August Goals Recap

This whole summer has felt really hit or miss for me. I’m not sure if I’m just that much more motivated and working that much harder than I have in the past on my goals or if it was just a weird summer (I sort of think it was) but I feel sort of like when I look back the whole thing was in a fog.

August Goals:
1. Work Outside
Meh - I honestly hated the footing in our outdoor. It just felt way too deep to me and really changed Katai’s way of going. Still not sure if I was just being a baby if it’s actually too deep but I didn’t want to risk it. Because of bugs and riding schedule I didn’t get out much at the barn but I did go to the Hunter Pace!! She clearly showed that she can do that well so now I just need to do more work at the barn and make it a more normal thing.

2. Stretchy Trot
Not bad, I didn’t specifically focus on this as much as I’d planned but I did more lunging with the neck stretcher and she is pretty confirmed in stretching down when I ask for it.

3. Massage
I’m not as far as I’d like to be in this book so I haven’t done much with Katai yet. I’m going to keep plugging away!

4. Strength
Yes!! I’ve started working out again and have just been more physically active going on more hikes and doing my work out at home more regularly. Also, see below.

5. Ride More
Yes!!! Really happy about this one. With one big exception I’ve been out to the barn consistently about 5 days per week. I can tell in my strength and Katai’s ridability.

September Goals:

1. Continue to Ride More
I want to continue to get 5 rides/Lunges in per week for the entire month!

2. Work outside
Reading about Megan’s work with TC over at Enter A Spooking and how she’s been showing him around the new barn has inspired me to do the same with Katai at this new facility. I think that it became a bigger deal that it needed to be at the last barn because it was an exception rather than the rule that I rode outside. Here I don’t have an outdoor arena but there is a space to ride/work and a quiet(ish) dirt road that I can ride on so the plan is to start taking her out for hand walks to explore after our rides. I think it will be good for both of us!

3. Massage
Since I’m nowhere near being ready to do a good massage with Katai yet I’m going to schedule one for her over the next month or so. Between the hunter pace and her shenanigans at loading to come to this new barn I think she’s carrying some extra tension.

4. Adjust to my new coach and the new facility
I’m going light on the goals for the rest of the month because I know that Jane, based on my previous lesson with her, will do completely different things with us. Apparently she already has plans for us at my first lesson with her (next Tuesday) which is both exciting and terrifying haha. Mainly I’m just going to do light stretchy work with Katai for the next week to make sure that she’s feeling as good and loose as possible for my lesson. Plus, honestly, you pretty much can’t do too much loose stretchy work with this pony.