Fight The FOMO

FOMO - Fear Of Missing Out - is a funny thing.

There is hardly a day goes by when I don't come across something on social media that gives me a dose of FOMO. Whether it is a post about a recent or upcoming dairy goat show, or an advertisement for a clinic with a horse person I admire, or an ad for a super horse for sale, that pang of longing is never far away.

I used to love showing my goats, and giving that up was hard. The thrill of being called in first or of your goat being sashed Champion made up for the early mornings, long drives, stressful carpark moments and uncooperative animals. And I long to attend horse training clinics of the kind that provide breakthroughs and clarity that feel almost life-changing. But right now I don't have a horse to ride, so I feel like I am missing out there as well.

The sense that I may not have a lot of time to do the things I want to do makes FOMO worse. I have plans and I need to be patient, but what if I don't live long enough to see it all come to fruition? What if my health takes a turn and I never get my fitness back?

There is no instant gratification with horses. They grow slowly, learn slowly. A breeding program and a saddle horse both take years to get to a point where you see results. If you spend all day looking at them you will drive yourself crazy. But each step takes you closer to the day when you can look back and see what you have achieved.

So I need to stay the course. To prepare the goats for sale so that I have more resources to put into the ponies. To keep watching my future saddle pony as she inches closer to foaling. To keep learning and keep working on my own health and fitness. To keep making pots to sell so I can afford the equipment and facilities I could never justify spending money on in the past.

And then in a year or two I could be looking upon my reliable riding mare, with a few promising youngsters in my paddocks, a shiny new paint job on the float and a shed with stables, tidy feed room and float parking. I just need to trust my decisions and stick to the plan.