01/02/2025
It’s hard as a trainer not to get caught up in progression when horses are only here for a month. Push, push, push to get the most out of them.
Especially when starting a horse we can get caught up in them being able to do a certain amount in a months time.
Here’s a secret though, the best trainers won’t push your horse to do the “most” in a month, instead they will build your horses confidence, teach them the steps they need, and also give them the mental breaks they need.
If a horse gets something perfect when I’m working with them it’s not uncommon for me to step off and put them away right there. I recently had a horse that could NOT get his right lead, instead of trying over and over again I worked on fundamentals every day and didn’t even ask for him to lope. One day I asked for his lope to the right and he got it right away. This was only about 10 mins into our ride and I STEPPED OFF and put him away. The next ride was amazing he got his lead every time I asked.
The benefit to training this way is that you are building a mentally sounder horse. It’s really just the cliche saying “live in the present” don’t be concerned about what you need to accomplish in a certain amount of time, instead stay in the present training session. Focus on what your working on for the day and you might accomplish even more then you imagined. Pc
