Eevery day goals for riders
Do you ever feel like you aren’t getting anywhere in your riding, progress is slower than you
would like and you are starting to wonder why you do it?
Most of us have been there at some point in our riding careers so don’t fret. It is how you get
out of this rut that really matters. We all have parts of our riding that we grapple with and feel
like we make the same mistakes over and over again. Goal setting is a great tool that many top
athletes use to keep themselves accountable on on track. Read on for some great goals you
could set for your own training. Try and think about these every day and you will find yourself
out of that annoying rut and moving forward in no time.
Always listen to what your horse is trying to tell you
This means having empathy and being sensitive to your horse’s needs. Remember that they
aren’t machines and they will have off days just like we do! Don’t be afraid to change the plan
a little bit to make the most of your training. Try not to get stuck with one way to train the
horse, there are many roads that lead to Rome and sometimes thinking outside of the box is
what’s going to get you to where you want to be. Sometimes it can be frustrating training a
horse much bigger than us, that doesn’t speak the same language as us as we can’t just tell
them what we want. Whilst it would be impossible to teach a horse English, we can learn better
how to speak ‘horse’, that means listening to him and tailoring your training to his needs. The
more you listen to him, the better you understand, the better you will work together as a team
and the more motivated he will become to want to do a great job for you. If you find yourself
getting frustrated try to take some deep breaths and refocus.
Ask yourself what you can do to understand your horse better and maximise your training
benefits.
Never give up and stay patient
It’s so cliché to say never give up but do exactly that- never give up! Now this doesn’t mean
continue to pursue a training technique that just doesn’t work but it does mean stay positive
and find other ways to get the job done. Fine tuning your aids and your horses understanding
and acceptance to the aids takes a long time to truly master so whilst training may seem slow
be assured that you will get there. If you are feeling really disheartened then find a trainer who
can encourage and support you through the learning process.
Pat