Imagine how much freedom you would feel if you could watch videos of your rides and see what is working first, instead of only seeing what wasn’t.

Or imagine committing to training your horse…and having the side effect of losing 20 pounds as a byproduct. 

Some concepts, like doing ’thought work’ or ‘mindset work’ can seem very vague if talked about in general terms. 

On today's podcast, I share with you the power of this work, in a way that will also move it out of a ‘concept’ and into reality. Listen as two students share moments of their journey that provide insights into their remarkable results.

What is the point of planning your ride…if you don’t follow through on the plan? And if you plan, but then ride without regard to your full experience in the moment, or your horse's full experience…did the plan help or hurt?

In this episode, I share an example of a moment when I needed to re-evaluate my plan for the day. I explain how I decide to continue on with the plan or when and how I decide to stop, or even go back to review more basic skills.  I’ll explain the power of plateaus and how sometimes the best time to stop is when the plan is working brilliantly. 

You have two choices when riding; plan your transitions or ride reacting to what is happening.  Planning your transitions when riding involves the mental transition as well as the physical transition. Mental transition: “I will begin there” Physical transition: change of gait, change of bend, etc.

Planning may sound tedious or boring, but the benefits include:

• planning increases your awareness of your habits 
• planning increases your awareness of your horse's habits
• planning will smooth out your transition

Listen to learn how increasing your focus in this area can help you create your training plan and advance your riding. 

When you work with your horse, you look at his body to understand his full experience. You probably notice his physical responses to your cues, as well as physical clues to his emotional state.  Have you stopped to consider that your horse is doing the same thing?

Just as your horse's emotional state is reflected in his body, YOUR emotional state is reflected in your body, too.  Rider’s tend to focus on physical cues they give the horse, for example,  the application of the rein, leg, or seat aids. The bigger impression you make is with your energy, which is the expression of your emotions in your body.  As humans, we have a unique ability to disconnect. This can be a problem if we do it when with our horses…because your horse is constantly reading your body. The best news is that this is a skill.  It is something that can be taught.  It is something you can learn. Listen and learn more. 

Are you a Resourceful Rider? Examples of resourcefulness include: 1-Being strategic about how you leverage your resources; 2-Not wasting time and money; 3-Getting the best out of what you have; 4-Being flexible and adaptable; 5-Thinking outside the box; 6-Being willing to learn new skills or develop existing ones when necessary. Listen now hear specific horseback riding examples of each of these. 

Being resourceful is a skill that can be learned, practiced and enjoyed. It can help you achieve things you didn’t think were possible…until you looked at it from a different view. 

I recorded this audio while riding Willow bridleless; day 2.  My point: I didn’t set out to ride Willow bridleless, as in, the thought was NOWHERE in my mind.  Yet, we arrived here.  Looking back at our journey, you could say we took many detours…or you could say that I consistently took the next most obvious step.

Consider what would happen if you took these two steps, over and over and over again:

1- remember why you are doing this. What was your dream-goal? 2-take committed action. 

Sometimes the next, most obvious step…really is the best choice.

200 episodes and over 1,000,000 downloads later…its working!

200 episodes and over 1,000,000 downloads later…

When I started this podcast, I wanted to help riders understand their horses, so they could create clear, confident, communication…and it’s working!

To celebrate reaching these milestones, I’m sharing my student success stories. These moments are glimpses into the process of gaining clarity through understanding. You can hear both the struggle and the breakthrough, as well as the enjoyment and the success.

Thanks for listening!

The trickiest concept of them all…If the horse gives the ‘incorrect’ answer…it doesn’t necessarily mean you taught the lesson wrong.

This one can make you crazy… Or it can make you micromanage… Or it can tempt you to force things to happen…

The challenge is that in teaching the horse…we are always getting feedback from them, but if they give the ‘incorrect’ answer…it doesn’t necessarily mean you taught the lesson wrong.

If the horse questions you…and you think his feedback means you’re doing it wrong…you might change what you're doing…even though the horse was just asking if some previous answer could apply here...or was offering something creative...or was asking for clarification. 

What stands in the way of reaching your dream? The ability to hold belief for the amount of time it takes to achieve it. But… If it's as simple as believing…why don’t we just believe?
There are many hidden benefits to NOT believing. 

It conserves energy, allows you to stay where you are, and lets you experience less of the uncomfortable emotions that often come with trying new things.  But… What if you ARE capable? What if you can do it if you just keep going? Learning to hold space for belief is a skill you can learn.  I’ll explain more in the podcast.