Friday, December 28, 2012

To Gauge Your Program

This year I plan to take a moment or two to answer questions that I get outside of the "comments" section of blogger. Here is my first stab at it.

 "You do not have your riders compete in shows. How can you possibly gauge the success of your program?"

 I think that there are better measures for the success of a riding program than show ribbons.

 I think the evaluation is pretty simple:
 1. When your riders are small do they come to you with the fears that paralyze them?
 2. When they are a bit older do they come to you with the dreams that inspire them?
3. When they are young teens do they come to you with the plans that drive them?
 4. And after they grow up do they come back to you for help with the problems that are facing them?

 If the answer to each of these questions is "yes" then your riding program is succeeding.

2 comments:

  1. Lothlorien FarmOctober 18, 2013 at 1:32 PM

    Thank you Steve! We do show, but I agree with you here! I think that most often too much emphasis is placed on the winning and not enough on the experience of having/ caring for a horse.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Richard M. BlaneyDecember 31, 2015 at 8:54 PM

    We absolutely agree! It's about the riders enjoying the horses, and the horses enjoying their riders.

    ReplyDelete