Do You Need a Change With Your Horse?

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Do You and Your Horse need a Change?

I love new things. However, as a rider, many of us can fall into the trap of ‘same old, same old’! Think about this: when last can you honestly say that you and your horse tried something completely new together?  Not something you had already practised fifty times. Not something your horse could do in their sleep.

When I say ‘new’, I mean something neither of you was expected to be particularly good at on the first attempt.

For many riders, the honest answer is, “I can’t remember.” And that may be why riding has started to feel a little flat, repetitive, or frustrating.

Consistency Versus ‘Same Old’

I’ll be the first to tell you that consistency is absolutely essential when it comes to working with and training your horse. Progress takes time, repetition, patience, and a willingness to keep showing up. There is no magic exercise that allows us to skip the steady work.

However, consistency and ‘same old’ are not quite the same thing. Consistency has more to do with how you’re showing up. ‘Same old’ means repeating the exact same approach, in the exact same environment, with the exact same expectations, regardless of whether it is still helping!

In the same old arena, doing the same old exercises, experiencing the same old problems, and getting the same old results will eventually become a trap. What initially built confidence and helped you make progress might just be the very thing that, later down the line, is keeping you stuck.

But That Is How It Has Always Been Done…

For years, I was very comfortable doing things in the way I had been taught. If a method produced a desired result, I kept using it. It worked, so why would I question it?

That changed when a young rider asked why I was doing something a particular way. Without thinking, I replied, “Because that is how it is done.” The second the words left my mouth, I realised what a lazy answer that was!

Now, before I ruffle too many feathers, of course certain methods are revisited over and over – because they are safe, effective, and proven. Let’s not throw out good horsemanship just for the sake of being different!

But “this is how it has always been done” should not prevent us from remaining curious, asking questions, and exploring whether another approach may suit this horse, this rider, or this situation better.

Permission to Be a Beginner

Like most things, as riders gain more experience, they often become increasingly uncomfortable with not knowing what to do. And, let’s be honest here, feeling ‘capable’ is fairly important when it comes to riding and working with our horses. We like having answers, and don’t want to look or feel as though we are making things up as we go along.

Trying something new removes some of that certainty. You might feel awkward. Basics like timing and coordination might not be what it could be… And your horse may look at you as though you have finally lost the plot. That does not mean the experiment is going badly!

Being willing to be a beginner again can make you a far more adaptable rider. You pay closer attention, ask better questions, notice your horse’s responses, and become less attached to getting everything perfect on the first attempt.

What New Experiences Reveal

There’s something magic that happens when you are open to trying something new with your horse. So often, the new activity can show you things that your normal training has quietly hidden. Your familiar exercises may feel comfortable because both you and your horse already know the routine and can anticipate what comes next.

Change the task, however, and suddenly you may notice how clearly you communicate, how your horse responds to uncertainty, whether you rush when things feel difficult, or whether you become controlling when your original plan does not work.

The new activity becomes more than simply something fun to try. It becomes a mirror.

It reflects the habits, assumptions, and gaps that may also be influencing your ordinary schooling, even if they have become difficult to see there.

Building a Shared Story

Do you remember your first show? Or your first time jumping a track? Maybe the first time you cantered in an open field or space? I can bet that every one of these memories, or whatever applies to you and your horse, you know exactly what horse you were riding for that occasion.

Those experiences stay with you as stand-out memories, because you went through something meaningful (and new) with that horse.

The good news is that you can begin to create those shared experiences intentionally with the horse you have now. Working through a manageable challenge together can strengthen trust, communication, and the feeling that you are genuine partners – rather than two individuals repeatedly completing the same routine!

Don’t Change Everything!

Now, before you go and give your riding a complete overhaul, rather rein it in and start with something small! Trying something new does not mean abandoning your current discipline, selling your tack, or starting an entirely different training programme next Monday. You do not need to throw everything you know out of the window!

Think of it as changing one spice in a familiar recipe. Most of the ingredients remain the same, but that small adjustment may create a completely different experience. You may love the result, or you may decide that the original version suited you better.

And either outcome is useful; you have learned something about yourself, your horse, and what works for the two of you. Exploration is not a lifelong commitment. It is simply a way of gathering new information.

What Do You Want More Of?

So before choosing the new activity, begin by asking what you would genuinely like more of in your riding. I say this because ‘new’ can mean so many things with so many different options! If you don’t have a direction, it’s easy to become distracted by random videos, posts, clinics, disciplines, and impressive riders doing impressive things online!

Perhaps you want more fun because every ride has started to feel serious – or boring! Maybe you want more confidence because you have remained inside the same safe boundaries for a long time. You may want adventure, calm, community, better fitness, greater skill, or a deeper connection with your horse.

There is no correct answer. The important thing is becoming specific. Once you know what is missing, you can begin looking for an activity or experience that will actually help you create more of it.

New Can Start VERY Small

A new experience does not need to involve travelling across the country or entering a competition. It could be riding in a different part of the property, introducing one simple obstacle, taking a short unmounted walk, or trying a familiar exercise from the ground.

You could ride with someone new, explore a different hacking route, work through a pole pattern, ride a test at home, join a small group of local riders, or try a foundation exercise from another discipline.

The size of the activity is less important than the potential effect it has. The goal is to get both you and your horse paying attention, thinking differently, and approaching something new together with curiosity.

Stretch the Boundaries…

Regardless of what this ‘new’ is for you and your horse, the one thing it should do is stretch the boundaries of your comfort zone slightly – without sending one or both of you into a meltdown!

If the activity is so easy that neither of you needs to think, it’s probably not going to do a whole lot to reveal or develop much. But if it is so difficult that one of you becomes frightened, tense, or confused, then it’s no longer useful…

Look for the middle ground: something that makes you wonder whether you can do it, while still knowing that it is safe, realistic, and achievable if approached the right way.  So often, that’s where curiosity, learning, and confidence begin to grow.

One Small Experiment

So, all of that being said, here is my challenge to you. This week, choose one thing you would like more of and then ask yourself what the smallest safe step towards it might be. You are not choosing a whole new identity as a rider. Nope! You are just simply testing an idea.

You might watch a lesson, attend an event, speak to someone with experience, try one introductory session, or practise a single foundation skill. Begin on the ground where necessary and give both yourself and your horse time to understand what is being asked.

And remember, hold no expectations about how good you both must be at this new thing! In fact, be open to being terrible at first! 

Horse riding itself is not boring. Think back to why you returned after your very first ride. It was because of how it made you feel. When that excitement has dimmed, a small change may be exactly what helps you and your horse rediscover it.

Happy Riding
Lorna

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