Riding Goals - S.M.A.R.T. or not?

I've been thinking alot lately about what I want to accomplish with my horse this year... Yes, I just want to have fun and do some trail rides, but the organizer in me sees alot of opportunities to improve my horsemanship skills and teach an old horse some new tricks.

My new horse, Rusty, is a "finished" horse in most respects. He does a nice walk/trot/canter, has done some dressage, western riding and trail riding. He ties and stands to be tacked up no problem. I could easily just get on him, bounce around on his back and put him back out in the field. That would just be too easy for me. I tend to get lazy if I don't have some goals and a bit of a plan. I'm sure the horse would benefit from doing more than just trotting in circles.

Anyone that has worked in a corporate/government environment has probably been faced with writing performance reviews and the like. There is a lot of talk about goals being SMART:

S - specific
M - measurable
A - attainable
R - realistic
T - timely

This approach is extremely specific and while I don't intend to write great volumes of my goals, I do intend to follow this basic principle.

Many goal setting articles also advise people to start with a main goal and break it down into the steps that you will need to accomplish to achieve this goal . John Lyons uses this concept when he talks about training horses. If you want your horse to stand to be mounted (that sounds so dirty!) you need to work backwards from that point and figure out the steps to get there. The thing about working with horses is that it is important to take your time and make sure each step is solid before moving on to the next one. This is where having a bit of a plan comes in handy.

So, what are my goals, after all the big talk, you ask?? Good question. I'm so glad you asked.

My basic goals for this riding season (which is until about November here) are:

• ride/work with Rusty 4-5 times/week (this could include groundwork)
• take lessons to improve my knowledge of aids/cues and work on my balance
• learn some NH stuff and practice with ol'Rusty (Parelli, Lyons, Anderson, et al., clicker training)
• work up the courage to canter out in the hay fields/trails
• Rusty's ground work could use a tune up - flyspray, bathing, clipping, feet, standing still when chubby rider trying to get on ;-)

AANNNNDDD, most importantly:

• have FUN!!!!!

Thanks to anyone that actually read this far! What are your horse goals for this year????