Finding Motivation

There is no doubt that life can get really busy. And factor in an equestrian sport and its enough to make anyone pull their hair out. Eventing is a unique sport because it incorporates three extremely hard disciplines. Each discipline requires precision, focus, and a whole lot of practice. Practice takes time and energy, and requires motivation to make it all work. I know from experience that with an extremely busy schedule it can be very difficult to find that motivation.

As I am writing this, I have about 60 deadlines running through my mind that include event entries, work, school, horses, among other things. Just thinking about everything that I have to do tonight to prepare for a dressage show tomorrow morning can be stressful and tiring. However, I know that I will jump out of bed tomorrow morning, stop at Starbucks on my way to the show grounds to be there by 5:45 in order to braid, lunge, groom, and tack up before my 8:17 ride time. For me it's all about my motivation. I have to think about what all of the effort leads to: trotting down center line, leaving the start box, or jumping that last fence in show jumping. We all have to find and hold onto that motivation in order to be productive and successful.

It can become extremely hard to keep pushing and working towards goals amidst setbacks. With so many moving parts in life before factoring in horses, it can take a tole on anyone's motivation. Just recently I wrote about how I was eliminated for the first time from an event late last year. This was a huge setback for my horse and I. I had to take a step back, break everything down, and start to rebuild. However, throughout this process I have learned that taking my time to produce instead of push has been so rewarding. Holding onto that motivation has been anything but easy, however seeing even minor improvements show that hard work can pay off. These minor improvements are enough to keep me motivated to work hard.