When someone makes a comment there is; what we hear, what we make it mean and how we can learn from it. A judge wrote, “You got just about every possible point out of this willing, obedient horse who is just not gifted with elasticity. Good training.” Not everyone reacted the same as I did to this. I’ve also had people say things that I DID negatively react to. I share my thoughts on why these comments ‘sting’. The true power in someone else's words comes from our interpretation of them.

Going ALL IN on a goal contains many learning opportunities. In this podcast, I discuss these three challenges and how I overcame them at the AQHA world show. 1) I was tempted to become overly focused on this one event and loose sight of the big picture. 2) I was tempted to let the results of the show determine my success. 3) I was tempted to loose hope when circumstances were NOT IDEAL.

I knew in the end, no matter the outcome, I was going to get what I came for…which was learning.

“The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.”

Horses are excellent at reading emotions. Have you learned the skill of creating an emotion on demand? You’ll learn how to create and emotional state: both positive and negitive. I’ll share an example that you can do in five minutes to experience your control over your emotions. Then I’ll share three situations where you can practice creating a positive emotion.

Henry Ford summed it up well, ‘Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you are right.” In this podcast I explain why this is so true with our horses. Our thoughts change the way our cues feel to our horses. I share an example where the only thing I changed was my thoughts…and it drastically changed the outcome. If you ever have these thoughts: “I should be better than this by now.” “I’m not good enough.” “I can’t do this.” this episode is for you!

The main point of life coaching is to bring awareness of how our thoughts are impacting our results. Most riders would willingly consider that their body was impacting their horse. In this episode I discuss the stages that riders go through when increasing their awareness both physically and mentally. I also share two warning signs that you might be blocking your awareness.

In this season of the podcast I’m discussing life coaching principals and how they apply to working with your horse. Life coaching addresses ’The Rider’s Mind’ which shows up in all quadrants.

If I expand my intro I say each week in the podcast take a look at how the riders mind is in each phrase, “I’m here to help you read your horses body language, learn how to interpret the information you get without judgement of yourself or your horse, and learn to adjust your behavior to adjust your horses behavior.”

In this podcast, I discuss the difference between ‘finite games’ which involve players, rules and winners and infinite, or never ending games, where the point is to keep playing because the journey is all there is. I share examples of this in the horse world and in everyday life. Then I close by telling you how I can easily identify which I’m playing…so you can try it too.

ALL riders I’ve talked with experience dissatisfaction…the interesting thing is that some keep going and some do not. I see people give up…and I see people who overcome. What is the difference? I discuss three traits I’ve noticed in riders who consistantly reach their goals. I explain the tipping point that I see and how how you can intentify these patterns in other areas of your life also.

In this episode, I discuss three situations where it is common for horses to ask questions about the rules. I call these moments ‘Grandma’s rules’ which is my fun way of explaining that horses are always seeking out the most benifitial set of rules to opperate by. I explain where the name came from and how understanding this can improve your view the questions your horse is asking you.