08/05/2025
The other day, I was scrolling on Facebook and came across this quote. For some reason it has stuck with me. We often practice techniques we feel comfortable doing. If you are perhaps working on side passing, you may consistently work on the wall. Not often do you go to the quarter line and ask the horse to leg yield out to the rail in a straight quiet manner. You stick with what is comfortable and stay on the wall. Maybe you are comfortable walking and trotting, but cantering is scary, so you just do not do it. Maybe your horse is great on the left lead and it is easy, so instead of working on the right lead and asking your horse to balance itself, you just keep going left. Does this sound familiar? As an instructor and a student, I have seen this both in others and in myself. I remember telling my instructor, I just can not get this canter right. Her answer was swift. “Do more of it.” The more we do what we think we cannot do, the more we master the task. This quote is so true in riding horses as well as in life. I just love the thought of working towards goals and doing the scary things you thought you could not do. Patience, time, repetition, and a good mentor are your friend. Enjoy the journey.
