What are your long-term goals/dreams?

[Rebecca]

Just thinking about this the other day, and I thought it would make a neat post. If you could do anything with your horses, what would it be? What do you wish you could do? What are your dreams and plans for the future? Besides continuing to love and enjoy your horses!

We'll all do that.

My short list of goals and dreams is this (remember, it's long term)

Someday I would love to....

Own a Miniature farm

Start a rescue/rehab program for miniatures

Train horses, maybe even for others

Buy a weanling, train and show it myself

Foal out a mare

Go to Nationals, and Worlds!!!!

And this may sound silly, but many of you know of my mare Kassie who knows dozens of tricks. I always thought it would be neat to do a course (something like jumping or obstacle) at a local show and have her bow to the judge as we exited the ring!

So, what are your dreams and goals?

Rebecca

 

[Champ]

The first thing on my agenda would be to move some place warm....it's only 15 degrees out today

Like you I wouldn't mind having having a Mini horse farm and start a rescue/rehab. I would like to train some of the rescues to drive and if they aren't able to drive then maybe teach them some tricks or they could be used for nursing home visits and parades or they can be great companions horses

 

[picasso]

My dreams include my husband and I retiring and moving somewhere warm and not muddy. Would like to move to a farm that is better set up for our minis. Our barn now was built for big horses and we use it for the minis. Also, look forward to the day that my son (only 18 now, so hopefully a few years) gives me some grandkids to continue showing our minis.

 

[SaddleTrail]

Long term goals huh?

Well I plan on living until I am 87, that gives my grandkids plenty of time to grown up and give me great grandkids.

I would love to have a small herd of minis that could be used as therapy horses.

To have a barn built with regular stalls, turn outs, and a tack/feed room. To have a special section for bathing/clipping, 2 foaling stalls and a small usable kitchen with a cot in it <grins>

I have no need or want to show any of the minis so they would just be trained as therapy horses and live their lives healthy and happy.

 

[targetsmom]

I was about to go out and clean stalls in this bitter cold weather, but this sounds like more fun. Thanks for starting this Rebecca!

My Long Term Goals:

1. Get involved in therapy work with the minis, nursing home visits, etc.

2. Teach one of our minis how to do dressage in hand.

3. Would love to have a foal with our farm name get to Nationals or Worlds, but I have no strong desire to go there myself.

4. Still be showing the minis in halter & performance classes ten years from now.

Now, you have to remember that us older folks have a shorter time frame for long term goals!

 

[wcr]

I gave this topic some hard thought and realized how fortunate I am. I have been showing horses for 45 odd years, breeding 40 odd years and have had much success. My horses I have bred have gone on to compete in top venues and I have never had to sacrifice quality in what I bred. I have had horses I trained myself dominate in the show ring and this last year put a World/Reserve World title on my stallion. I moved to Oregon with the intention of building the horse ranch of my dreams and I have done that and have a top notch facility(at least to my standards).

I feel I have exceeded my dreams and goals and now am ready to slow down and enjoy what life I have left. My heart attack has forced me to cut back just as I had gotten my breeding program where I wanted it Now I am selling half my herd to cut down on the work load and am looking at the options of what to do with the horses that will satisfy me. There is no sense just having the horses stand out in the pasture and be pets. So I guess my long term goal is finding something to do with the horses that I can still enjoy them on a close personal level.

 

[Reble]

Well, this has been an interesting thread hope more join in.

Our long term goals / dreams.

To be able to keep on showing and breeding for as long as we can.

Hubby's job keeps taking a bit of a toll on our decisions. Oh and this weather too.

We have the mares as of today we love and admire, and our new stallion should bring

what we have been wanting to breed for. (he is only 27.750") tobiano homoygous so should be able to add colour and size to our herd. We have been waiting for him to grow up, have had him since he was 4 months and this year will be 3 to start breeding.

Hubby would love to perfect his driving and I am hoping to be able to keep up with the younger ones coming into the jumping, why do we start a little too late, should have done this years ago.

I love to be able to keep jumping, obstacle, and halter classes. We do this for social and fun.

Most of all, we both enjoy our little bit of Country. Our retirement dream.

We have found the number of horses that works for us, that is 7 now

and maybe add one more mare in the future. Today: (5 mares, 1 stallion, & 1 gelding.)

I am satisfied with just what we have, but still want to reach more of my dreams.

That is what keeps us going. Never say Never

Would love to someday have a indoor areana to keep out the cold

or move somewhere warm etc, etc, etc,

 

[sedeh]

I guess I'm lucky also. I'm really happy where things sit right now. I have a small farm that is "getting there" as far as being set up how I want it. I've already achieved one goal I had which was to win at the national level.

Future goals:

1. Keep my herd small and very select.

2. Get that "special colt" with my barn name on him that I can geld and then make him my all-around show horse. I want a gorgeous colt that everyone asks "why'd you geld him"?

3. Okay, should I ever "win the lottery" I'd love to buy some property and build a home and horse facility that was exactly what I want.

 

[~Dan]

My goals and dreams are...

starting my own farm

train my own minis

move to a different state

put up several large pastures

buy a stallion

put up an indoor

put up an outdoor arena

pvc fencing front pasture to showcase my herd

start a herd of arabians and buy a friesian and haflinger

well thats it so far... I think

 

[PAS Hercules]

Well, when I win the 165 MILLION dollar Oklahoma lottery tonight

I will be able to further my dream by :

1. Building a Large Morton building that is an Indoor arena with house attached so I can look out my living room window into the arena, with stalls along one side facing the arena as well.

2. Buy a new dually that has all the "bells and whistles" and a 5 horse trailer with living quarters

3. Do a bunch more advertising for my Arabian Stallion

4. Continue to show my Arabs, and perhaps hit some of the larger, more prestigeous shows around the country that I haven't gone to yet

5. Put togeather a Mini horse show string

6. Buy new tack & equipment, shows carts, harness' etc...

 

[SaddleTrail]

Well, when I win the 165 MILLION dollar Oklahoma lottery tonight

I will be able to further my dream by :
1. Building a Large Morton building that is an Indoor arena with house attached so I can look out my living room window into the arena, with stalls along one side facing the arena as well.

2. Buy a new dually that has all the "bells and whistles" and a 5 horse trailer with living quarters

3. Do a bunch more advertising for my Arabian Stallion

4. Continue to show my Arabs, and perhaps hit some of the larger, more prestigeous shows around the country that I haven't gone to yet

5. Put togeather a Mini horse show string

6. Buy new tack & equipment, shows carts, harness' etc...

Now dang it, I want to win the lottery too!!

That would really change things for me. I could hire the best trainers and instead of a chicken coop for my babys castle he could have a real barn and stall!!

weeeeeeee doggies I want to hit the lottery toooooooooo!

 

[~Dan]

This is a really cool thread some really nice goals everyone

 

[nbark]

My long term goal is to get more minis and mini owners doing therapy work with their minis. Maggie has been written up in the local papers, has a video on youtube visiting an Elderly Day Care, has been named the mascot for the North Shore Arthritis Foundation in Massachusetts and has been asked to help kick off the fund raising campaign for the Beverly School for the Deaf. Maggie has made visits to the school and has been walking and raising money for the Arthrits Foundation for three years. She started her therapy work at the tender age of 8 months. She rides in the elevators and visits all the patients and the hugs and smiles she brings to the elderly's faces is the most wonderful feeling you could ever imagine. The only thing I ask is that the location we visit have carpeting. We do not charge for a visit. Maggie has also picked up "kissing" on her own and is more than generous with kisses to the cheeks of the elderly. The elderly, like my mini, only ask for love and attention, it is a great combination. If anyone would like to see Maggies video, go to www.danversherald.com and search using miniature horse, you will see the article and the video.

I have just bought another mini who is smaller who is now in training to do the same thing. Hope some of you like this idea and will consider doing it too...

 

[dreaminmini]

I guess my long term goals would be:

Finally having a small farm so I can keep my mini(s) with me instead of boarding(no offense Lori

)

Keep improving my driving skills.

Take a horse I own to Nationals and compete in driving.

Do some therapy work with my minis.

Eventually adopt a baby mini and train it myself from scratch and compete to the best of our abilities.

 

[maestoso]

I have a few . . . . Some of them may seem like short term goals, but to me everything is long term as I am very impatient!

1. Get the Super Amateur award at Regionals and Worlds, weather it be this year or next, or the one after, but I don't want to wait too long

2. Own and run a small breeding operation.

3. Learn a lot more about driving.

4. I want a REALLY good roadster horse, after watching it at Worlds this year, I really want to get into it!

5. Get my AMHA and AMHR judges cards, and someday judge nationals or worlds, this is a way long term goal.

6. Win a world championship in showmanship, it's my favorite class, and has been forever.

7. At some point train and show professionally on a small scale.

8. Win the lottery or realize I have a long lost relative who plans on leaving me a lot of money . . . .

 

[fancyappy]

Our goals 4 years ago included finding property so we could stop boarding our riding horses . We found a farm, have spent 4 years fixing it up , built a barn, put up fencing etc.Now our goals are to continue selling our big horses and concentrate only on mini horses.

What a difference mini's made in our lives! We bought this place for our big horses and now we find that we enjoy the mini's more.

So now our goals include re-fixing things to accommodate the mini's size..lowering fence and water tubs, new doors on stalls, etc. Re doing what we already did....if only we had met our mini's sooner! lol

We would like to have a very small scale breeding program and hope to learn to drive this year.

 

[midnight star stables]

My long term Showing goals are:

- Continue to attend Nationals

- Win a National Champion Award

- Win a National GRAND Champion Award

- Win a National Champion Award with a horse I breed

- I'd love to get an honest SP driving horse

- I'd love to get an honest Park driving horse

- Achieve a Halter HOF

- Achieve a Driving HOF

- Make All-Stars top 5 in a Halter class

My long term other goals are:

- Breed the "extreme overo" in miniature size (meaning an overo mini with park action)

- Find the Right ASPC horse for me

- Own a mini horse that makes mini people go "WOW!"

- Own a mini horse that makes big people go "WOW!"

- Buy and build another barn

- Oh, and to do everything listed above, I also plan to win the lottery!

 

[Taylor Jo]

Good thread. Now that I have the mini farm and it's coming into place little by little it's MORE about what I do in the show ring. I do worry somewhat about getting this place ready for this show season as there's things that in MY mind HAVE to be done. BUT, right now I'm more worried about getting the training done with the 4 horses and having them ready for the ring.

My goal THOUGH, would be to get more then a first place. I've gotten those but I'd like to get Champion & Reserve and Grand Champions too. Plus go onto Nationals and win some Grand Champions also. That is probably my biggest goal right now.

Oh yea, PAYING for the horses to be trained. I can teach them just so much, the rest I leave to someone who knows what their doing and they teach me. I find it FAR less stressful. BUT, the goal is to make sure the money is there.

HUGE goal..... I NEVER, EVER, EVER, thought I'd be doing this. If I can pull this off it will be a miracle. TJ

 

[twister]

Good Thread

Well I guess that we are lucky in that we moved to our dream property just over 7 years ago. My husband is retired and I am hoping to be retired too in about 5 years. We have 7 minis which is a good number for us. so my long term goals would be:

1. retire in 5 years or less

2. I would have said achieve halter HOF but Jazz did that in 2008

.

3. Get more driving experience and drive in some driving classes this year and maybe a cde.

4. Keep showing as long as I can

5. continue with Jazz's nursing home visits and maybe get another horse to do it too

6 go to nationals at least once.

7 last but not least , enjoy & love my minis as long as I can

Yvonne

 

[White Socks Miniature]

This is a very neat thread!

My goals would be:

~ Build an indoor arena so I can practice in all sorts of weather

~ Get my tack room, bathroom and wash stall finished in my barn (hot water too!)

~ Go to Nationals and Worlds this year and for many years after

~ Buy one heck of a nice stallion and start a small breeding program

~ Do obstacle (in hand and driving) with "Deja" the one in my avatar

~ Jumping also with "Deja"