A Positive 2006 Achievement Thread

[Cabruze]

Now I am fearless on Antsje - there is nothing I wont have a go at with her because the trust is so good
 

I watched Vicky and Antsje doing a dressage test at Solihull Riding Club today and they looked wonderful together!  

Antsje is soooo beautiful and she was really listening to Vicky, despite it being their first visit to SRC which is a large and busy venue.  

It was great to meet you today Vicky!  You should feel really proud of what you've achieved in 2006!  :thup:
 

[epona]

Awwwww thanks Jayne!!  Cant wait to meet up and see Bruce Almighty

It was great to meet you today Vicky! You should feel really proud of what you've achieved in 2006!

It was great to meet you too   I hope we can get together soon   Thanks for coming along - it was great to see a friendly face, it was quite daunting with all those people  :blush:  

[Larri DB]

I think I needed this thread - I've been so bogged down with issues it's easy to forget just how much we've done  :blush:

This year, well actually just this Autumn winter me and the Saffy monster have...

Competed in our first mini jumping competitions

Done our first proper unaffiliated dressage (albeit incredibly badly  :lol: )

Been XC schooling and jumped fences that I would have never in a million years thought we could do

Been hunting and she jumped everything - including an enormous ditch that 3/4 of the field skirted round.

I have found guts that I didn't know I had  

Non horsy

I also won "driver of the Day" on a BMW track day at Croft driving hubby's M3 CSL...he came third  :P

It's been a pretty c****y year personally but I thank God that I have such a wonderfully supportive husband who makes even the very dark days worthwhile    

[Cobstar]

Hi Larri DB

Glad you've found some positives to help you cope with the more difficult stuff.

Way to go girl re the driver of the day - particularly beating your husband.   I'm mad about horsepower on four wheels as well as four legs.  Had a great day out in the Spring doing a driving course on the road with a serving police traffic officer.  Great fun haring round East Anglia in my performance estate - think the instructor was quite impressed with my girl and what she could do.

[OlavS]

Well, it's not really an achievement I guess...but it has made a profound positive impact on my riding: I have found peace with what I'm doing in the arena, finally assured that my riding is a benefit to my horse rather than harming her. I used to get angry when Sábia didn't go well...because she had a positive flexion test (1 degree) on the front legs and I was very concerned that she had to move properly, from behind, not have large impacts on the front legs...so when she did not go well I would be upset and angry with us both...she could not know I meant well

However, these days I can look back at the last 18 months and appreciate the amazing work we've done (with the help of my instructors ) I'm no longer in any doubt that the work has a positive impact, and as a result I can relax and enjoy it even on the days that aren't so great.

And almost equally important: I have found patience and enjoyment in movements at walk. Sure, I still long to do piaffe and pirouettes, and riding on a curb again, but these things are years away still and the fastest approach is to take it slowly...so it's no nice to be able to enjoy the journey rather than always looking far ahead  

[ChrissieW]

Great idea for a thread  

Emmm my achievements - main ones :

- sticking with taking my mare barefoot despite a host of setbacks including low grade lami when it would have been sooo easy to bury my head in the sand and stick the shoes back on.    Glad I didn't as she is doing well now, but very nearly did!

- taking a step back from our schooling (with the aid of my lovely instructor) because we "lost" out canter (and when I say lost, my mare started refusing to canter properly at all and then not all!!).     My initial reaction was she was being bloody minded  :blush: as canter is not her easiest or natural pace, but I am proud of myself for then thinking a bit deeper and dismissing this and taking a step back, looking to myself for the problem and taking it all apart to find the solution.    Turned out it was mainly me creating the issue by asking the impossible and my mare saying in no uncertain terms "I won't/can't do that for you".    She's a great teacher, as she isn't the type of horse to try her heart out when she doesn't think you deserve it.    We are now back on track and have our canter back and better than before   (although our canter is always going to be both our weak pace (umm goal for 2007 I think!) and I think I learnt some good lessons out of it all and I think (hope) my position has improved because of all the dissecting of myself I did!

- getting back into jumping after a break - something I am not confident at anyway and joining my 11 year old niece in a pairs HT class and surviving!

[Dark Cloud]

Wow, so many inspiring posts. The things Im proud of acheiving this year are leaving a really unhealthy workplace of three years and thriving despite constant financial worries (relative of course), I am proud of being a strong but loving person and braving the strong possibility of my long-term relationship disolving through my not accepting being put down way too much, but the lovely thing is the relationship has changed and its like a new world. With the release from the hardship @ old workplace and relationship I am like a new woman, I am so much happier and grounded and my self confidence and trust in my intuition has increased. Ive kind of found my mojo again .

Toby and I have improved a lot this year and Im proud that we are finding our way through the windy hilly path that is life, I trust in myself and the process more and am not hard on myself if things go pear shaped.

I am so glad I found this forum, you guys have been great fun and support. It's so great to feel as though we have horsie friends all over the world that support, encourage, laugh and sometimes, cry together. Im proud of that and the love and care we have for our horses :blush:   .