What are your 2026 Horsey Plans?

[RedPony1]

Have you got any goals?

Maybe a new horse or specific competition? New hacking route?

I'm actually going to view one tomorrow morning with a friend.

My last one had to be pts two months ago and I am really missing the social contact with friends as well as my routine and in particular my beautiful horse who we tried so hard but couldn't save in the end.

How about yourself OP?

My plans are:

1. go up to two lessons a week- when I was sharing and before I made the decision to retire Timmy I was riding 4-5 times a week and I’m really noticing the difference with only doing one lesson a week and riding club once a month
2. do a ‘confident to canter’ course - I want to be able to get on any (safe) horse and feel happy to canter - at the moment I can canter on a couple of horses but when I try on a horse I don’t know so well I tense up and it all goes to pieces and it’s annoying me!
3. go hacking lots at a lovely trekking centre that’s relatively nearby (I never have any problems cantering their horses as they know their job so well 😬)
4. if plans 1-3 go well then possibly start looking for a new pony for me 🤫
5. continue being dd’s lorry driver, groom, owner and sponsor! The loss of her gorgeous mare has hit her very hard so I want to support her eventing career as much as I can. It’s obviously not the same as she’s having to start again from the beginning and she’s had to adjust her goals - instead of doing 2 and aiming for 3 she’ll be nursing her young TB round his first 90!

I've just turned my youngster away for the winter. We've been working on hacking confidently this year.

Next year I want to get him into the arena and work on getting him a bit more responsive. I'm planning on doing more groundwork and long reining, and introducing him to poles on the ground (with the intention of teaching him to jump in 2027). The aim is to work with him 4-5 times a week, but keep it interesting and fun.
He is turning 5 next year, but I'm keen to keep his education slow and steady.

What a lovely thread!I want to get back to jumping which I haven't done for so many years and am still forever saving for a horse of my own and always hoping this is the year!just have to figure logistics and finances!

They're a ridiculous price at the moment. Anyway went to view the horse and I've put a deposit down subject to vetting.

I am aiming my mare at some low level eventing. Not with me riding as I am over 60 and have arthritis and my hands and my back is knackered. But I have a fabulous young person who wants to complete and I am happy to do some fitness work and dressage with my girl at home and take her out and about. We are arena eventing right now and just watching her fly round makes me happy.

I’m moving yards in the New Year and can’t wait to explore new hacking routes.

My plans are to keep my two older horses in gentle regular work - just light hacking - over the winter. I absolutely adore my oldies and am lucky enough to be able to keep them. I have a new horse on the horizon who i will have a younger sharer with (I’m over 60 and am fitting this all in around work) - she’s a real beauty (16.2 ISH). I am hoping to start getting to know her in the school and work up to lessons, bigger hacks and maybe, just maybe a little prelim dressage in the summer. Meanwhile just happy to still be riding!

Bringing on our rising 4 yr old welsh a for my daughter. She was backed before we got her but needs all the steering/using herself properly work doing. More general exposure to traffic etc and aiming to do some in hand local showing next year too. I'll be busy!

Bringing on our rising 4 yr old welsh a for my daughter. She was backed before we got her but needs all the steering/using herself properly work doing. More general exposure to traffic etc and aiming to do some in hand local showing next year too. I'll be busy!

@HangryBrickShark tell us more about the potential newbie! When's the vetting?

@Pleasedontdothat i love the plan!! sounds like a very busy year ahead

@britnay Bringing on youngsters is my favourite thing. Giving them the best start is my forte! Very exciting!

@tonyhawks23 great plan, how often do you get to ride currently?

@elastamum i think its great you're giving a young rider a chance - keep us updated on their outings

@SabbatWheel sounds like great adventures ahead! do they lead to pubs at all? 😆

@Pennina the new horse sounds exciting! and loving you're keeping the oldies ticking over

@LAM1407 Welshie!! got to love them, your daughter is going to have the best time learning together

For me...

All mine are New Forests

One will be coming out of showing retirement to contend veteran pony society qualifiers

One will be doing his first season in the show ring, try and qualify for NPS champs in workers and maybe the intermediate flat. I'll likely sell him by the end of the season as i think he'll be a fabulous junior rider pony

the last one is currently a yearling colt, he's already qualified for NPS spring festival inhand, so i'll spend time prepping him and his coat for that in April. But also get him qualified for the Home Produced M&M inhand final and maybe the open inhand M&M final at NPS champs (Aug) then after that he can have the rest of the year chilling

Very busy year ahead for team Newfies!

Oh and maybe an unplanned new pony joining the ranks 👀

1. Novice EGB season for my younger horse. She did some pleasure rides and a couple of trail rides this year and did brilliantly, so want to keep momentum going.
2. Ride the St Aelred's Pilgrim Horse Trail that was established this autumn and looks lovely.
3. Get going with horseback archery.
4. Keep my older mare ticking over with some light hacking

My aim is to try and regain some confidence in jumping. Not sure where the confidence disappeared to but cannot seem to find it. I have a lovely warmblood who I bought for dressage but currently go to a jumping training session once a week to ensure he gets varied activity. For some reason I am usually terrified even though he is really sweet and calm

I have a beautiful Arab mare in livery. I rode my whole childhood and into my twenties but then had a long gap until now. My goal is HANDS. I hack 2 or 3 times a week alone with her and we have a good time, last week a friend came and sent me a video and I was horrified. My hands! I am cantering and look like a dog begging with my paws under my chin bouncing up and down. Ok not quite that bad but I have read enough Jill books to know what a crime this is. So back to basics for us. I am humbled, I thought I was my 16 year old pony club champion on horseback 😀

Deciding what to do with my lovely horse ive list confidence the yard isn’t right not enough good hacking and I need decide do I keep him and move or sell avd givd up so bloody difficult

I've got some bloody much to work on.

First horse arrived with me 2 months ago. Starting to feel I've taken on too much. Think he might be too young (7) for my inexperience. I'm trying my best with him but he's so full of beans and we both have so much to learn.

I have just started lessons after not riding for over 20 years. We have had ponies for the kids during that time but I decided to get back into riding. I’m almost 50 and it’s been quite scary, I’m aiming for one lesson a fortnight as it’s expensive and we are in reduced income just now.

I’ve returned to the saddle this year after a 20 year break. Im loving it but do wish their was a magic wand to take me back to how competent I was back then.

Learn to drive so I can have a share more than one day a week and look at getting my own in the next few years

My aim is to get back on a horse! Not ridden for a lot of years, after becoming disabled and gaining a lot of weight. Lost 7st so far and another 1.5st to go until I’m under the weight limit to ride at my local RDA. I used to have my own horses and was a very competent rider, but my balance isn’t the best now, my back is dodgy, knees dodgy and my left foot has no feeling in it, so goodness knows how it’ll go!

Been practicing to see how long I can sit for on a saddle I have and working on my core muscles, and have bought myself a hat (previous brain injury and don’t like borrowing hats as I’m a bit paranoid about head related safety!) so just need to get this last bit of weight off and I’m ready to book myself in. Terrified but excited!

I have a lovely dressage bred 5 year old who I’m hoping to get out unaffiliated and possibly BD later in the year.
I have only lightly competed to prelim level on allrounders who if I’m honest, weren’t that enamoured with the dressage malarkey, so I’m so excited/nervous for next year !

Got myself a Flying Changes jacket EAKK

Sounds like we're all going to be very busy in 2026 😃

We should keep this post going to add in our achievements through the year

I love a good bit of ambition! Anything from ‘keeping your hands still’ to getting back into riding to getting out competing. Hope everyone achieves their ambitions in 2026 - my top tip would be to keep a journal of your ambition and what you are doing to get there. Because sometimes when it is dark outside or raining, and everything feels like it’s going wrong, it’s easy to think you have not made any progress when in fact you have made loads, you just haven’t recognised it yet. With a journal, making notes at your starting point, it is easier to see where you are improving and what you did to improve.

As for my ambitions? I have a few irons in the fire. My young horse, bought specifically to take me to a world championship, will get her shot at that this year. My aim is not to win (1. I know I am not as good as the top riders, but I am working on that! And 2. my horse is still learning her trade, so my hopes for her are that she gains confidence and experience) but we have a good chance at a team medal, and I would like to come back knowing I did the best I could. We have a lot to work on this year to achieve this! I’ll also be travelling overseas without my own horse to compete in an iconic event on a hireling. I’ve been so close to a good place several times with my teammate, (and I even won a medal in it a few years ago with a different teammate.) I feel this year is our year! I’ll be taking on the inventors of the discipline in their own back yard under their rules, it will be a huge thing to do well against them. I have my fingers and everything else crossed.