Last summer, I observed a rider in the warm-up ring at Thunderbird Show Park in Vancouver, BC, who seemed to be struggling. Her horse was tense and unfocused, despite her best attempts to establish a connection. The horse appeared distracted, and when they approached a practice jump, it refused. The rider fought to maintain her composure, but her frustration and tension were clearly visible. Although she cleared a few jumps at the trot, once they began cantering, the horse rushed the jumps and nearly bolted after landing. After a few attempts, she pulled up to the corner of the arena, her face showing the emotional toll of the situation.

Sometimes, the fastest way to change something in your horse is to focus on yourself. During a clinic I taught last year in Ireland, a rider entered the ring on an extremely tense horse. Head in the air, tight back, I’m sure you can picture it. As I watched this rider warm up, I could see she was doing her best to relax the horse with little success. I asked her to let go of thinking about her horse for a few minutes and focus on her breathing instead. Over the next three to five minutes, we watched the mare change. Her head lowered, her back softened, and her step got longer and more fluid.

What do you believe is more important in our work with horses: knowledge or curiosity? It’s easy to see why knowing the answer is desirable, but valuing knowledge over curiosity can create pressure, frustration, and low confidence. Not being able to use curiosity as a mental skill can cause us to wind up in never-ending cycles of frustration and perceived failure in our journey as equestrians.

Tuning In To Your Internal State - All riders are familiar with the joy and challenge associated with mastering the dance of connection and communication between horse and rider. However, fewer riders are familiar with the role which regulating our nervous system plays in this intricate ballet.