Goal Setting for Horse Owners

According to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “A goal without a plan is just a wish”

I remember when I was a kid, I wanted to ride in the Olympics. It was a dream and a wish, but it never became a goal. I wasn’t in a position (mentally or financially) to dedicate myself to the years of dedication and training it would take, not to mention having to go out and solicit sponsorship, (upper-level competition in any equestrian discipline is a very expensive activity). I wasn’t prepared to give up everything else in my life in order to even have a shot at being considered to ride for the US.

I did (and still do) have horse-related goals, but now, they’re more centered around things I can control – how much time I spend with my horse, what training I want to work on with her, what I want to work on for my own fitness. These are not only outcomes I can control, they fit into my life. Unlike training for the Olympics, I don’t have to give up every non-working moment to spend an extra hour with my horse three days a week. Or to read more about Connection Training and work with her on holding on the target a bit longer.

Action-based goals vs. outcome-based goals.

Outcome-based goals are just what they sound like. Your goal is totally dependant on the outcome. If your goal is to ride in the Olympics – that’s an outcome-based goal. It’s a wonderful thing to aspire to, but outcome-based goals can become a minefield. What happens if you spend 20 years dedicated to achieving your goal of riding in the Olympics and you don’t make the team? You’ve missed your goal, one that you spent 20 years working toward. Not easy to deal with.

Compare that with action-based goals. If your goal is to take three lessons per week, do two Pilates classes a week, up your protein intake by 20% – those are all action-based goals. Those you have total control over. You either eat your protein or you don’t – the action is up to you. By breaking an outcome-based goal down into action-based goals, you build one success on top of another. You not only improve your life as you reach each successive goal, you’ll find that if your action-based goals are in alignment with your outcome-based goals, you increase your chances achieving all of them.

Three Steps to Achieving Your Goals

1. Write it down

Our brains remember things we’ve generated (ie written, drawn, etc) than what we’ve consumed (read, watched). By writing your goals and then keeping them in front of you (don’t put them in a drawer somewhere – post them on the fridge!), you’re more likely to reach them.

2. Plan your work and work your plan

Goals aren’t achieved by accident! You have to make a plan. Brainstorm every step you think it will take to reach your goal, then put them in order and give each an approximate time frame. Be sure to revisit your plan regularly – weekly is great, but at least monthly – that way you won’t get too far off track before you realize it and can make a course correction.

3. Be realistic, but not fatalistic

Be realistic, not fatalistic. Explore, don’t abandon. Don’t assume that because your goal is lofty it’s unattainable. If your goal is a large one, don’t think you’ll make it happen in 30 days – you’re setting yourself up for failure. By the same token, don’t give up at the first setback. If a goal is worth achieving, it’s worth working for.

I have long since given up the dream of riding in the Olympics, and I’m perfectly OK with that. As I said earlier, it was a dream, not a goal. My current goals are all action-based: increase my daily exercise from 20 minutes to 30 minutes, work with my mare to hold on a target for 30 seconds, and complete writing and filming the course I’m launching  in January.

If I achieve all of these goals, I’ll be healthier, happier, and more financially secure, but if I had started with the goals of being healthier, happier, and more financially secure, I could look around a year from now and be no better off.

I’d love to hear in the comments what some of your goals are, and what experiences you’ve had with action-based vs outcome-based goals.