2020 Plans with Jodie & Giorgia

Following on from last weeks blog on goal setting we caught up with Apt ambassadors Jodie and Giorgia to hear what their plans are for the 2020 season. 

First up is Jodie who has two very exciting and enthusiastic mares ready and raring to go:

"It’s been a good nine months since Clover and I last evented due to some unexpected time off, so although I go into planning with slight caution (I had our entire season planned last year!), the season cannot come quick enough for me!

This season I have two stunning mares to send my planning brain into overdrive… Clover will start her season at Lincoln in the Open Novice. She will most likely be disgusted as she bossed the Intermediate there last year, and no doubt will tow me round to show her disdain, but it’s the sensible decision. When did I become sensible? Aqua and I will do our first event together at Lincoln in the 100.

Clover’s early spring aim will be a CCI3* short format, most likely at Floors Castle, with the longterm aim being Blair CCI3*L and Osberton CCI3*L. I would love to think she could do an Advanced-Intermediate or dare I say it an Advanced, but we shall see how brave I am feeling.

Aqua and I will continue to get to know each other with a few runs at 100 level, with the aim being to step up to Novice for her first run at this level. I would love to think she might be ready for a short format 2* then Osberton 2*L at the end of the year but again, we shall see how we go.

I’m a very goal-orientated person. My brain needs goals and my motivation needs to be focussed towards something. I set realistic and achievable goals that just feel slightly out of my comfort zone. I’m not going to crucify myself if we don’t meet them but they need to be there. I’m also the world’s worst at moving the goalposts - I once told a good friend that Clover and I would never be able to do a BE100!"

Make sure you follow Jodie's season on Instagram and Facebook. 

We also caught up with Giorgia Burns who works better without the pressure of setting goals:

"Everyone’s goal settings are unique to themselves and their horses, personally, I have found over the years that goal setting doesn’t actually work for me. I end up putting too much pressure on myself to achieve the goals and when it doesn’t go right I am disappointed and deflated.

Instead, at the beginning of the year, I plan out my competitions and the in-between training that I need to do for them. Every horse is fit and well prepared for the start of the season and I always introduce them into competition work gradually. For example, if I have an established horse they will come out and have a run at a lower level to give them a confidence boost for the start of the season, then move up to their required level. If it’s a young horse they start where they are comfortable, I have had ones that can go straight into 90 then a week later up to 100 and I have had others that need to have lots of time gaining confidence around 80s before they are ready to move up. It is really important to me that they are never over faced or scared at the early stages, that way they move up the grades full of confidence and loving their job.

Each horse I have in just now has a plan of what they will be doing, but that might change. My ‘behind the scenes’ work has upped over the last few weeks with more training and shows, and so far... so good!"

You can follow Giorgia's season on Instagram and Facebook

Photos by Dave Cameron Photography