Goals for this winter

Dressage:
1. Still hands
2. Smooth, crisp transitions
3. Bend
4. On the bit
5. Impulsion
6. BN & N tests - 7's & 8's
7. Round circles
8. Straight lines
9. Posture
10. Sitting trot

Jumping:
1. Still legs
2. No overjumping (superman)
3. No mouth jerking - keep hands forward
4. Increase height and spread of jumps
5. Jump at canter
6. Correct lead when landing
7. Multiple jumps in a row
8. Head up
9. Heels down - no pinching with knee/lower leg swinging
10. Begin counting strides (5 to 8)

General:
1. Increase fitness
2. Increase speed
3. Balance for Mercury
4. Learn to braid mane
5. Increase leg health & condition
6. Bravery - less herd bound

We'll see what Bob says this weekend, how much he modifies these.
I'd like to ride Beginner Novice next year. If he places in the top 3 in three consecutive shows, then maybe move to Novice or start doing recognized shows. I think I need some new clothes for recognized though.
Odds are I will lose for a while, because there's a lot more competitors in Beginner Novice, and the winning dressage scores tend to be in the low 30's. So I need to work on all 7's with some 8's in my scored tests.
I think one reason I only got 3rd in this last show was because the caliber of the competitors was higher. It wasn't as many people out schooling their 4 year olds. Even though Mercury is 12, he acts like a 6 year old and he has gotten a little set in his ways.
What I really hope is next year (2007) BN; (2008) N; (2009) N rec & unrec; (2010) big maybe Training. Then Mercury will be 16 - if he could go to 18 that'd be fabulous, but I hope I can lease him (keep him at Edelweiss) and get a new horse to start. Maybe a horse who is already Novice, though if I work him up and he is good, that's ok too because there's more to learn.
The beginning novice course looked like so much fun, although intimidating. I was both relieved and disappointed when it turned out Hopeful was smaller and shorter.