What are your horse riding goals?

It took me a long time to

work out my exact riding goals. It wasn’t something I had been told to think about before. But when I did figure them out, it was like an epiphany. My instructor then made sure all the training I received was designed with these goals in mind, and to help me achieve them. This is why I spent so much time being trained on the lunge and going back to riding basics after such a long hiatus from horse riding.

If you are an equestrian you will probably be asked this question at some point. It should help your instructor determine the kind of training you recieve and areas to focus on during each lesson. I have learned that knowing why I am riding is just as important as the learning process itself.

Are you learning because you simply want to be confident on the flat? Or are you training for competition/show jumping? Is your goal to become an instructor? Or do you have dressage in mind?

My goals are to walk, trot, canter and jump confidently within the next two years. I have already achieved most of that, still working on actually perfecting each gait; and I know that jumping is another discipline in itself that will require twice the amount of confidence, mental strength and effort I am already putting in. But I first want to master riding on the flat so that I can go on hacks in the fields without ever having to worry too much about my surroundings or what my horse could do. Once I have done that, my focus will be on jumping.

So, what are your riding goals? What are you doing to achieve them? How are you getting on with it?