Our recent clinic in Hermosa, South Dakota was one for the books. We had an extremely advanced set of horses and trainers at this clinic, and there were many great training philosophies unveiled throughout the weekend. Here is a recap of some of our biggest takeaways from the clinic:

Not everything is going to be perfect.

Throughout your horsemanship journey, you will undoubtedly encounter a few situations you have not experienced before. When you’re getting into these uncharted waters, don’t expect things to go perfect the first time—things might not even go perfect the tenth time. Allow yourself to learn, and accept that things will not turn out exactly how you planned every time.

You do know what you are doing.

Everyone has their own unique spin on training. With so many ideas and philosophies out there, it can be easy to fall into comparison with others. Comparison is one of the quickest routes to self-doubt. When someone comes to one my clinics, I do not want them to change their entire program. I simply want them to pick up on one or two things that will give them that 1% change for the better. Sometimes, the biggest takeaway from my clinics is simply confidence that you do know what you are doing, and you are moving in the right direction.

Anything worth having takes hard work.

A few of the students at this clinic were professional trainers themselves. I’ll be the first to say that making a living training horses is not for the faint of heart. Mentally, physically, and financially--it is a struggle. I can’t even begin to count the amount of times I have been “broke” training horses over the years. I have had to sell horses that I never intended on selling just to stay afloat. I have had to pick up new trades, like shoeing horses, to make a little extra income on the side. If you are having to do something else to keep your business going, so be it. This does not classify you as a failure. One day, your business will be able to support itself. But in the meantime, it is okay to do a few different things to make ends meet. Instead of being hard on yourself, pat yourself on the back. The fact that you are willing to work hard means you are going to make it. Keep showing up. Keep doing what you’ve got to do. You will make it.