Lessons In TR

At the end of every year I love to see the annual stats on the blog and post them! While nothing can compare to the actual comments readers send me, seeing where readers are from, which posts are the most popular, and so on, helps me feel that much closer to everyone, and contributes to a feeling of purpose for the blog. I imagine some of you might be interested in that too, so without further ado…

The 2016 State of the Blog Report!

For the year of 2016…

Total Views (page visits): 190,274

Total Visitors: 60,737

Total Comments: 137

Average Views per Month: 15,800

Best Overall Month: October – close to 20,000!

Average Views per Day: 520

Best Overall Day Ever: Sept 15, 2015 with 1,128  Views

Total Subscribers: 820

Top Posts, Pages, Countries, & Referring Sites

Top Search Terms:

• gymkhana games – 69
• lessons in tr – 52
• therapeutic riding lesson plans – 42
• gymkhana events – 33
• riding lesson plans – 27
• lessons in therapeutic riding – 21
• horse riding lesson plans for instructors – 19

Note: Top search terms were mostly for therapeutic riding, which isn’t surprising. Also for gymkhana, which somewhat is surprising, except I guess I do have a pretty comprehensive set of patterns posted way back. And a few folk stumble here by searching for regular old riding lesson plans. Regardless of what you came for, welcome all, and I hope you found something useful!

Summary

I’m quite happy with the good results, which are at least comparable to other years, considering I got pregnant and had a baby and therefore did not post as much. I think where I lack in making new posts lately, the search engines make up for in getting old posts out there.

What do these stats mean for the future? Not much. If I wanted to sell ad space the data might help, but I don’t. If you read the website version of my site, you might notice I use Google Ads – my goal is to make enough to pay for hosting the site, and buy additional resources such as books. And it works! So I haven’t done anything more because it breaks even and that’s good enough for me. I write for myself and to share!

Looking Forward at 2017

For 2017 my goal is to post 2 times a week, focusing on instructor training material, interesting helpful resources, and riding skills. I will post lesson plans when you send them to me, or starting in the spring I’ll probably be teaching once a week and find more inspiration at that time! (For now I’m staying at home with the baby).

My other goal is to come out with a Lessons In TR book!!! A blog book, or blook, to be exact. The first one will be a compilation of games and activities posts, organized and easy to find, so you can have a hard copy in your hands! I’m almost done editing it. Hooray and stay tuned for more!

I hope you find some time to look back on your 2017, take stock, and set some goals for your own life (or blog – if you have one share!).

What would you like to see featured on the blog in the next year?

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Note: This is not professional advice, this is a blog. I am not liable for what you do with or how you use this information. The activities explained in this blog may not be fit for every rider, riding instructor, or riding center depending on their current condition and resources. Use your best personal judgment!