Building Mental Maturity as a Trainer

One of the biggest mental challenges we run into as trainers is a lack of time. Most of us are faced with tremendously busy schedules, which makes it difficult to devote adequate time to our horses. It seems as though we never get “done”—we just find a place to stop and start again the next day. It took me a long time to get comfortable with this idea. Years ago, I was very hard on myself if there was something on my to do list for the day that didn’t get done. Now, I have become much better at setting realistic expectations for myself and my horses; and, this has come from developing mental maturity as a trainer. My attitude on Monday morning determines the mental state of my horses throughout the rest of the week. When I am rushing around or carrying my frustrations from one horse to the next, it is virtually impossible to make progress. But, if I approach my training by being soft, keeping my hands down, and taking my time, my horses become relaxed and more receptive to the responses I am asking for. The first thing I do when I step on a horse is to flex them laterally, yield their hindquarters, and get them comfortable with their one rein stops. I do this for two reasons: 1) I want to immediately stimulate the thinking side of that horse’s brain, and 2) I want them to be dialed in and listening to my feel so that I can control their speed and direction. The more mentally, emotionally and spiritually mature I become, the more that maturity carries over to my horse. The better place I am in, the better place my horse is in. My horse looks to me for confidence and security. It’s not my horse’s job to make my day good; but, it is my job to help my horse have a good day. Every day I spend with my horse is a reinforcement of the relationship we have, and I am in total control of whether that relationship is a positive or negative one. If you are struggling to have numerous “good days” in a row in your training, I challenge you to take a step back and be honest with yourself. Is it truly a problem with your horse, or is it a problem with your maturity toward the current situation with your horse? It took me a long time to take responsibility for my horse’s attitude, but this shift in your philosophy may just be the thing that accelerates your training program. I know that it sure made a difference in mine.