I have to admit, where I am now is not where I imagined myself to be a year ago, or even six months ago.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing. To be perfectly blunt, there are upsides to being horseless (in terms of ownership) for 5 out of the last 12 months. The obvious is that money is a lot easier to save. The second benefit being that it makes it easier to spend time with the SO, because owning no horse means less lessons, less shows, less unexpected vet bills, etc. (though one of those may change)
And yet… in many ways I saw myself months into a relationship at this point. Not planning a wedding per se, but the equestrian equivalent of being at that point where he’s met the parents. Or stayed the night, netflixed and chilled, hell, I don’t know what words the youngins use to describe it but I think you guys get the gist.
I figured I would be knee deep in planning a show schedule, counting down days until the next lesson, memorizing tests and squirming over whether or not I was going to have one of my dumb blonde moments at our next competition.
Equally surprising though, that’s where I am. I’m horseless in the ownership sense of the word, but somehow, despite my melancholy rants in protest of that fact, I am enjoying many of the benefits of horsemanship, and even better, competing again. DQ that I am, I have actually never competed in a recognized dressage show. But in just under a month, I’ll be going down centerline in search of my first recognized scores.
Isn’t life funny, the way things work out?
Are you where you expected to be 6 months ago? A year ago? What has surprised you, or what goals have you met that you set out for yourself? What are the pros/cons of where you are now, versus your original expectations?
Red on the Right 
I soooooo love TC btw 🙂 I know he might not be marriage material but he seems like the perfect now boyfriend… sometimes that’s all you need, until husband horse decides to grace you with his presence. But until then enjoy your boyfriend b/c he’s damn cute!!!!!!
that’s so exciting about the upcoming show! awesome that you’re able to continue with some of your goals even if it’s not unfolding exactly the way you had hoped. and hey, leases for sure aren’t for everyone, but they can do a really great job as an interim solution too.
re: your questions…. i’m just now approaching the 8month mark with my new guy and am really pleased to say that, yea we’re actually checking off a lot of the goals i had when first setting out to buy. it’s a learning curve for sure tho, and horses are always full of surprises.my horse has felt “easy” through the earliest stages working on things that i’m familiar with and have experience teaching. but as he progresses onto things that maybe fall more into my own weaker skill sets… well… i foresee it becoming a little *less* easy lol. we’ll see!
If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans — as the saying goes. I constantly look back and say to myself ‘wow, I never expected to get here that way, but gosh I’m glad I did’
Two TC’s doing Dressage. That’s cool! I think if there was nothing keeping you busy it might be a bit harder but having a horse like TC around that you can still work on things and goals helps a lot.
This is a really interesting question! I purchased Nolan 6 months ago from the track and my journey with him has been incredibly educational. Now, 6 months in to owning him I am able to recognize that he’s actually more talented/athletic than I need and that he’s more of an upper level horse. So I made the decision to sell him. And, since I work in an OTTB sales barn, a lovely,kind old soul of a horse came along in the midst of the decision, who I connected with in a way I wasn’t sure I would ever feel again. I truly think that our journey with horses is evolving continuously, and that it’s important to pay attention to what’s happening in the moment as well as focusing on our goals, etc.
I’m so glad you get to go compete again!! On a handsome paint, no less.
Honestly, I’m delightedly surprised at where I am right now- both because Frankie is a total magical unicorn, and because I have this newfound passion that’s at a whole new level than it was this time last year. So certainly different from what I pictured but in a way that I’m so grateful for. It’ll be interesting to see what the next 6mo-1yr looks like.
I totally relate to this post! It’s funny how things work themselves out, though, right? I’m excited for you to get back into competition…and for me to get back to it, too! I entered an unrecognized combined test this weekend and I’m so excited! Certainly a year ago I would never have guessed this is where I would be – and about six months ago I was drying my tears over Drifter being sold and deciding to try out eventing. I wonder where we’ll each be at this time next year?
Excited that you are going to get into the dressage court!
I definitely didnt see myself where I am now last spring. Now I am just kind of doing what seems right at the time. Taking it day by day as much as I can.