
10/07/2025
When you spend hours at a time in the saddle, such as at a clinic, you're able to get some pretty good data and feedback in real time.
I noticed there were a few times that I would mentally get distracted, mostly thinking about situations at home, and it was clear to me that my cues weren't as clear, and the horse would quickly get confused and not perform as well.
There were other times that I was so physically sore and hurting that I could tell I wasn't riding 100%, and that would cause the horse to become more uncomfortable from having to overcompensate for me.
So I started listening to the feedback and what my gut was telling me.
A few times, if I knew I was physically miserable and unable to give 100%, I would just get off the horse while we were standing around in discussion, and I would just love on my horse. (He loved his little neck massages).
When my mind would drift off, I would grab a drink of water that I had stashed in an upside-down cone on the arena fence, then ride off and practice slowing my cues down to try and make them clearer again in my brain first, so they came across clearer and consistent to the horse.
Horsemanship is about being present in the moment, and sometimes that means backing off, getting off, or even stepping away for a few minutes.