Improving Your Effectiveness as a Rider

This article was originally published on stridesforsuccess.com in January 2022 by Lorna Leeson

How many hours do you devote to training your horse each week?  Have you ever considered that you might just be the ‘team member’ that needs more work…?  That you might just be the ‘cap’ on your horse’s progress in his training and his development?

Regardless of how much training your horse has,  eventually your effectiveness as a rider will determine what your horse can actually do with all that training…

This week, I want you to begin thinking about, planning, and taking action on your own development. Your own conditioning, training, fitness, nutrition, social time, rest, and all of the things that you meticulously plan for your horse. 

Why Do You Ride?

I think to answer this, we first have to get clear on why we are riding our horse, to begin with… Most, if not all, riders are in the saddle because they have a certain outcome in their head that they want to achieve. This could be a feeling, such as relaxation or enjoyment. It could be a certain task, like getting a clear round or qualifying for something.

Whatever the reason, it is worth remembering that you are taking time from your life to try and produce that outcome each time you mount up.

Unfortunately, many riders often fall short of reaching the desired feeling, goal, or outcome. And, many times, this can be due to their horse not actually understanding what the outcome is that they are working towards. A lack of communication between horse and rider.

What is ‘Effectiveness as a Rider’?

When you know what you want to experience, it then becomes your responsibility to effectively communicate this to yoru horse. We do this, as riders, using our aids. And it is always a combination of aids.

Your thoughts, legs, hands, body language, voice, position, seat, weight… And these are just some of your ‘natural’ aids.

You also have a whole toolkit of artificial aids you can use to communicate with your horse. The saddle, bridle, arena, spurs, whip, lunge lines, lead ropes, etc. Most riders use a combination of natural and artificial aids in order to get their message across to the horse.

The challenge becomes when they lack control over their own actions. This results in sloppy, haphazard, attempts at communication that muddies the message being communicated.

When Communication Goes Awry…

It is important to remember that, for the most part, whenever you get a result with your horse that is different to what you initially had in mind, the message probably became muddled. A simple case of you asking for one thing, but your horse hearing another, different, request.

Retraining can play a big role in closing gaps between the expectations of riders and horses, however training is equally as important

And training is not just for the horse. You, the rider, must also learn how to ask with more intention, focus, and clarity. It is easy to say that the horse is ‘stupid’ or ‘doesn’t understand’. However, the truth is often that the rider not clearly asking the question…

There is a common misconception in horse riding that you ‘control’ your horse. You don’t – and never will. You merely influence…

Your responsibility is to become better at influencing your horse using the aids that are available to you, natural and, when required, artificial.

Developing Self Control

The good news is that you can develop more positive influence if you work on improving your control over your body. How it moves. The range of motion you have with it. Your physical and mental stamina…

Coordination is developed over time through a mix of developing physical strength, focused and intentional thinking, and building emotional confidence.

I feel that saying ‘I’m not very coordinated’ is the easy way out for many riders. Lack of coordination, in most cases, simply means a lack of dedicated training; physical, mental, and emotional.  Improving effectiveness as a rider requires consistently upgrading yourself and your skills.

I feel that, in order to truly begin experiencing the outcome you desire every time you get into the saddle, there’s work to be done on the ground as well.

Taking Responsibility as a Rider

If you are currently getting less-than-perfect results with your horse, then this work is for you. I think that it’s fair to say this is true of all riders. There will always be ‘more’ that we can do regarding developing our skills as an equestrian.

Taking the time to develop yourself as a rider will allow you to begin responding rather than reacting when in the saddle.

It will allow you to use your different aids in a way that is easily understood by your horse. Your mindset will become resilient, positively expectant, and open to new ideas and ways of doing things…

All of these things will help you to have better conversations with your horse as you consistently improve your effectiveness as a rider.

Happy Riding
Lorna

Equestrian Fitness Challenge ’24

There will be a daily walk, a 10 minute daily yoga practice, and lots of tips, ideas, exercises, and ways to improve so that you can show up as the best version of you – for you and your horse.

More Help for Riders:-

• 100% All New and FREE 2024 Equestrian Fitness Challenge
• 3 Things To Focus on To Improve Your Riding
• 6 Questions for When You’ve Stopped Improving as a Rider
• Connection; Private Real-Time Virtual Training for Equestrians