2011 Trick Pony Goals
Last year I made a list of goals I wanted to accomplish with the trick ponies, hoping that by writing them down it would really help me to complete them. My plan worked! Because I completed all but one of my ten goals last year, I think I can pat myself on the back for that one!
Here’s a little recap of last year’s goals:
1. Teach Minnow to rear CHECK
2. Teach Blitz and Boomer to lay down on command CHECK for Boomer
3. Finish teaching Ammo and Boomer to paint CHECK (Ammo learned to make scratch art)
4. Come up with a new skit for Minnow to perform CHECK a performance of dueling super hero’s with Ammo
5. Make a new video of all of the trick ponies (and the Dachshund) performing CHECK thanks to my talented brother
6. Move Boomer up to compete in the Masters Division in Mounted Games CHECK we competed this past year in masters
7. Take Blitz to a bombproofing clinic/and or some Dressage events
8. Teach Ammo and Minnow some tricks together CHECK seen in their super hero performance
9. Find more venues/performances for Minnow to do – events that raise money for charities would be great. CHECK we attended the Equine Extravaganza, MGAA Nationals, and did several new camp performances.
10. Spend more time doing “nothing” with the boys CHECK
The only thing I didn’t get to do was take Blitz on an outing. Blitz is owned by my mom now, so she spent a lot of last year training him – hopefully this year I will find some time to take him somewhere.
So in keeping with my tradition, I thought I should come up with some new goals for this year. I’m so excited to get started and I have BIG plans for the boys this year.
2011 TRICK PONY GOALS
1. Take some western riding lessons with Boomerang
2. Push myself past my comfort zone and compete in something I’ve never done before
3. Teach Minnow to sit or lay down
4. Fine tune Boomerang’s cues for bow and lay down
5. Train some more tricks using the pedestal
6. Teach Minnow a brand-new trick skit for Pony Penning 2011
7. Teach Ammo the Dachshund a skit he can perform alone
8. Take Blitz on an outing (Dressage, Paperchase, Mounted Games, Tricks, etc)
9. Paint with the boys more often
10. Read a training book (or video) and teach one skill from it
11. Teach Boomerang flying lead changes, rollbacks, and a better sidepass
12. Read Misty of Chincoteague…again! 🙂
Sounds doable right? What are your goals for 2011? Anything I should add?
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Great goals!! Those will definitely keep you busy for 2011. 🙂 Happy New Year!
You and the ponies got quite a bit accomplished in 2010!!
Do you have a western instructor in mind?
If not, be careful. I found (when looking for western lessons at one point) that the quality of western instructors is often not very good. Often not much emphasis on equitation, at least down here.
I find that English riders often convert to riding Western pretty easily. I wonder if you could find an instructor up in your area who does reining, team penning, barrel racing or another western sport. You might be able to accomplish both goals 1 and 2.
I am determined to teach a horse to paint this year, although it probably is going to have to wait until this summer. (Actually, it’s probably going to end up being a donkey.) Any tips for good pre-requisite skills to teach? I think we’ll do some work with her this spring on picking up objects, fetching, etc.
Mary
Actually I took my first western lesson yesterday! (I waste no time apparently) Although I chickened out for the first one and rode in my english tack – mostly since Boomer hadn’t been off the farm since the fall & I felt safer handling his bucking in my regular saddle. 🙂
I’m using Marybeth Gordon from Gordon Quarter Horses in Elverson PA. She actually taught my brother western when we were kids. So far she’s fantastic. She’s done pretty much everything western wise & knows english too. She was very adapting to adding in my clicker training even though she had never heard of it before – and was great about understanding my want to use a bitless bridle. Boomerang already started progress on roll backs, sidepassing, and the beginnings of flying lead changes. She thought he had great potential to be a “handy” pony that can do it all – and told me not to give her my address or she’d come steal him. haha
For the painting – start with fetch. If they can’t master that skill first you will have a really hard time picking up painting. 🙂
Your western instructor and lessons sound great.
Down here, everyone rides Western. And there’s a pretty big demand for instruction, especially for kids.
As a result, too many people who own a horse and a Western saddle (but have no business teaching) make themselves a flier and some business cards and call themselves a riding instructor…
I’ll let you know how the painting training goes!
Mary
Happy new year!
Lol, go figure, I get busy and stop checking for new posts, and miss a whole bunch of them! ^_^U
Your list of goals sounds great, good luck with it. I agree, writing things down helps because then there’s less chance you’ll get distracted or forget about them when they’re constantly staring at you, reminding you to find time for them.
As for goals… my list unfortunately doesn’t include as many “horsey” things as I wish it did. Since I’m out of the country I obviously don’t have my own horse with me, and even if I was home it wouldn’t be much easier since my TB passed on. Having to count on your friends to let you school their horses doesn’t give you much consistency in riding and makes a “goals list” more challenging to accomplish, lol.
I do have some goals however:
1. Improve my Japanese so I can actually converse with people instead of relying on their English and my sign language skills (which despite having a bit of Italian in me aren’t that great *grin*)
2. Advance enough in Kyudo (Japanese archery) so I can actually take part in practice with the rest of the team instead of them rotating which player has to take time out of their practice to teach me.
3. Visit the places I most want to see (Kyoto, Osaka, etc.) before my study abroad ends.
4. Get to at least one anime convention before I leave (so I can see how different it is from the ones in the US).
5. Get to some of the cultural festivals (sakura viewing in the spring, fireworks festivals in the summer).
6. Get to a yabusame (Japanese mounted archery) exhibition.
7. get up the courage to call the Tokyo Riding Club and arrange a lesson so I can cross “riding in another country/internationally” off my own bucket list.
As much as I adore Japan I am absolutely chomping at the bit (proverbially) to graduate so I can go back to riding. I really want to try Mounted Games. I’ve toyed with the idea of taking a couple of western lessons in bending and reining in addition to dressage, thinking it might help. Please keep us updated on how it goes and if it helps improve Boomer’s Gaming skills. (Lol, I make it sound like he plays PS or Wii)
~Kit~