Rising to the Challenge

As you progress a horse in its training, it is inevitable that you will be challenged. When you are being challenged, how you perceive and react to that challenge is everything. It is hard to be thankful for a challenge when you are right in the middle of it, but that challenge is what is stimulating you to get better. One of the biggest philosophy changes we must make with our horsemanship journey is changing the way we react to challenging situations. At some point, you are most likely going to do something that makes you and/or your horse frustrated. Instead of reacting with anxiety and frustration, you have to go through the thought process of finding the answer to the challenge. You have to rewire your mind to see that challenges are a positive. Challenges are what elevate you to another level. There is always a point where, if you push the limits, you will be faced with a challenge. Without encountering these challenges, it is very hard to get to the next level. You have to get uncomfortable to get better. When you purposely put yourself in a zone of discomfort, you are setting yourself up to reach a higher level. When you are learning and growing, confidence is often a limiting factor. Confidence can only be developed through correct repetitions. The more you repeat an exercise, the more relaxed you will be when you encounter that same challenging exercise. When you try to prevent or correct a challenge before it happens, you are preventing yourself from a learning experience. You have to allow yourself and your horses to make mistakes in order to learn and grow. When we are in a competitive situation, our adrenaline increases. With an adrenaline increase, the speed and strength of our hand and leg pressure naturally increases. This is why it is so important to be mindful of the signals we are sending our horses so that we are sending the same cues to our horse at home as we are on the road. Slow your hands down, and allow your horse to make a mistake. This is the best way for them to learn and develop confidence.