IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:  As of November 2023, the Northwest and California Regions have joined with Great Western and we now include California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska and the Provinces of British Columba and Alberta Canada along with our existing states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.  Currently, there are no GWPFHA members from New Mexico, Alaska or Canada. 

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

April Showers….a Great Time of Year!

This is not an April Fool’s Day joke….April really is a great time of year.  Weather is not too hot nor too cold.  Yes, there will be rain, but it provides for all the beautiful spring flowers popping up everywhere.  For me, April is the perfect time to hit the trails and get my horses in shape for a year of fun activities.  I hope you are doing the same.

As I reach out to both old and new members, I continually hear comments asking why they should join PFHA.  The most common question is “What do they do for me?”  Besides maintaining the breed registry, PFHA does a lot for the regions and for the members.  Did you know that PFHA provided the funds for GW to offer a free 2024 GW membership to current PFHA members last December?  Did you know that PFHA allocated $2,500 to each region this year to help fund activities that promote the breed and membership?  These are just two examples of what PFHA does for you.  If you are not currently a member, please consider joining.

So, how will the region support funds be utilized within Great Western?  Each Chapter Representative was asked to submit a request for a portion of the funds outlining the event to be hosted, an amount requested and a point of contact.  A special GW BOD meeting was held to discuss each request and determine amounts to be allocated for each.  This was not an easy task as we had $3,400 requested.  The final decision was to fund/subsidize a Chapter Membership Drive, the Rancho Colton Play Day, a Trail Horse Test (THT) and Clinic, a Working Equitation Clinic and the GW Annual Meeting.  If you attend any of these events, thank PFHA for allowing us (GW) to subsidize the event, making it more affordable for you to attend.

The Trail Horse Test recommends limiting it to 12 participants.  In an effort to provide our members the first opportunity to sign up for the July 13 & 14 THT, I am offering an Early Bird Special.  Members can sign up now, before the THT is advertised outside of GW and PFHA venues.  This offer will only be announced on this website and runs through April 13, 2024.  Secure your spot by sending me your entry form (posted on the website’s News page).  I hope you will take advantage of this limited opportunity.

As always, please feel free to contact me at any time.  I would love to get to know each and every one of our members.  I want to hear your thoughts and ideas.  It’s a great time to be a Great Western PFHA member and I count my blessings every day that you are on this journey with me.

Until we see each other again….

Stay safe and healthy!   

Judi Bradbury                                                                                                                                    GWPFHA President

 

HOW TO AVOID QUITTING!

No one likes quitting or giving up on their goals and dreams in life, but so often people settle and are not willing to step outside their comfort zone. In order to achieve your goals, it requires you to stretch yourself. Stepping outside your comfort zone by getting out there even though you are scared.

Setting goals and sticking to them is important for your own personal self-worth and satisfaction. Too often many of us give up too soon, whether this is the fear of failure or just the feel of being stretched. Often when we don’t see results straight away, we quit and pack it all in. Perhaps you haven’t lost the weight you wanted in the first few weeks of a diet, maybe you placed near the bottom in every test for your first season. You can’t see these as failures, because by simply achieving your goals and making things happen you are on the journey for your success.

Very little in life is impossible, but things take time and whether you get there in the end boils down to whether you quit or persevere. Below are some helpful tips to begin your journey to success, be it riding, work, or other goals.

1. Write down your goal and a desired deadline

Writing down your goals and giving yourself a deadline to achieve them is important for structure and commitment. Just be realistic when you set the deadline to ensure you don’t set yourself up for failure. Small steps are still progress and are helping you get closer to your goals.

2. Stop the negative thoughts

Inner negativity can be a hard one for many to shake, but it is really important to do so. When you hold a personal critique session you are immediately destroying your confidence and your drive to continue. Surround yourself with things that help keep your thoughts positive. Learn from people you admire and who will help you become better.

3. Drop the guilt trip

How often do you blame yourself when something doesn’t go right? It’s so easy to guilt trip yourself into feeling bad because you had a blow out that week, you couldn’t keep up in the fitness class or that you didn’t live up to others expectations. Guilt is a huge influencer on whether you quit or succeed. So, remove the guilt and just focus on what you can do better next time.

4. Encourage yourself

Be your own inner cheerleader! Turn your negative back chat and replace your criticism with positivity and encouragement. Instead of saying to yourself ‘I didn’t do that right’, start looking for positive ways you can improve.

5. Set mini goals

Breaking up your major goal into little goals make them more manageable. Often a bigger goal or a large change you want to make in your life can very quickly become overwhelming. Setting bite sized goals can keep you on track to reaching your desired target. Start by setting yourself a 1-year goal, then 6 months, 1 month, 1 week and then 1 day. What is it that you can do today to get you closer to your goals for the week?

6. Visualize your desired future

Start picturing yourself riding with fluidity and correctness or visualize the business you want or your favorite place you want to be. Imagine the emotions you will experience and create a pin board or inspiration book to use as a visual aid. The more emotionally connected you are to your future, the more you will strive to get there. Visualization is hugely powerful, picture that every day.

7. Keep your fear under control

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions that has the ability to hold us back. Be brave and honest with yourself. Identify the fear and write down how you would feel from now on if you have achieved nothing. Now, how would you feel after accomplishing that goal. You get to choose what you want.

8. Be accountable

An accountability system is a great way to help you achieve your goals regardless of what they are. Enlist the support of a friend or get a great diary to help you stay focused and on track each and every day.

9. Reward progress

Celebrating is all part of the fun of reaching goals, but it doesn’t have to wait until the very end. Set up a reward system for when you reach your mini goals. A taste of success can spur you on to continue striving and help you avoid quitting.

10. Listen or engage with someone inspirational

Often hearing someone speak who is inspirational to you or enlisting the help of a mentor can create focus and give you direction. They can provide you the energy you need when you feel your drive slipping and the motivation to keep working towards success. Find some great coaches, get lessons with people you can really learn from and invest in making yourself better.

These 10 strategies will help you persevere with your dream and avoid quitting. Decide today that quitting is not an option and continue to pick yourself up no matter how many times you fail. Nothing in life beats reaching your goals and living the dream!_______________________________________________________________

CHECK OUT THIS GREAT INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE “HOW TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS IN RIDING”

NOTE FROM JUDI BRADBURY: Below is another excerpt from a training program I participate in. I found it very inspirational and insightful. I hope you enjoy it too.

HOW TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS IN RIDING

Simple Reminders To Achieve A Successful Rider Mindset
Everything in riding can be changed with the right mindset and one of the first places to begin with is to understand that our emotions affect our rides. I am sure you have experienced that ride when you get home from work or you have had a really stressful frustrating day and you hop on your horse and you then have a terrible ride.
Our horses respond to us. Your horse is your best trainer in the entire world, and I believe the horse you have right now is the horse you are meant to have, to teach you want you need to know. There is no one right method when it comes to training a horse, every horse is unique, they have their own personalities and they have the power to teach you amazing things if you listen.
One way I like to get myself into the right mindset is by following the philosophy BE, DO, HAVE. Who do I need to be, so I can do what I want to do and have what I want to have? Success doesn’t come by just wanting, it comes from being and working towards your desired goals.
First place to start is by removing your negative beliefs. Take away the barriers you put on yourself and the buts and excuses you put in place and start to think about “who do you need to be” The key is to start fostering the right beliefs that are going to get you closer to your goals.
Write down who you need to be and repeat it to yourself daily. The more and more you practice this, the more and more you will believe it and become it.

Set Goals
Create realistic goals that are achievable and put steps in place to help you get there. Break it down into actionable steps you can do each and every ride to improve. The more you practice the better you will feel.

Small Steps
Nothing happens overnight, real success comes one ride at a time. Build upon your rides and be 1% better each time. Start todays training where you finished yesterday and make small progressions. Take notes, write down what you want to work on. Celebrate and appreciate when your practice improves. When you encounter a problem, don’t react emotionally. Be constructive, think about why it was happening and work out ways to overcome that issue.

Learn and expect failures
Nothing is ever smooth sailing, appreciate that bad attempts and failing are all part of the journey. Don’t get emotional about it. Learn from it and know that its just the beginning of an amazing path you are on. Learn from every experience and take information from it.

Consistent
Dressage is about consistency and in order to improve and develop you have to be willing to put in the consistent work even if you feel “bored” or can’t be bothered. The basics have to be put in place and the foundation laid in order to build upon that. So take the time each and every ride to build that foundation for success.

Every horse is different
There is no one way to train a horse and every horse is unique. So be fully open to experimenting and not knowing the answer. Search for ways to get the desired answer and never ever stop learning. You don’t know, what you don’t know. The goal posts change all the time. When the horse changes you have to change with the horse. So, learn to embrace change and be flexible. If you hit road blocks get excited by them, hunt out the answers and expand your knowledge. Horses are a living breathing amazing animal that allow you to ride them. Be mindful of them at all times and take them as your greatest teacher!

No short cuts
No one can make you better and no one can do it for you. If you aren’t prepared to put in the work, then you simply won’t get there. The success or lack of it, is directly related to the amount of effort you put in. No one else is to blame for where you are, just as no one else can take the credit for your hard work. So, ownership of your journey is the key to getting better.
Riding horses is a lifelong journey (hopefully) and it is an amazing sport we can do for a long time. So, enjoy the journey, take each horse’s lesson they teach you as a gift and embrace that; you have a have great deal to learn along the way.

MOST IMPORTANTLY!
Don’t take it so seriously. Enjoy playing with your horse and creating this amazing partnership. There are many serious crazy things going on in the world and being fully present and spending time with your horse is a gift. So, focus on the present moment and enjoy each and every ride.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

CHECK OUT THIS GREAT INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE “ACHIEVING YOUR DREAMS” 

Many of you know that I have begun a rider’s fitness program. Included in one of their inspirational emails was the following article. I thought it was very insightful and wanted to share it with everyone. – Judi Bradbury

Achieving Your Dreams

Here are 6 of the top habits that may be standing in your way of conquering your goals.

1. You let people define you and what you want
Many people enter into professions or create lifestyles that others have almost decided for you. Your parents perhaps pushed you to study law or you moved to a suburb where everyone else was living. You married the guy everyone said was perfect for you or you took up a job offer that all your friends said was too good to refuse. Or you bought a horse that everyone said you should, but it just wasn’t the right one for you. It’s time to stop letting others influence your decision and take back control so that you can head down the path that is right for you.

2. You don’t let yourself fail
Nobody becomes successful without experiencing failure. Often people are scared to fail for fear of a setback or disappointment for themselves and others. The truth is success only comes through failure and that is all part of life’s journey. When you do get to your end goal, think of how much richer and amazing it is going to feel when you can look back at all the mistakes and hurdles you have had to overcome. Successful riders have had their fair share of failures and too often we put off getting out there and giving it a crack for the fear of what others will see. Be ok with failing, be okay with bad marks, it’s all part of the journey and provides you with a base to improve upon.

3. You’re not taking advantage of opportunities
Fear, apprehension and anxiety are usually the reasons people don’t take advantage of opportunities when they come their way. Maybe you have the chance to do a clinic that will aid in your personal development, but you use the excuse of limited time to not do it. You need to find ways to get around your excuses and start taking up more opportunities even if you don’t feel you want to. Opportunities lead to growth and the opening of doors. Nothing changes if you don’t put yourself out there.

4. You proceed with procrastination
It’s way too easy to get into the trap of thinking and questioning things before you go out and do them. If you spend too much time procrastinating, opportunities will pass by or someone else will achieve what you wanted before you do. Take a chance on yourself, get things done and stop your thoughts from being your hurdle.

5. You let negativity consume you
There is that saying that you become like the five people you spend most time with so choose carefully. This is so true, particularly when you are trying to make a go at something and live out a dream. Negative people have the power to squash your dream. They don’t seek the best out of life, instead drain others with their negativity. Don’t let negativity hold you back, cut it out of your life and put the focus back on yourself and your goals. Start to find people who inspire you and surround yourself with them. Get lessons from people you admire, offer to help those you can learn from and start creating a supportive environment for you to grow from.

6. You’re not investing in yourself
When you set out to conquer a dream or follow your passion, it is often hard to invest in yourself. And I’m not just talking making a financial commitment to getting your goals off and running, but also time and belief. In order to be successful, you need to invest in yourself and your dreams on an emotional level. You do deserve to be successful and to live the life you have always wanted. You deserve to shine and become the rider you desire to be. Start believing it. If you don’t, who else will?

Success doesn’t come overnight, but if you eliminate these 6 habits that are blocking you from success you will be one step closer to making it. Do you have any habits that have gotten in your way of conquering your dreams?