The Barrel Racer's Journal

I always have trouble coming up with goals in the new year. I don’t really write them down and make changes to them as the year goes on and never accomplish what I initially imagined. This year I am taking some time to do some deep thinking and asking myself ‘what do I want to accomplish this year?’. It’s actually a harder question to answer than maybe it should be.

To keep myself more accountable and motivated, I am going to be sharing the horse related ones here and keep track of my progress as the year goes on. I had a couple bigger goals that I wanted to complete last year, but life had other plans and I didn’t get a chance.

Some of the more major goals are:

• Run at the Keystone Slot Race.

Last year we signed up for this race in January and I ended up having someone else run in my spot. It was really heartbreaking to sit in the stands and watch everyone else compete, knowing I wouldn’t even have been able to turn the second barrel if I tried. This is one of my major goals for this year and I already paid my deposit to keep the slot for this year. This is scheduled for the end of July 2024, so the countdown begins now.

• Ride outside the arena at least 1 time per week

This goal is a way to help me gain my confidence back. After falling off so many times last year, I got to the point that I was scared to lope in the arena let alone ride at all without a fence surrounding us. Once Stinger got back from the trainer, I was able to ride outside a couple times at the end of the year. I want to make this a habit and it will be good for both of us to spend some time riding in different environments. It will also help prepare for warm up situations where we can’t ride in the ring before a run.

• Complete Equine Anatomy Coloring book.

I bought the coloring book halfway through last year but didn’t finish the first page. Equine anatomy is something that is really interesting to me, and I would love to learn as much as I can about the mechanics of horses and the many different therapies, and the coloring book is the first step.

• Publish a blog post three times a month.

I wanted to have a blog for multiple reasons but mainly to keep track of and share my story, like a journal, hence the name. I wanted to give insight into things I am doing that might help someone who is struggling with the same thing and encourage people to follow their own dreams. This also includes smaller goals like keeping track of my horse expenses and the miles we travel going to events. As well as using my pivo to video more riding at home and of course taking more pictures, which I always forget to do.

• Enter an APRA Rodeo

In 2022, I entered a couple APRA rodeos as a local and last year I bought my card. After the way everything turned out I didn’t get to enter a single one. So, I not only want to enter one, but I also want to place at a rodeo and eventually win one. I really struggled with writing this goal down. Am I good enough to place? Is it bold to want to win one after my disaster of a year last year? Then I have to talk myself out of this and think positive. Why not me? If I work hard enough, I can achieve anything I set my mind to.

• Win a Buckle

I really want to win a buckle. There are a couple rodeos that we are planning on running at this year that give away buckles and a couple jackpots that host a summer series with prizes, so I will have a chance at winning one.

• Improve my Riding

My last goal, of course, has to be to become a better rider. There is always something to improve. I really want to focus on having better hand position. I often find myself with my hands too high and therefore I have less control. I also want to improve my seat so that I am able to not panic if I lose my stirrup during a run. I know I can ride without stirrups and I usually have rubber bands on my feet, but if they break and I lose a stirrup I forget to focus on completing my run.