Building Your 2025 Equestrian Vision Board

At the beginning of 2025 many of us would have made New Years Resolutions and many of us might have already broken these. How about trying something different? It’s not too late to kickstart the new year with some goal setting to help you achieve your horsey hopes and dreams. Crafting an equestrian vision board can help you to visualise all the ways you want to improve your equestrian life and make dreams a reality- it’s as simple as that!

Vision boards work so well because they help you to identify the person you want to be, or in this case, the rider you want to be. With this vision in mind, it’s so much easier to create measurable and achievable goals to get there. You’ll be halfway there before you even realise it!

How to create an equestrian vision board

Picture your favourite equestrian, maybe they’re a top showjumper or an equestrian influencer, or perhaps someone you aspire to emulate in your journey as an equestrian. If there are multiple people who inspire you, don’t feel limited to just the one! Choose as many people as you want to give you inspiration for your personal vision board.

Who inspires you? Equestrian Influencer, Megan Elphick

Now you’ve chosen the people you want to channel, have a look through their social media pages or other platforms they might have featured on to get an idea of how they train their horses, their stable aesthetic, how they dress for the job, and what competitions they are aiming for, for example. This becomes the foundation for your future self, start living like you’ve already made it. It will look different for everyone, but whether that’s going hacking with renewed confidence or simply putting more energy into tack and turnout each day before a ride, you’re already one step closer to becoming your dream equestrian.

Who inspires you? Professional Rider, Lewis Carrier

Now comes the fun bit… Before you get to work creating a future superstar, make a collage of some equestrian images that resonate with you. This can include a photo of your dream saddle, or a snapshot from a competition you’d love to ride at one day, or maybe some beautiful barn inspiration, whatever photos you chose they must resonate with you and channel the kind of equestrian you dream to be. Hang your collage up in the stables so every time you walk past it, you’re reminded to keep going.

Making your 2025 equestrian vision board a reality

This is where the nitty gritty happens! Break down your vision board into actionable and sustainable changes that you can start implementing straight away. Think of these as your ‘New Year’s resolutions’ that you’re going to start right now. These could be as simple as making sure you properly groom your horse before every ride, trying out some new pole work exercises, or changing how you view yourself as an equestrian.

Yasmin Holliday and her Inspiration Board.

So, if your goal is to feel put together, successful, and confident as an equestrian this year, then we have just what you need! We caught up with some of our wonderful PolyJumps sponsored rides to find out what their 2025 New Year’s resolutions are.

5 New Year’s resolutions you should be making in 2025

Wear gloves

Wearing gloves not only makes you look more put together and professional as an equestrian, but it can improve your riding as well! Gloves can prevent your hands getting blistered or rubbed from countless hours on horseback and stop your reins slipping in your hands. By preventing your reins slipping, gloves help you to maintain a consistent and steady contact down the reins to communicate with your horse, making your more effective as a rider. And perhaps most importantly… wearing gloves will keep your hands warm and dry in the unpredictable Great British weather!

Incorporate more pole work and grid work into training at home

If you’ve got competitive success on your 2025 equestrian vision board, then the training for that starts at home. Poles are the ultimate equestrian workout to get your horse fit, supple, and strong ready for a successful 2025 season! Whether you’re heading into the jumping ring, out on the cross-country course, or into the white boards, pole work and grid work is essential to get your horse feeling at their best to perform!

Ready to get to work but haven’t got the right equipment? PolyJumps poles, wings, and PolePods are in stock and ready to arrive at your doorstep to help you make those big dreams a reality.

Stop worrying about what everyone else is thinking

Low self-confidence and worrying about what other people might say can suck the fun out of riding and prevent you from taking the next step. But you are not alone in this, even our PolyJumps sponsored riders still battle with self-confidence! We know how hard it can be to push yourself out of your comfort zone in fear that people are going to be watching you and judging you. Chances are, they are having the same conversations with themselves, so don’t let it stop you from prioritising YOUR vision board and challenging yourself! This year, try not to let other people’s attitudes stop you from pursuing your dreams. Be proud of just how far you’ve come and remember to always appreciate the journey. Whatever those next steps look like for you, focus on how it makes you feel and not what everyone else might be thinking around you.

If you’re struggling with mindset and self-confidence, then there are plenty of sports psychologists and mindset coaches out there who specialise in the equestrian sports that can help you overcome that hurdle once and for all.

Make more time for tack and turnout

We’ve all heard the saying… ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ and there is some truth to that phrase! Using the inspiration from your vision board, start focusing on how you present yourself for a ride. Each time you prepare your horse, make sure they’re properly groomed, and there’s no bedding left in their tail. You can also focus on how you prepare yourself for a ride, put some extra effort into how you dress and opt for a professional and put together (and sensible) riding outfit. When you’ve finished with your ride, clean your tack every time before you put it away, remember the professionals always have clean tack!

This is a psychological step to help you achieve your vision board goals quickly. If you look the part then you’ll feel the part, and this builds confidence to get outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself!

Try a new workout routine to support rider fitness

Rider fitness is just as important as your horse’s fitness. Riding can be a physically demanding sport requiring a lot of balance, core strength, and flexibility. It’s super important to incorporate time into your busy schedule to make sure your body is up to challenge, so this year why not try out a new workout to improve your time in the saddle?

There are so many different (and fun) types of exercise to choose from, all of which you’ll see a benefit from while riding! For example, Pilates is a great low intensity workout that improves core strength and stability, whilst getting your hands on some weights is ideal for building overall strength. Yoga is also a great workout for the body and mind, which not only improves flexibility and balance, but also focus and mindset too - all necessary components for an equestrian!

If some new PolyJumps equipment is on your vision board, make sure you get in touch so we can help you pick out the perfect PolyJumps products to help make your 2025 dreams a reality!