll see.  :)