Some reflections

Willig has an appointment with Dr. Revenaugh this week for his intermittent and very slight lameness, but I want to make sure that the running out and the lead changing isn't because something hurts. When I was looking back through this year's blog posts for mentions of it, it helped me to see the glass as half full - something I'm not particularly good at.
Almost a year ago, I did my first First level test at the sitting trot, and was ecstatic. This year, I can do one loop serpentines, have started collecting, can do this teeny 5-8 meter circle at the canter, can do walk/canter transitions, can lengthen, can do leg yields and shoulder-in - and none of that is a big deal at the sitting trot. I might not be at the top of my class, but this is really my first year riding first level, so that's actually pretty cool.
Especially because the entire show season pretty much sucked personally for me - too much stress at work and home, and not enough riding, even though the barn is always my refuge.
Not quite a year ago, I rode hopeful only a couple of times (three maybe?) and was tired and embarrassed riding it as old as I am and as big as Willig is, but thought this was going to be another year of not showing or having to suck it up and ride hopeful. And yet we've ridden BN and, most importantly, HAD FUN (!!!). Last year I thought the BN fences looked huge and impossible, and this year (other than the stupid ditch), even Novice looks ok.
I wasn't willing to give up eventing without a fight, but I wasn't sure that Shannon was going to be able to pull me out of my funk, and from what we were jumping a year ago to now - wow. (Also, a lot of this is also attributable to J's riding Willig once a week.)
And so yes, this was another year when I didn't get to do quite as much as I planned to do - now 3 years ago - when I got Willig. But I'm a much better rider than I was last year (and that's what really counts - even if I had to adjust what I thought I needed to get there), and I've learned a tremendous amount. At the beginning of the year, I gave up on Willig and listed him for sale, but that sort of set me free to let go of my expectations for him and just ride him the way he needed it - and that let me be open to the stuff I needed to learn with him. Yes, I would have achieved my goals faster if I bought a horse that fit me where I wanted to be 4 years ago, but then I wouldn't have learned all this cool stuff. (Plus, think of all the money Willig saved me by not being ready to go to most of the competitions! That's sarcasm.)
Anyway - so then I was thinking on the drive home, what else can I do?
Well, I need more time and money. If I could take one lesson a week, instead of every other week, from both Mike and Shannon, that would help tremendously. I don't know when I'll ever have the time for that.
Then if I could take him more places. Again, time and money.
Then if I could watch more of other riders - good ones and bad ones. Learn from other people's mistakes and see what a good collection looks like. This one is the most doable - I can watch videos of professionals, and I can hang out at lessons and listen, and volunteer at shows. Auditing is a little harder, but cheaper than riding myself.
And of course, then all the stuff we've been working on which just means more hours riding and less hours doing other things. My goal is to keep jumping him twice and week and riding him dressage four days through winter - giving him one day off (and me spending that day at the gym).
We'll see how far that brings us for next year this time. I hope it means we'll be placing at First level, schooling Second level reliably at home, placing at BN, and schooling Novice reliably.