I Bought Some Horse Show Ribbons

Ok, I know, I have just one more post in my series of Going to Your First Horse Show. But I was just so excited to share this with you, that I had to write it, and put it out there! And this is something I have been trying to get done for a while now, to share with you. I think I shared with you the I bought some horse show ribbons way back in July, or August for a challenge.

And I have something so happy to talk about today – the challenge I presented for myself is complete! Well, I cannot take credit for it. This challenge came to life because of my friend Vickie. You can read more about it here, when I talked about the September challenge way back on September 1^st.

And I have to say, this challenge has been the most successful one that I have put out there for myself to get through. Maybe it’s because I am becoming a professional at creating my own challenges, or maybe it’s because I love to make goals for myself. Or maybe it’s because I have finally realized that goals do not need to be over the top in order to be successful.

Whatever the reason, I am very happy with my results for my September challenge.

But something magical happened earlier this week…

The ribbons arrived!

Talk about a motivator! And I really like how they turned out. I wanted to show them to you earlier, but life got in the way. But this is the ribbon! I think it turned out pretty great. I’m not a horse ribbon designer at all. But I like that the company I bought these from, Hodges Badge Company, has so many different choices of colors, and patterns for ribbons.

I Bought Some Horse Show Ribbons

I brought 2 ribbons to work for Vickie and her daughter, because they did the challenge with me. And she loved them! I was a little worried, because well, these are different than most ribbons. So I wasn’t sure if they would think they were too over the top. But nope! They loved them!

But now I have a box of them, because I was hoping others would want to join me in my challenge. I have 27 left, so if any of you did the September challenge when I first posted it, let me know and I can send one to you. (I would just ask you to pay for the shipping) And I think I have an idea of what to do with the rest of them, but more on that later…

September Riding Challenge

I have to say, I am very happy with the progress I made for September. I have been riding more, and pushing myself a little out of my comfort zone with Plezant. And I didn’t really realize it until after I talked to my other horse friend Lynda and she said “ You RODE on the road?” I didn’t think about it until that moment. And I was like yeah, I rode on the road! If you would have told me to do this a year or two ago, I would have felt the butterflies and nauseous feeling well up in my stomach. But not now!

This is why I do challenges like this to myself – to push myself out of my comfort zone, and out into the real world!

You DO You

But the important thing to remember is you need to push yourself to your own level of change. If the goal is to simply get on your horse, then make that your goal. If your goal is to canter around the arena, make that your goal. Goals are personal. And only you will know what goal is best for you. Just remember to focus on YOU.

This can be hard. Especially when we are flooded with so many social media posts of others sharing their accomplishments. We see all of the people we would love to be going to shows, jumping huge jumps, or even just showing pictures of their perfect world with their perfect horses. All of the things we think we should be doing. But just because you aren’t doing, or sharing that kind of thing – it doesn’t matter. You do YOU. Be proud of who you are and what you have accomplished.

By getting out with your horse and pushing yourself to really be present and focus on moving forward, you will be able to achieve any goal you set for yourself, as well as your horse.

Don’t compare your riding, or even your horse to others. You know yourself, and you know your horse. Only you know how far you can push yourself. But I do know if you don’t continually strive to get better, you will get bored and eventually lose interest.

But back to my challenge! My personal goal for the month of September is to ride Plezant 3 times a week. And so far, so good. There have been a few time when I wasn’t really feeling it. But then I remembered, in a month or two, I won’t be able to come home from work and go for a quick ride. So I need to make the most of the time that I have now, and ride. I always feel better after I spend some quality time with my horses. Even if it is only for 15 or 20 minutes.

What Will You Accomplish Today?

Can you plan to do something with your horse today? Or even this week? What is one thing you would like to be able to do with your horse? You don’t have to commit to doing something every day, or even riding 3 times a week. But I do challenge you to set a goal for you and your horse in the remaining time we have for the month.

And try to remember, you aren’t going to have a lot of good riding days left for the year. That is unless you live somewhere warm, or have the luxury of an indoor arena that you can ride your horse in. If you do, consider how lucky you are. And know that I am extremely envious of you!

Practice Gratitude

Be grateful for what you have. Try and look for the good, and don’t focus on the negative. When you focus on the bad things, it breeds more negativity. And that can be your undoing, your downfall. So stop thinking about how everything went wrong, and think about the one thing that went right!

Be grateful for every ride you have with your horse. Or even just spending some time grooming your horse.

I find it very satisfying to think about all of the good, like I have two horse that are always here for me. Or how lucky I am to be able to have my horses at home. How I can get up in the morning, look out back and see my barn. Gratitude is something I remember to think about every single day. Don’t take these moments for granted. Remind yourself of all the good you have in your life.

Reward Yourself

This is why I bought these ribbons, to reward myself and as a reminder of a goal I achieved. I love setting goals for myself! And I love the reminders of the achieved goal even more, because it helps me to remember the goal, and the process I went through to get there.