It’s a New Year, meaning new goals and opportunities are at the forefront of our minds. It’s a time to make resolutions and set the best intentions for ourselves and our equine partners.
Last year may have been an excellent year for you in and out of the show arena, or it may have been a year you would like to forget. Regardless of your experiences in 2024, there is always room for improvement, and it is now time to evaluate last year’s show season and develop a goal list for this year.
You might start with a blank slate this year with a new horse, add new classes with your horse, or improve and refine maneuvers and skills to step it up in the show arena. We asked several competitors about their goals this year.
Lauren Crivelli – I’m so excited about this year and its opportunities. I will show Machine Dun Kelly in the All-Around events and Hay Ladies in the Non-Pro Pleasure Futurities. Both are such fun horses with a lot of try. My goal is to build on each show and pattern with them so, when we enter into the fall season, they will be ready for the AQHA World Show. It’s January, so we may as well dream big and say we’d like to come home with a globe.
Grant Mastin – In the show ring: My biggest goal is consistency and continued growth this year. While doing so, I’m committed to enjoying the process – those little moments that remind me why I love to do what I do. Continuing to compete at the major events is definitely on my list, but more than anything, I want to keep learning and growing as a rider and horseman. Outside the show ring: 2025 is all about balance for me. As a college student juggling a double major in Finance and Political Science at TCU, I aim to stay on top of my academics while exploring career opportunities. I also want to stay involved in my community and continue growing various initiatives in which I’m involved. My goal is simple: keep moving forward, both in and out of the arena, and enjoy every step of the journey.
Olivia Medows – My biggest goals for 2025 are to continue to try new things and enjoy time at the horse shows with my friends and family. As an amateur, I’ve found that I enjoy trying new events and the opportunity to be at the horse show. I’ve loved trying the Reining this year and am looking forward to showing the Western Riding more in 2025. It’s hard to balance significant girl responsibilities and showing, but I feel fortunate to have Brent and Dale preparing my All-Around horses for me. They’re the best.
Juliana Arora – I look forward to improving and becoming more confident in the Trail. I am also very excited to start my Western Riding journey with Bailee.
Vanessa Froman – My 2025 goals are to spend less time on social media and share less. Living more in the moment with loved ones. My horse show goals are simple…be better than the last time I was in the pen and continue to love/care for my horses before any ribbon or trophy. I also want to get my physical TBR (to be read) bookshelf trimmed down before I buy any more new books.
Patty Bogosh – I recently joined Alex Sifuentez Show Horses and am super excited to focus on a young one I have for the first part of the 2025 show season, MoneyNeverMadeTheMan (aka Lux). Due to my recovery from hip reconstruction surgery at the end of ‘23, he was on the back burner until my body could handle a green one around September. He’s made significant progress in the last couple of months, and I will focus on the Pleasure & Showmanship while my body continues to recover and strengthen. He will be a phenomenal Trail horse, so I can’t wait for Alex to debut with him sometime soon. On a personal level, work is busier than ever, and I’m always focused on exceeding my goals to continue to enjoy my horses and have fun at the shows.
Jenna Tolson – That’s easy for me. To get back in it. I haven’t shown since 2021 for a variety of unplanned reasons. I’m due. I have a two-year-old and a three-year-old this year, so it’s very much starting over, but they are both handsome boys and nice horses, so I’m optimistic.
Evie Doles – I want to get more consistent with the line in the Western Riding and getting over the pole. I want to be as consistent as possible in all my classes.
Evon Werner – As I celebrate 75 trips around the sun, I’m excited to continue strengthening my bond with both of my horses, including the new addition, and make progress with each ride.
Katie Kopf – Goals for 2025 inside the arena: improve my slow work in the Trail (be the driver instead of the passenger) and become more comfortable going fast in Western Riding and Horsemanship. Goals for 2025 outside of the arena: I want to obtain my law license in Michigan and keep Leroy happy and healthy.
Johnna Letchworth Clark – I think my goal for 2025 is to enjoy the ride with my two new horses. Take the time to appreciate the journey. I don’t know if I have goals outside of the arena yet. I want to enjoy the sport I love and realize how lucky I am to share it with others.
Morgan McCarthy-Warda Jennings – Aside from continuing to have fun with the opportunity to show, which has been my focus since having my daughter, I want to spend more time on Trail courses. My horse, Finely Asleep, had a great Novice Amateur Trail career for me, and we learned the Trail together. Now, it’s time for us both to step up and put the work into the more advanced elements of the class. I would love to work toward his Amateur Trail Superior in 2025. I enjoy setting goals to complete specific AQHA awards during this time. Outside of showing, my husband and I are working on expanding our livestock operation (beef cattle and meat chickens) at our home farm, including a horse barn. We do have a future Small Fry exhibitor to support, of course.
Meggen Morrow Baynes – My goal with the horses this year is to attend shows I haven’t seen before. I don’t have much time left with my daughter as she will be a senior in high school soon, and I want to experience new places with her and our horses. Showing both Paint and Quarter helps us increase those opportunities. Outside of the show ring, my goal is to ride more. I am a very busy nurse practitioner, which doesn’t always leave much time during the week for riding. My goal is to get a better work/life balance.
Alexis Potts – I’m so excited about everything 2025 has in store. For in the show pen, I’m looking forward to developing my new young show partner, “Sleepn Around,” aka Lucy, in the All-Around events. She’s experienced in the Hunter Under Saddle, but watching her get better and better at the Equitation and Horsemanship every day has been so fun. Outside of the show pen, I aim to grow my online boutique, “The Frilly Filly.” I would love to expand my love for fashion while engaging with customers through social media marketing that feels personable, authentic, and fun.
Kathy Tobin – For 2025, keep trying inside and outside the arena, be kind to all, be better than I was yesterday, be thankful, and count my blessings daily.
Lacey Armstrong – As I step into 2025, I’m filled with gratitude and excitement for the opportunities ahead, both in and out of the show ring. This year feels like a fresh chapter, and I’m ready to tackle it with purpose, love, grace and energy. In the non-horsey realm, I’ve enjoyed pushing myself with fitness. I’m not a bodybuilder or a fitness fanatic, but I love a good sweat session. I aim to commit to 3–4 solid workouts each week, with two focused explicitly on Pilates and strength training. As I navigate “middle age,” I’ve learned how crucial core stability and strength are for almost every body movement. Another habit I’m carrying into 2025 is tracking my daily calorie intake and expenditure – a practice I started in May 2024. It’s eye-opening to see what goes into your body and what it takes to fuel and move it. This mindfulness has been a game-changer for my energy levels and overall health.
On the equestrian side, I couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce my new show partner, Made You Miss Me – better known as Hunter. He’s a 4-year-old gelding I purchased at Congress last year from Mallory Menard. Hunter already shows tremendous promise, especially in All-Around events and Trail, which are my favorites. As a 3-year-old, he demonstrated exceptional skill in Trail, and I have high hopes for his 4-year-old season. My goal is to achieve a few Trail champion titles with him in 2025, but more than anything, I’m excited to learn and grow with him as a team.
Morgan Miller Wakeling – My New Year goal is to find ways to help others and donate instead of just monetary donations. Find causes I’m passionate about and participate in ways I haven’t in the past. In the show ring, I try to set goals with each horse I own individually based on how I hope to see them grow that year. In 2025, I want to continue to gain and show my confidence in the show pen. I love watching confident showmen in the pen. It’s hard to take your eyes off them.
Paige Wacker – In the show ring, I want my horse “Cannonball” (aka Super Puncher) and I to grow together. We took last year off to try to develop a relationship under saddle, and I hope it pays off this year. He’s been tricky to figure out, so he’s made me reflect on myself. Unfortunately, but also fortunately, Cannonball mirrors me. We plan to show at the APHA and NSBA World Show in the Amateur All-Around. Hopefully, the year after, we will add the Hunter Hack, Equitation Over Fences and Western Riding to our list. Outside of the ring, I will continue to increase my veterinary dermatology experiences while working in general practice. I’m a 2nd-year student at the University of Minnesota and plan to specialize in dermatology. I also want to gain more surgical experience since year three of school focuses on surgery. Finally, I currently work for the university in the anatomy lab. With that job, I hope to increase my teaching skills and help students enjoy learning veterinary anatomy.
Kelley Mundrick Martin – For 2025, I will not be ashamed to say “No” more to save my sanity so I don’t overwhelm myself.
Lana Markway – This year’s goal is to get my horses ready to show since they are two and three years old. Cheers to starting over.
Kristie Patterson – I have a new, young, green horse this year, Mind Your Biscuits. My goal in the ring is to try to make each ride/pattern a positive experience for him as he learns his job as an All-Around horse. Out of the ring, I aim to read 50 books this year and travel with my family somewhere we have not yet visited.
What are your goals for 2025? Let us know in the comments on our social media pages. Happy New Year!
