Dreams and Aspirations

Today I have had plenty of time to think about my dreams and be daunted with real life, which often gets in the way of accomplishing them. Unfortunately few dreams that include horses are conventional, and mine is no exception. I have been reading the book "How good riders get good" by the great Denny Emerson. He has challenged me to better my position in life, not financially, but horse-wise, if I really do want to acheive my goals.

Which begs the question, WHAT ARE MY GOALS?! AH! Jumping? For sure! Eventing? I mean, yes. Owning a boarding stable? Most likely.

But do I want to be an olympic athlete? An International one? CAN I be an athlete at that level? Will my family suffer? Will they be supportive? HOW IN THE WORLD CAN I FIND A JOB WHERE I CAN BE AT THE BARN 86 HOURS A DAY (which is obviously the major question here!!!)?!

Even if you aren't a "horsey person" you probably realize that the word horse is actually a latin/german word meaning "never ending money drain". And especially for me because I'm always changing my colors (new halters, bridles, lead ropes, saddle pads, blankets, buckets, etc for everyone!) and the trait I definitely received directly from my dad is that I need to have THE latest and greatest, most up to date, highest tech equipment known to man. This leaves me wondering how I (not the animals, they always come first) am going to eat once the horse fever fully establishes itself within my body and it's too late to turn back.

So I have come up with a few scenarios that might hopefully allow me to both make enough money to at least eat ramen, and "live the dream":

• Realtor - While this sounds glamorous, the start-up cost is the price of this cute 3 yr old dark bay Warmblood gelding for sale right now...
• School Teacher - Summers free, off at 3, no weekends. Livin' the dream right?! Well, aside from the meager salary, lesson plans start when you get off at 3. On top of that, my patience with children that don't love horses is at an all time low...
• Small Business Owner - So this is probably the most acheivable dream/goal. As with everything there are pros and cons. Pros are pretty obvious, cons being that when you own your own business it actually probably takes more time out of your day than a regular 8-5 job would. I feel like I could totally pull this off as I have identified several needs in our area (can we say homemade bagels people?!) that I feel I can fulfill.

I have a year to hammer out the details and find what fits into my schedule so I can become a good rider. Whatever that will end up meaning to me. I'm extremely open to ideas and suggestions. Particularly if it includes the words horse, or a million dollars and 20 hrs/week... I've got standards but will listen to all offers :)

Cash