You are who your friends are. That adage can apply to horses, too. How we treat them will often be reflected right back at us - for good or bad. Sometimes the difference between a harsh cue and an appropriate one can be subtle. Pressure can be effective, but intensity and timing can make all the difference.

Without access to multiple riding surfaces, many horses plateau in their fitness or get stuck in a state of physical discomfort. In fact, different footings can play such a big role in any horse’s conditioning that there is an industry adage for it: there are no poor surfaces; only poor use of surfaces.

In my younger, tougher years, I was content to ride through almost any weather conditions. Riding was not just something I enjoyed; it was how I earned my living, and that sense of responsibility often outweighed comfort. Looking back, obligation frequently replaced enjoyment. As the years have passed, however, I have become much more of a fair-weather rider — or, at the very least, someone who no longer seeks out extreme conditions.

The timeline for training a horse varies widely—both between individual horses and the people working with them. In my experience as a trainer, I firmly believe that slowing down the process actually accelerates learning. Horses not only absorb information more efficiently, but they also gain confidence in the process. Confidence, or lack thereof, plays a major role in how steadily a horse progresses through training.