09/28/2025
✨ Feel, Timing & Balance ✨
Today I had the pleasure of teaching a Feel, Timing & Balance Clinic at Lazy Sum B Bar Ranch, and I wanted to share a few key takeaways from our session:
👉 Feel = How you ask (your pressure, energy, body language, or aid).
👉 Timing = When you ask (the exact moment you apply or release).
👉 Balance = What keeps the horse confident, soft, and responsive.
Poor timing disrupts rhythm, creates tension, and causes dullness. Good timing preserves balance and trust. Horses don’t become dull by nature—we create dullness with inconsistent timing or by asking without awareness.
A few golden reminders from today:
• Where you release is where you reward.
• The phases of every step matter: lift, drop, plant. You can only affect a foot during the lift phase.
• Don’t rush your timing when you don’t get an answer—faster isn’t better.
• Match your energy to the horse: sensitive horses need whisper-light feel, dull horses need clarity and fairness.
• Awareness is leadership—if you’re with your horse, you’re always teaching, even when “just standing.”
We also tied this into the dressage training pyramid, half halts, and how suppleness and rhythm come from our timing, not just the horse’s body.
💡 Favorite quote of the day:
“Good timing puts feel back in your horse.”
Thank you to everyone who came out—your horses will thank you for sharpening your timing and awareness. 🐴💫
