This article is from a life coach and horse owner for horse owners, in order to help have a harmonious life which includes your horse.

There is a competition you want to go to. It could be a show, a dressage test or an event. It could be an endurance ride. Whatever it is you want to do, to be successful at it you must put a plan in place.

Lack of planning can be disastrous. The secret to achieving your goals is planning. Knowing what your goals are is the starting point in your planning process. It is all very well to know what you want to achieve, but knowing how to get there is what you must work out, before you begin. Use these 6 Steps to guide you through the planning process that successful people use.

By planning you will have a much better chance of achieving the success you want by entering the competition.

1. Write down your goal. Make it clear and specific. State exactly what the goal is and when it needs to be achieved by. Set a date and determine how you will know it has been achieved. Are you being realistic in your goal and that it is achievable? If you have a specific competition in mind, you need to take into account what you need to do to get there.

2. Identify what is needed to achieve the goal. It’s important to identify people with the appropriate skills to include in the plan. Is there extra or special training necessary for you and horse to maximize a successful outcome?

3. Determine the steps you need to take. Write down a sequential series of steps that you will take, from the first one through to the last one. Allow a little flexibility in case you have to make modifications along the way. This would be your training schedule.

4. Be aware of any problems that could hinder your progress. Allow some flexibility in your time frames for problems that you can’t predict. The weather might not cooperate, you or your horse might have an off day or two, or there might be something else.

5. Establish a timetable for each step. Assess the amount of work and how much time this will take for each step. This will give you the information you need to set timeframes for completing each step. This is part of your training program.

6. Monitor your progress. Once you begin working on the steps of your plan you need to keep track of your progress. Check that you are making the desired progress in the time that you have set and if necessary speed up the work if you are slowing down. If you are making progress more quickly than anticipated you may wish to change your schedule to slow it down some. This is important since you don’t want to train too hard and create a problem for you or your horse because you over did it.

If you want to achieve your goals, create a carefully thought out plan. Keep these Top 6 planning tips in mind always.

Good planning is what makes a successful competition for you and your horse!

For any horse racing fan, the annual Kentucky Derby is one of the highlights of the racing calendar. Millions of dollars are bet on the Kentucky Derby outcome, and the tourism rate in Kentucky hits a yearly high. After this year’s race, when Street Sense romped home from the back of the pack, it’s perhaps not surprising that this horse race has become so popular.

History In The Making

When Street Sense fell to 19th in a field of horses that was only one more than his position, nobody could really have expected him to win the race, despite being the favorite. But both Street Sense and his jockey, Calvin Borel(nicknamed Calvin “the Rail” by his fellow jockeys), knew that the horse had plenty in reserve and like Ali and his famous “rope-a-dope” trick against Foreman just over thirty years ago, rider and horse bade their time for the right moment. And what a moment it was.

After his success in the Juvenile section of the Breeder’s Cup, Street Sense followed this to become the first horse in history to come into the senior section and win the prestigious Kentucky Derby. Not only that, but at just two years old, he also became the first three year old horse racing champion at that age since the 1979 win of Spectacular Bid.

Winning The Hard Way

Although jockey Corel may have been confident, to the many thousands at track side and the millions watching at home, it must have seemed anything but a foregone conclusion for Street Sense. Out of the gate, the colt dropped down the line, falling in behind eighteen other horses and seemingly trapped on the inside along the rail. But if the Kentucky Derby teaches us anything about horse racing, it’s that nothing is a foregone conclusion.

As the rest of the field raced each other, trying to put themselves in position for a final flourish, Corel kept Street Sense reined in until the final stretch, just a quarter of a mile from the finish line. Once that distance came into sight, that was the spur for Calvin “the Rail” to masterfully use the rail to guide Street Sense into the history books.

Weaving in and out of the crowded inside lane, he soon made his way easily through the pack, who had the air of defeat already on their faces as they saw the local colt storm through. Relentless in his pursuit, Corel eventually guided Street Sense across the finishing line while standing in the stirrups for the victory by just over two lengths.

Coming Full Circle

For veteran horse racing trainer Carl Nafzger, the win was up there with the best of them, coming a full 17 years after his very first victory in his debut Kentucky Derby. And with the Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip watching from the stands, he can be forgiven for feeling like royalty himself for the day, with his protégé Street Sense being crowned the King of horse racing’s biggest and most difficult race.