Strides for Success

Author: Lorna Leeson

  • Why You MUST Include Trail Riding in Your Horse’s Training

    Why You MUST Include Trail Riding in Your Horse’s Training

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    How often do you get out on the trail with your horse? There are no right or wrong answers to this question. However, I find it interesting how most riders fall into 2 categories when it comes to trail riding or hacking with their horse. They see it purely as a way to relax or unwind with their horse. And then you have a smaller 2nd group who understand that it’s a great way to work with and train their horse.

    You can use trail riding to relax ‘or’ train your horse. The key is to become intentional about which option you choose on any given day when out of the arena. 

    Today, I want to encourage you to begin getting more intentional about your time on the trails with your horse. And to encourage you to see this as an amazing opportunity to build the connection with your horse; regardless of your focus on any specific day…

    So, let’s first look at the benefits you can experience when you include more trail riding into your current training schedule or riding routine.

    1. Improving Balance & Coordination

    There’s something special about riding in a beautifully manicured arena. I can bet you will agree with me here. However, spending 100% of your time riding on perfect footing will actually do both you and your horse a disservice in the long run.

    Navigating different terrains—such as hills, streams, and uneven ground—forces both you and your horse to adjust your balance and coordination.

    This really helps your riding because it forces you to develop a more secure seat. Not to mention improve your balance – always a win.  And all this while helping your horse to develop his own balance, and coordination while becoming more sure-footed and responsive to your aids.  All really useful advantages to take back into the arena with you both :)

    2. Build Confidence in New Places

    A change is as good as a rest, right?! This is one of the key reasons trail riding can help you and your horse build your connection and develop your skills together.

    When you’re both exposed to new and different things, such as varied terrains, new sights and perspectives, and even strange or different sounds, you learn to trust each other more.

    Your horse will begin to feel more confident and less spooky. This is especially useful when you’re back in the arena and encounter unfamiliar objects or situations. And this ‘new space’ will help you, the rider, to better to become more mindful, especially in how you deal with unexpected challenges in a calm way.

    3. Building Connection & Trust

    When you allow yourself to really be present on the trail with your horse, something special happens. There is this feeling of ‘being in it together’.  A true team working together.

    You see, when you’re out on the trail, the clarity of your aids is often essential to guide your horse safely through the different obstacles, terrains, and potential challenges that can crop up.  This builds trust and partnership.

    You begin to trust yourself more and your horse learns to become more responsive to your aids. Of course, connection and trust are a two-way street. The increase in mindfulness on your part will also allow you to better “listen” to your horse’s cues and signals. Responsiveness is also a two-way street and trail riding is a great way to use it to strengthen the bond between you and your horse.

    4. Mental & Physical Training

    What’s better than a place where you can build stamina, strength, and endurance for you and your horse? Trail riding offers this and more. By intentionally varying the intensity of the ride and the exercises you use when out on the trail, this type of work can become an important part of you and your horse’s training program. And all this without the repetitiveness of arena work.

    Here are a few simple ways or exercises you can use the next time you’re on the trail to work both you and your horse:-

      A) Transition Work; Halt-Walk-Trot-Canter (if safe to do so)

    Work on riding balanced, straight, and smooth transitions between gaits while on the trail. Transitions will help to further improve the responsiveness between you and your horse, which will improve the overall communication and conversation.

    Transitions also encourage your horse to remain balanced and attentive, especially when transitioning on slightly uneven or varied terrain.

    Start with halt-to-walk-to-trot and trot-to-walk-to-halt transitions.  Again, work on maintaining the basics of relaxation and rhythm as you move up and down through the gears. From there, if safe to do so, you can begin to include walk-to-canter and canter-to-walk. But, again, make sure both the terrain and the surroundings are suitable to include canter in your training.

       B) Lateral Work; Leg Yields and Shoulder-In

    Granted, these are more suited to a wider trail or path.  So if you can find a suitable part of the trail or an open area, lateral movements are great to work on. When you practice simple leg yields or shoulder-ins on the trail you are obviously helping your horse become more supple and responsive to leg aids.

    I also think that the added complexity of the uneven terrain encourages a greater understanding of rhythm and how it is essential to these movements.

    And of course, lateral work will also improve your ability to maintain contact and balance. I like to use whatever is around me, the trees, fencing posts, rocks, etc.,  as ‘markers’ for where to start or stop each movement.  Accuracy is also important :)

       C) Hill Work; Strength, Stamina, and Balance

    This can be a little more tricky to incorporate as I do think that finding the ‘right’ hill is essential! But let’s say your riding somewhere with lovely gentle slopes and hills, use them strategically to begin developing your horse’s hind-end strength and improving his rhythm and balance.

    Keep in mind that this does not mean galloping up and down hills! You can simply ride up the hills in a controlled walk or trot, encouraging your horse to engage its hindquarters.

    And then, as you come back down, practice a collected walk to maintain control and balance. This exercise helps both you and your horse develop better strength, control, and stability.

       D) Serpentines & Circles; Around Trees or Natural Obstacles

    Again, this might require a little more planning when it comes to your route. But, if possible, look out for paths or open areas with trees or other natural markers. These are great places to practice serpentines (my personal favorites), figure-eights, or circles.

    The benefits of these simple but essential exercises are endless. It will help you and your horse to develop suppleness, improve your bending, and increase overall straightness.

    These ‘big’ obstacles also have a great way of focusing your horse’s mind and working on controlling everything more. Start with big or ‘sweeping’ circles. Then, once you both begin to feel comfortable, you can work on tighter turns as your horse becomes more supple and attentive.

       E) Desensitization; “Scary Object” Training

    Finally, you can use random, everyday things that you come across while on the trail as training tools to help desensitize your horse to new and different things.  Simple everyday things like rocks, streams, or fallen logs can feel like a big deal to a horse who has never seen them before!

    Remember to be confident and compassionate.  Just because you know it’s a rock does not mean your horse does!  Approach each object calmly and encourage your horse to investigate them at a walk.

    When you make a regular occurrence of practicing calm approaches to potentially “scary” things, your horse’s confidence and trust in both himself and you grow.  And these are essential for anything you want to do in the future with your horse.

    Trail Riding for Training Your Horse

    So, I’m hoping that this will encourage you to begin to incorporate more ‘out of the arena’ work into your training program with your horse.  And remember, every trail ride does not have to be about training. Switch things up by choosing different days to ‘relax’ and others to ‘train’.

    Trail riding is such an underutilized tool for so many horses and riders. Get strategic today by using the 10 audio horse riding lessons inside of Daily Strides Premium on your next trail ride. Simply join today, look for August 2024, and begin using trail riding to improve you and your horse.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    More on This Topic

    Online Training to Help Your Riding

    Connect with Lorna online:-

  • Have Fun Hacking; Halt & Go…

    Have Fun Hacking; Halt & Go…

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    It’s always great to get out of the arena, so let’s do it today – together! And not just to relax and chill, I want to help you use the energy of being out of the arena to improve the quality of your halt. The halt is a movement that many riders fail to use in their training. And yet it is so versatile and, when ridden well, has so many benefits to the overall training for horse and rider.

    And of course, being able to stand still while outside of the arena is also really important for both safety and practical reasons… Is there anything as bad as being stuck trying to open or hold a gate?  Or waiting for traffic to pass and your horse is refusing to stand still?!

    This audio horse riding lesson comes straight from Daily Strides Premium. Meaning you should listen while mounted up and 

    It’s the first of a week of lessons titled “Fun Exercises to Ride While on a Hack”. So if you’re looking for something different to try with your horse, check out the rest of the lessons at Daily Strides Premium.

    So mount up and enjoy the lesson! And, as mentioned at the end, the following 4 audio horse riding lessons that accompany this one are available for you, right now, inside of Daily Strides Premium.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    More on This Topic

    Online Training to Help Your Riding

    Connect with Lorna online:-

  • Is your Horse Ignoring You? Or Naturally Laid-Back? Find Out…

    Is your Horse Ignoring You? Or Naturally Laid-Back? Find Out…

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    There are a number of things that, when we speak about working with our horses, can feel almost impossible for some riders. This is especially true if your horse is very ‘laid-back’ or ‘lazy’.  Other riders are working on channeling energy, etc. and you feel like if you could just ignite a little enthusiasm in your horse, it would be a win!

    It’s always worth remembering that all horses are different. And some will be naturally less enthusiastic than others. However, this does not have to mean that you must give up your hopes and dreams of ever having a willing partner. But you may need to begin varying your approach or moving the goalposts a little when it comes to your expectations and desired outcomes.

    Deciding how to proceed forward with a horse who does not seem to have as much enthusiasm or interest will require you to answer this question first:- Is my horse naturally laid back or is he simply ignoring me and being unresponsive? 

    Today, I want to help you begin to decide which of these two is true for your horse – especially if it feels like both of you are going nowhere slowly!

    Laid-back and Unresponsive Are NOT the Same

    It is important to recognize that being laid back is not the same as being unresponsive. Yes, you absolutely do get laid-back horses who are also unresponsive.  However, they are different things and, therefore, should be worked on separately.  The key is to figure out which your horse is first and foremost…

    Laid-back is your horse’s natural way of being. He’s chilled, and relaxed, and doesn’t let much bother him in almost everything he does. Being unresponsive is a learned behaviour. They are very different! 

    And because lack of responsiveness is learned, it can be changed. It is not your horse’s ‘natural’ way of being. Rather a mechanism he has developed to cope or deal with something. Whereas being ‘laid back’ is more about your horse’s personality. This, in my opinion, should rather be worked ‘with’. It’s your responsibility to work with your horse’s strengths to help him in his training and riding.

    But more on that later. Let’s first look at ways you can distinguish between the two…

    Ways To Evaluate for Laid-Back Vs Unresponsive

    Your Horse’s Energy Needs

    Naturally Laid-Back: Your horse will remain calm, relaxed, and easygoing in almost all situations. Especially when asked for ‘more’ when working. He will usually always respond to you, but just a tad slower and less ‘keen’ than other horses.

    Lacking Responsiveness: If your horse lacks responsiveness, he will often feel ‘stuck in the mud’ and unmotivated. You’ll find yourself having to reapply aids over and over again to initiate any sort of response. This will be all through the ride or session. Remember, a tired horse can also seem ‘unresponsive’ 20 or 30 minutes into a training session.  This is not that.  The lack of enthusiasm will be consistent throughout.

    Test Your Aids and The Response

    Naturally Laid-Back: When you ask a question using an aid, say leg or seat, if your horse is naturally laid-back he will respond.  It’s just a slower response than you may want. You’re not being ignored. It’s more like it takes him a second or two to compute what you’re saying and then take action on it.

    Lacking Responsiveness: If your horse is ignoring you, he will continue to do so! Or it might take much stronger aids from you, think of more pressure or use of artificial aids, to achieve the results you want.  Again, this is usually a training issue. But it can also signal discomfort or a lack of enthusiasm for the job.

    Groundwork Versus Riding

    Naturally Laid-Back: Even when on the ground, your horse might be a little slower to ‘move’, but is usually responsive and cooperative. You can see that being ‘relaxed’ or ‘chilled’ is the general way of being, whether on the ground or being ridden.

    Lacking Responsiveness: If your horse is unresponsive, it will feel like you’re constantly ‘chasing’ or ‘dragging’ him around. He will look sluggish, uncooperative, and possibly even dragging his feet or hesitating with basic commands and aids.

    Summing it Up for You

    To sum it up, if your horse is naturally laid-back, he will respond – just often a little slower than others. He will keep his cool and remain relaxed most of the time. And he will look to please, albeit often at a slower pace!  If your horse is unresponsive, he will ignore you. Often your stronger application of the aids will be met with resistance and maybe even a tantrum!

    What’s important to keep in mind is that neither is ‘wrong’ or ‘right’.  They simply are. And as a rider, it’s important that you figure out which category your horse falls into and then work with him based on that. 

    I also want to mention here that, again, unresponsiveness is a learned behaviour. This can be down to a lack of training or understanding, pain and discomfort, or bad riding! The key is ‘learned’; meaning that it can be unlearned. It can be changed. And this will require correct training, consistency, time, and compassion.

    Look at the Advantages…

    However, maybe you’ve identified that your horse is more naturally ‘laid back’.  That no amount of training or retraining in the world is going to turn him into something he’s not… Remember, these types of horses are both great for a lot of reasons AND priceless in certain situations.

    When you have a horse who is a little more on the naturally laid-back side, but whom you can trust 100% to be as rock solid and ‘steady’ as they come, you can really focus on your own riding and making small changes to improve it.

    Focusing on you is always going to be a little more difficult when riding a horse that is a little over-enthusiastic. Often they will need your attention to help them maintain their balance and energy. So rather than accepting defeat when it comes to your horse, let’s look at reframing both of your mindsets on this topic.

    Partnerships Change…

    The final point I will add here is that things change all of the time.  And if you do figure out that your horse just does not want to be the “Number 1 World Beater” at whatever you want him to be… It’s your responsibility to accept that.  Similarly, if you’re horse is more naturally suited to a different discipline, you must accept that.

    Horse riding is a team sport… If your horse does not want to participate in some of the activities – you may need to find a new and willing partner who does. 

    This can sometimes mean that a heartbreaking decision has to be made. Or perhaps you’re in a situation where you can keep your initial ‘naturally laid back horse for activities he likes. And then find a second partner for those other, more ambitious activities.

    The important thing is to always consider your horse in the equation… It’s never fun being forced day after day to do something that you don’t like and that does not suit your specific set of talents.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Similar Episodes on This Topic:-

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  • Using Reviews to Transform Your Riding

    Using Reviews to Transform Your Riding

    Can you remember exactly how this date was last month for you and your horse? What about the month before? Didn’t think so… And yet, maybe you’re like so many other riders and have a complete aversion to writing things down! Why is that?!

    I know that I love writing down ‘things that have yet to happen’. You know, planning and creating ‘to-do’ lists. However, when it comes to taking the time to record what actually happened… Not so much! And this is less about being lazy and more about truly believing that I’ll remember it all! Honestly! I don’t and I bet you don’t either, right?! Especially once you get past the two or three week mark.

    Regularly reviewing your riding is one of the most powerful tools you have as a rider when it comes to getting feedback. Especially if you don’t have a regular trainer or coach to work with. 

    Making it More Enjoyable

    I speak a lot about taking the time to plan out your rides. I’ve been preaching this for years. However, your plans are only as good as the reviews that they are based on. The key is to begin creating a reviewing process that you look forward to. Each session is scheduled in and is an important appointment for you.

    You can start this process today by setting aside 30 to 45 minutes of your time this week to pencil in some ‘me-time’ and then thinking about how to make it special and enjoyable as well. 

    I began to enjoy my own reviewing sessions when I became intentional about the space, the beverage (Earl Grey tea), a snack or two (95% dark chocolate), and the knowledge that I wouldn’t be disturbed. By creating a ‘ritual’ that set the tone for the following 30 to 45 minutes, it helped me to make sure the reviews happened. And that the time spent was productive and helping move things forward.

    First Time Reviewing?

    So, let’s pretend that I do inspire you to take action today; where should you begin?  I think that being a little conservative here with regard to what you remember will help you in the long run.  And this is especially true if you’re a little like me and really do believe that you will remember all of the things! Don’t even try to do that.

    Start with reviewing the past two weeks. Write a report on each interaction you had with your horse during this timeframe and try to include as many details as possible. 

    Include details such as the time of day, how long you were with your horse, and what the warm-up consisted of. And the exercises or ‘work’ itself? You can include details about the weather, the other horses present when you were working, and anything you noticed about how you felt. And, of course, anything about how your horse felt as well.

    Reviews to Transform Your Riding & Your Planning

    Once you have your first review completed, you can then use this information to start planning your next two weeks with your horse. Rather than setting intentions that, based on your review, are clearly a little too overly ambitious, you can course correct.  There is something special when you begin to create plans that actually complement your existing lifestyle and abilities… Both you and your horse’s confidence will begin to grow.

    And 6 weeks from now, with even more feedback at the tips of your fingers, your planning will become even more focused – and realistic. A true roadmap for you and your horse. 

    I have a past episode that details the reviewing process I recommend HERE and I will link to some previous planning episodes underneath this article.

    Getting Help in Your Reviewing Process

    Every month I go live inside of Daily Strides Premium for a ‘Review & Planning Session’ with riders. If you would like more help in your riding, this may help you. All of the calls are recorded and will become available inside of the Members Area and on the Daily Strides Premium Private Podcast as well.

    Wherever you are in your riding journey, there’s no need to continue to struggle. Daily Strides Premium is created for riders working alone without a trainer or coach – and is simple to access & set up. 

    Creating a review process and then regularly implementing it is one of the best decisions you can make for yourself and your horse. It will allow you to see patterns and make adjustments. And this is essential if you want to grow and develop together.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Other Planning Episodes To Help You

    Online Training to Help Your Riding

    Connect with Lorna online:-

  • Understanding How You Influence the Channel of Energy

    Understanding How You Influence the Channel of Energy

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    There is this lovely place that you will reach with your horse in your training where you are working together. Both of you are invested in creating a desired outcome. This point is usually when you can begin to create and maintain consistent contact. It’s like an unwritten agreement between the two of you.

    And once consistent contact is created and can be maintained for longer periods, you can then begin to think about how that energy will work for both of you from this point… 

    Impulsion is a word that is bandied about a lot when it comes to horses and riding. Many riders, incorrectly, associate it with speed. The faster you’re going the more impulsion you’re creating. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth… And how you influence the channel for this energy is where it all begins…

    This episode of the Daily Strides Podcast is the first in a week of 5 lessons about Engaging the Energy in a Correct Channel. If you would like the rest of the lessons for this training, you can get them inside of Daily Strides Premium.

    The Training Scale

    Before we go any further, I do think that it’s important for you to see where impulsion lies or comes in relation to the other training principles. Now, there are lots of different layouts for the traditional training scale, however, let’s take the most basic one (pictured below) and use that to see what’s what.

    Traditional Training Scale - Daily Strides Podcast for Equestrians

    A great way to think of impulsion is as being the channel to help you and your horse achieve more with the energy that you’re creating. It will channel the energy more specifically to where you want it to go and you influence this channel. It will also allow less wastage so energy can work for both of you rather than against you.

    Visiting Each of the Principles

    I am a big believer in visiting places. This is both in my day-to-day life (have passport, will travel!) and when it comes to training riders and horses. So often, riders hold themselves back from working on something because they have not yet 100% mastered something else. I think this hinders and slows down the progress and the understanding of horse and rider.

    I love using the straightness principle to explain this.  I think all horses can work towards straightness from day 1 of their training. Does it mean that they will master it? No, that takes years. But by regularly visiting it, it helps both horse and rider to understand the principle more. This is the same as impulsion. And when getting started with impulsion, I strongly suggest thinking about how you influence this channel of energy.

    If you were to only think about impulsion when you felt ‘ready’ to ride and maintain consistent impulsion, you would never actually get to impulsion…

    Through experimenting and visiting different principles you begin exploring how they work for you and your horse. And how you can work on improving them in your riding and training.  This is true for all horses, whether or not they are OTTBs.

    Feeling Nervous About the Possibilities

    One of the reasons riders shy away from visiting impulsion with their horse is because they worry about the consequences. Especially if their horse is known for having quite a bit of potential energy to work and play with. Ex-racehorses or OTTBs often fall into this category. Even before we explore impulsion, so many riders are afraid to ask for ‘forward’ in their riding.

    When riders either fail to ask for energy or block the energy that is being created by the horse, true forwardness and therefore, impulsion can not happen. Energy is absolutely essential. As too is allowing that energy to flow. 

    This is the same for all of the principles of the training scale. Energy is required. So my suggestion is to work on this first. Notice if you’re feeling any resistance or excessive tension to asking for more energy. And once you are certain that you are happy and able to allow it to flow, continue on with your work.

    Working in the Trot

    I suggest starting in the rising or posting trot. Begin riding an exercise where you travel down the long side of the arena on the outside track.  However, rather than simply going large, you will travel back up the arena on the quarter line.  Pass the middle of the short side first (so this could be the 3/4 line).  You are cutting 5m off the width of your arena.

    You can use the long side to correct and set things up for you and your horse. You can then use the quarter line to ‘test’ or experiment with how well you and your horse can maintain things. 

    You will then use the following principle of the training scale to begin testing if you can really maintain the impulsion while on the quarter line. This is straightness. The only way you can achieve true straightness is if you and your horse can truly channel that energy using impulsion.

    Any horse and rider can maintain everything when they are stopped and stationary. It is in the movement; the relaxation, rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, and straightness that you really get to see what areas need work. 

    What To Look For…

    I’m going to suggest first looking at your hands. How are you carrying them and holding them as you travel down the quarterline with your horse? All of your aids influence the channel.  Many riders do so well until it comes to their hands. They then find that they are blocking the channel there. So open your hands a little wider than usual, maintain that lovely softness through the contact and that steadiness with your horse’s mouth.

    When you ‘straighten out’ your hands (meaning that they are equal and soft) you can engage the contact more.

    From here, open your chest and shoulders. Give your upper body the room it needs to move with the horse and use this energy. And then think about your core. Are you again opening it and allowing the energy to flow? Again, you can only work with the energy once it is flowing. You may notice that your hips and seat can swing more and become more of an active part of the conversation with your horse.

    Symmetry to Influence the Channel

    One of the final places where you can really be guilty of blocking this flow is through your posting. Often riders will twist their upper bodies or shove one hip slightly more forward than the other in the trot. Try and assess yourself to make sure that you are rising and falling equally on both sides of your body.  That your shoulders and seat remain aligned with the straightness at all times.

    By taking the time to really ‘straighten yourself out’ while allowing the flow of the energy, you will then be ready to truly begin to influence the channel. To better direct that energy to work for you and your horse. 

    We go into detail using more exercises on how to begin working on this with your horse in the following lessons to this episode. You can find all of them (and so much more) inside of Daily Strides Premium.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Other OTTB & Impulsion Episodes to Help You

    Online Training to Help Your Riding

    Connect with Lorna online:-

  • Inspiring You to Become Intentional in Your Riding & Training

    Inspiring You to Become Intentional in Your Riding & Training

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    Are you happy with where you are right now in your riding journey? If you’ve been feeling a little stuck or ‘behind’ regarding progress for you and your horse, today is the day you can begin changing all of that; whether you make it to the yard right now, or not.

    The key to feeling better about yourself as an equestrian is to take action and actually do something. However, you might find that you’re at this point where the action is the issue! It simply doesn’t feel fun, exciting, or interesting anymore!

    One of the major reasons riders stop riding is due to their riding and interactions with their horse beginning to feel ‘same-old, same-old’. Becoming intentional in your riding is a surefire remedy for this :)

    This is Your Responsibility

    As riders, we can often forget that horse riding, just like everything else in life, has a ‘honeymoon phase’ to it. The initial few weeks or months where it doesn’t really matter what happens, it’s all good and you love it! And calling it a ‘phase’ is very intentional because this season of your riding journey will come to an end.  Sooner or later.

    Are you guilty of getting caught up in the initial ‘novelty’ of riding or having a horse, only to begin wondering what’s gone wrong now that the ‘newness’ is fading?

    No matter where you are as a rider, one of your top responsibilities is to keep the conversation and the work fresh for you and your horse. Looking for ways to weave intentional curiosity and challenges into each interaction. Finding methods and exercises that will keep you both learning and developing.

    Becoming intentional in your riding is the most effective way of keeping you and your horse interested in the work – and in each other. 

    When the Novelty Begins to Wear Off

    So, in order for you to become intentional in your riding, you first need something to work towards. A goal or a specific outcome of sorts. This ‘something’ needs to be both achievable and realistic for you and your horse when combined with your current resources and seasons of life.

    But having the goal alone is not going to be enough to keep you both curious and interested; the key is to create an interesting and ‘doable’ plan to achieve that goal… 

    What’s interesting about setting a goal is that if it doesn’t really inspire you, the plan won’t ever really come together. This may have happened to you in the past; the same goal keeps showing up without ever really being worked towards.

    Find something that inspires curiosity in you. That is a key element to fleshing out your plan. The plan will come together when you can see a clear pathway leading you to become more intentional in your riding — step by step and ride by ride.

    You Don’t Need Your Horse To Get Started

    So, if you have been feeling a little ‘meh’ about riding and interacting with your horse, today is the perfect day to begin putting this into practice. There are so many ways you can begin looking for inspiration. Magazines, local equestrian expos, horse shows, podcasts, visit a tack shop, Pinterest, etc. Simply set aside some time today so that you can begin ‘perusing’ something equestrian-related and see what aligns with you.

    Planning doesn’t require your horse to be present. However, it does require you to advocate on behalf of your horse as though he was. Choose a goal & create a plan that will inspire you both. 

    And if it takes two weeks to get to the point where you’re actually working with your horse, so be it. The key here is to begin taking action today that will help you create some positive momentum for you both.

    Becoming More Intentional in Your Riding

    If you would like a little more hand-holding and some actual fun ideas to work on with your horse, Daily Strides Premium has all of that and more. Simply listening or watching the recording of one of our monthly live planning calls will help you to continue to make progress and move forward.

    If you have been feeling guilty about either not riding enough or not feeling as grateful and excited as you think you should about your riding, you can change that starting today. Find something that inspires to you. And then begin crafting a doable plan for you and your horse to help you work on this, intentionally, every single interaction together.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

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