Attention Horse Owners and Horse Lovers: Five reasons why its important to plan for the competition you want to do. Here are five very basic questions to have answers for before you plan a competition: 1. Do you need extra work with your trainer or extra time to work with your horse? 2. How do you get your horse to the competition? 3. Do you need another person to help beforehand or at the competition? 4. When was the last time your farrier came out for your horse? 5. Is the equipment you have for you and your horse suitable for this event? This reminded me of a friend who was so excited about an event she was preparing to do. She was a new horse owner and assumed a few things that she had to learn the hard way. She had been riding for a few years and if prepared this would have been as simple as a walk in the park. To make a long story short, Murphys Law kicked in at practically every opportunity that it could. The borrowed trailer had a flat tire on the way. She didnt know a certain piece of equipment couldnt be used. She figured she was getting enough training by having the trainer come to her and to top it off, her horse threw a shoe during the event. Yep. Just a little bit of the right knowledge could have saved her time, money and a bit of embarrassment to boot. After she told me her story I asked the five questions above to get her to think about how the lack of planning created a day that was very discouraging. How much time was wasted and money spent for results that I know I wouldnt have wanted for myself and I have to admit I have had similar lessons through the years of involvement with being a horse owner. I am a life coach and using lifestyle coaching techniques we created a game plan. Together we came up with solutions for all the problems she encountered. 1. She realises that she needs to take her horse to other venues for training to get new experiences that will give them both more confidence and experience. 2. She will sit down with her partner and see if they can budget in a trailer that they know is always ready to go and road worthy because they will take care of it themselves. Luckily they already have an appropriate vehicle for pulling it. 3. She knows to line up her help early and have a backup plan just in case You know how Murphy is. 4. She will keep a regular schedule with her farrier now and discuss with him her intentions so together they can work out what is best for her horse. 5. She will know the rules beforehand for any competition she chooses to do so she never gets caught again with the wrong equipment. After her next competition she called me to tell me how excited she was. No, she didnt win, we didnt expect that, but more importantly she had a very successful day. No hassles, nothing went wrong, her horse was happy and relaxed and so was she. She realises when her ability improves she will get those trophies but to her. She had a winning day! How would you like to have a Winning Day? By Leslie Moore with A Lot Moore Solutions to enjoy your horse and have a fulfilling and balanced life. |
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