don't chase perfection

I’ll be honest, I’m a perfectionist with a good dose of OCD…in some aspects this really helps in my training. It means I try to be thorough and consistent, which gets results, however, it can be a double edged sword.
Horses are dynamic, they live, breathe and feel…which can make training a bit of a rollercoaster at times! Particularly when we factor in our own mix of changing emotions, physical fitness and imbalance.

Chasing perfection can happen in our personal lives too, we often judge our own success on reaching goals, be it gaining material possessions or hitting personal targets at home or at work, in the belief that reaching these goals will somehow make us feel complete or that we’ve reached the pinnacle of our success. The reality, of course, is that we raise the bar, we set another goal or target to reach and so on…

It’s easy to get trapped in this cycle and in doing so we forego the enjoyment of our experiences, being in the present and practicing gratitude. We essentially forget to stop and smell the roses. I’ve found the more loss I experience as I go through life, the more I have started to realise the importance of this and I think I’m not alone in this train of thought. It’s not a new revelation and it’s the basis for many inspirational quotes but putting it in practice can be difficult when your tunnel vision takes hold, I guarantee everyone who comes to this point wishes they’d had that lightbulb moment a little earlier!
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So as far as our training goes, we might find ourselves in what I like to refer to as the game of snakes and ladders, some days you make great progress, some days you have to reinstall a basic button, some days are just a write off! But don’t wait until you hit your next goal or until you’ve reached the elusive pinnacle to enjoy your time with your horse! Celebrate all the wins, big or small and when you’ve had a bad day look back at parts of your journey you’ve learned from or how far you’ve progressed!
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