This is what Rick and I watched at midnight, albeit from a comfortable spot in Hyde Park, a nice distance away from all the shouting...


I couldn't help to think whilst watching the cheerful lightning that I would love to put all that fireworked money into my horsey business...;))

Either way, 2010 is here.

It's my third year of blog writing and a lot of things changed in my life since the very first post on the 3rd of July 2007.
It's been over four years since I ventured into working as a freelance riding instructor in the UK. At first I held two jobs, an office one, to keep me afloat money wise. The more teaching and riding work I got the less time I had for sitting behind the desk so office went into part-time mode.
Then, the turn of circumstances made a decision for me and I landed in a full-time self-employment. I am hoping my command of English language has improved over the years; reading some of my old posts made me cringe ;) However, I will probably have the same view on the current ones few years on!

With several days off work lately I've had a lot of opportunity to rethink my plans and aspirations for 2010 and beyond. Had I just sat down straight from the business of 2009 I may have given myself a completely different set of directions.
As I mentioned in my December post: Afresh, I do have a few aims for this year but I am otherwise focusing on just one thing: on getting good...

Not Good Enough

Since I remember I wanted to have my own yard. It was what I wanted to do in Poland and it's what I would love to accomplish in the UK too. However, somewhere along the learning curve I realised that even if I did set up my own yard right now it would not be what I want it to be.
Simply because, I am not yet good enough for what I want it to be.
And I want to get really good...

The 2010 will be for the Academy Adventure...

The Academy is generally a two part programme:

Part 1: will offer an alternative to once/twice-a-week lesson for those riders who still see themselves in a fun end of the market but who are focused on horse riding as a sport rather than leisure.
Part 2: will be for riders leasing or owning horses; grass root riders wanting professional, affordable and structured training both for their horse and for themselves.

For some of you who might not know, I was a bit of sports fanatic as a teenager. That has taught me to always look at a bigger picture and I like investigating directions in other sports to improve riders' performance in the saddle. The Academy programme is based on a system that can be scaled and applied to any committed individual of any level of riding experience.
Beginners to Advanced, elderly and children will go through similar core route. The difference is in load and intensity, not in content.
It's proven in many sports that the needs of " an Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not kind"*

I will post when the Academy is fully alive.

Kingsley

The 2010 will also be about rehabilitating Kingsley. We are taking it one day at a time and I am more than prepared for it to be a very slow process. I enjoy him immensely though. He is such a positive, cheerful horse. He started his walking regime yesterday. I did 9 minutes, then Pauline did 10 minutes today. He will wonder around for 11 minutes tomorrow, 12 minutes the day after and so on until the vet-physio team visit on the 18th.
General plan for him for the next 12 months is to make him more athletic and able to cope with moderate work load.

Closing Up...

2010 will be a year in which I want to make more decisions about directions to take. I have a very ambitious plan in my head so I will be trying to match my practical knowledge and experience with that vision.
I am hoping this will in turn improve the learning experience of all my riders and horses.

Here's wishing everybody a year that will make you happy.

P.S.: Rick has kindly refreshed my main site a little adding photos and a video to the Intensive Training Days page. Any feedback greatly received: http://www.equestriantrainer.co.uk/plans.html

*Source: CrossFit