My Equestrian Un-Bucket List
I love Karen’s blog, Bakersfield Dressage not because I’m the world’s biggest dressage nut… but because she is an insanely positive person and much wiser than I am. So it’s not surprising that she came up with an idea that I adore and had to make my own version of. From her blog:
Mary Baker Eddy says in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more.”
So in the spirit of my 30 things to do before I’m 30 list, I present 30 equestrian things I’m proud and grateful to have done already.
1. Shown in the indoor arena at the NC Hunt Horse complex.
2. Earn my “colors” in a hunt club.
3. Win champion.
4. Gallop my horse flat out in trail ride match race.
5. Point up a division in IHSA.
6. Show at a weekend horse show.
7. Earn a year-end award.
8. Have my name on a perpetual trophy.
9. Put early rides on a very green horse.
10. Trail ride in the desert at sunset.
11. WTC and Jump bareback
12. See the Spanish Riding School Lipizzaners in Vienna
13. Go to the Winter Equestrian Festival
14. Photograph shoulder to shoulder with equine photography legends
15. Go to a million shows with AWFUL braids and then learn finally learn to braid properly.
16. Complete a clear cross country round.
17. Win a hunter pace.
18. Get back on.
19. Be trusted enough to get to catch ride a nice horse…
20. Win on that catch ride.
21. Visit the Kentucky Horse Park.
22. Halter break babies.
23. Own a horse that will pack around anyone without a complaint.
24. Win an equitation class.
25. Get ribbons in a big class.
26. Conquer fear after years of feeling like I’d never be able to.
27. Show 2’6″
28. Have had three “heart” horses.
29. Shown & ridden other disciplines.
30. See a horse being born.
What are you most grateful that you’ve done/accomplished?
24 thoughts on “My Equestrian Un-Bucket List”
What a wonderful list! It’s amazing to think about all we’ve done that get us to where we are now.
Love this idea! I may not be able to come up with 30 things (horse owner for less than 2 years with no showing and etc under my belt quite yet lol) but maybe I’ll shorten it and do it as well. 🙂
Well I think I’m at least double your age, so you can half it 🙂
GREAT idea and post! I will definitely have to do this. What a great way to stay positive.
This is a great way to keep positive and get the year started in the right mindset! And you have had such a diverse background, very cool!
Love this!!! I def will have to start compiling a list! 🙂
Oh wow- see… well don’t take this as a personal attack because WE ALL focus on the negative (our fears, what we want to accomplish, what we didn’t accomplish, the issues we’re dealing with) way more than the positive it seems like, but I would have never known you had done so much stuff without this list! I think this is a good idea, channels the focus from what we want to do to what we’ve done already! Not that we shouldn’t keep striving towards better and more, but it puts it in perspective. Didn’t know that you had gone clear on a xc course, pretty neat 😉 And I was one point away from pointing up in IHSA, so now that dream is over… sad days.
Our local hunt club used to have “cross country schooling days” as a fundraiser. The really nice XC course would let us camp out for one day, and you could do individual cross country runs or in pairs. I was on my packer lesson horse, and had an absolute BLAST! I’m sure if I came to eventing younger in life I would have been a total addict. Now I’m a weenie 🙂
What a lovely list! It’s easy to forget all your prior accomplishments when you are listing out future goals. I’ve become quite the weenie rider myself after a couple of bad falls and when I have my freakout moments in the saddle I try to remind myself of all the things I accomplished in the past and I can do (insert whatever caused freakout).
Here’s my mini list – Team Pen and pen our cattle fast enough to win!; Trail ride in the mountains, in the desert & by the ocean; Ride portions of the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail; Win a Neck Ribbon; Win Grand Champion 4-H Halter Horse; Play Polo; Successfully show both Hunters and Western Pleasure; Jump 3 ft; Raise a foal; Take my horse swmming; Ride a stallion (my horse’s sire); Gallop cross country
Just listing these has made me smile and bring back some very fond memories. Thank you.
That’s a great list! Several things on there I’d love to do 🙂
What a great idea! You have accomplished so many awesome things, I’m jealous! May have to try and do this on my blog as well 🙂
Love this idea! What a great list of accomplishments 🙂
Love the list and photos! Most of the “fun” stuff I did (like ride an XC course and WTC/Jump bareback) was when I was really young! No photos! Love the ideas 🙂
Cross Country is the thing I really wish I had pictures of! That and any riding photos of Doodles, the amazing palomino packer. I rode him until I was 14 though, so really no photo proof for any of that early stuff.
Love this list of positive things! Good way to start out the new year. 🙂
Great idea! Love the focus of what has already been accomplished. You have done a lot!!
Cute idea.
Oh, what an excellent idea! I may be sniping this.
Umm…who were you rubbing shoulders with in the equestrian photographer world?
I love this! And you have done some amazing things! I’m jealous of many of them and will probably be adding them to my bucket list, lol.
I love this idea. It’s so easy to get caught up in how much we haven’t accomplished and how much work we have to do. Great idea to look back on just how much you HAVE done.
Very nice! You have accomplished a lot.
Wow, Lauren! Quite an awesome list. :0) I am particularly envious of #30 (watching a foal’s birth). While I had a mare who gave birth, I wasn’t there to see it. I did have to dispose of the afterbirth, but I had really hoped to see the birth!
Thank you for the kind “introduction.” I try very hard to keep focused on the positive things in life, especially in such a public forum as a web diary (!), but I don’t always feels successful . I am a very driven person, but I am not certain that brings any wisdom to the party.
I hope you achieve your 30 by thirty, but if not, you’ve certainly achieved a whole different list of 30 things well under your timeline. :0)
It’s always great to think of things you HAVE done when you think about the things you HAVEN’T done. I always have to remind myself yes, I may not be a top-rated rider, but look at all the things I’ve accomplished. Great post!
That’s a really neat idea. You’ve done quite a lot of things I would absolutely love to do. Someday!