Self-concept is how you perceive your behaviors and abilities. It affects your motivation, attitude, and behavior. It is possible that your self concept is slowing you down more than your technical skills.

Signs your self concept might need an upgrade:

• You have trouble staying motivated to work with your horse.
• When you do work with your horse, you see mostly what isn't working.
• When you do have success, you quickly have thoughts like 'this is a fluke', or 'I won't be able to do it again.'

Improving your self concept is more than just thinking better thoughts. It is a skill that you can learn. I give real life examples that clearly illustrate the power of this concept.

A listener asks how to correct her mouthy horse and how to keep mouthiness or biting from happening in the first place. In this podcast, I explain why biting happens, the most common problem I see people making, and I give actionable instructions on how to be more engaging, interesting and clear. Learning how to prevent this behavior will also teach you a skill that is useful and transferable from groundwork into ridden work too.

A listener asks how she can sit the lope or canter without popping out of the saddle. She says, "I seem to pop out of the saddle quite a bit…Some people ride so quiet in a saddle, others seem to come up out of the saddle as their horse moves. I can't seem to sit to him as much as I try." In answering the question I discuss: how the horses build affects the rider, how the horses training level impacts their ability to 'lift' or carry a rider…and how if this is lacking it makes the horse difficult to ride smoothly, the stages where it is more approprate to sit lightly vs deeply...and several ways you can improve your seat.

What would you do if your horse started to lie down while you were riding? Here are some reasons a horse might try to lay down when riding:

• Horse is interested in rolling in water, mud or sand.
• Horse is itchy from sweat or bugs.
• Horse is colicky.
• Horse has discovered that laying down is rewarded.

In this episode, I cover these and a few more possibilities and I share the cue that both discourages, redirects…and is the 'end' cue for horses that are trained to lie down on purpose.

A listener calls in, "My question is about how to create forward without creating negative tension." This starts a discussion on how riders often bring tension to the session, including both their worry about causing tension AND in their cue system application. I discuss how my cue system changes between colt starting and more advanced movements, including the idea that sometimes the 2nd grade version contains more energy.

I include an actionable 'test' you can perform the next time you lead your horse from the pasture or the stall, as well as a discussion on stretching the horse's comfort zone. Finally, at the end, I pull it all together by describing how I use relaxation as a base I return to.

A listener asks a question about her mare, who at first appears, "…very good and calm, until she's worked out what it is we're doing and starts to anticipate." The answer involves understanding the riders' role in both the calm and the anticipation, identifying how anticipation can look different between hot and cold horses, and a training exercise to help adjust what the horse is anticipating.

A listener asks a question about the different levels of contact between dressage and reining. On the surface this seems like a question about a horse accepting the change between the two…but I took the answer much deeper than that. I explain how the rider's opinion of contact changes the horse's experience, and two specific reasons I think riders feel challenged around contact. I give many examples of how horses can report their experience of contact, and I share the specific order that I train my horses in that allows them to view contact as support…not correction. I also touch on bridleless riding and the idea of self carriage and the feeling of riding a fully adjustable horse.

A listener expresses a desire to build relationship and connection with her horse and asks, "what does my horse really like to do?" In this podcast, I discuss my views on the learning process in general, what role physical talent plays in the enjoyment of learning (hint: it's not what you likely think), and the idea that the concept of what is 'hard' and what is easy might be something to take a closer look at. Why do I pursue so many disciplines with my horses? I answer that in this episode too.