Strides for Success

Tag: Riding Journal

  • 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

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  • 5 Simple Ways to Upgrade Your Riding Today

    5 Simple Ways to Upgrade Your Riding Today

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    What if things could be more simple for you to upgrade your riding?  So, instead of practicing for hours and hours in the saddle, you could begin doing more simple things that would have an enormous ripple effect.  Quick and easy things, so that you are not left feeling overwhelmed…

    All of these easy-to-implement tips can be done while you are busy with your existing ‘riding routine’… All it will take is some intention and self-awareness from you

    And while, in the long run, good correct practice coupled with sufficient knowledge and physical ability is what will really see you make progress in your riding, these 5 simple to do ‘add ons’ will actually help you to get there faster. And begin shifting your mindset as well.  A very important requirement as a rider.

     1. Quick Massage into Your Grooming

    What would happen if you learned a few simple techniques that helped your horse to loosen up before each work session?  Probably, over time, an increase in the quality of the work begin done, that’s what!  And yes, it’s important to consider that you are not a qualified horse ‘body work’ expert.

    There are some great accounts on social media you can follow where experts will show you simple exercises you can do with your horse for specific benefits (or to address specific challenges)

    Does this replace having a professional visit your horse regularly?  No, of course not! But it will help you to become more knowledgeable about your horse’s body and how it works.  It can possibly have some loosening or therapeutic benefits to your horse. And it’s a great way to bond and develop your partnership more :)

    2, Visualise While Tacking Up

    After grooming, we will naturally progress to actually getting ready to work.  Whether you are preparing to lunge, ride, or do some groundwork, there will be some sort of equipment (or boots/bandages, etc.) that you will put on your horse.

    Use this time to get really clear on what you want the outcome of this training session to be for both of you…  Think, step by step, about what you are going to work on; and how the desired outcome will look and feel

    Having this clarity BEFORE you get into the arena or begin working will help to keep you focused and on track.  And it will help you to recognize when you are both moving in the right direction, or course correct when you’re not!

    3. Stretches Before Mounting Up

    And I am referring to you and moving your body with these stretches! Now, you can decide whether to do these all at once (3 or 4 minutes) before mounting up.  Or to work these in through both the grooming and tacking up. So maybe two or three stretches between each type of brush, or between each hoof…

    What is important is that you have identified where you may be a little ‘tight’ through. your body, and then find simple stretches you can perform to loosen these specific areas out for you 

    If you can already show up to the training session a little more supple and ‘loosey goosey’ it will allow you to focus more on helping your horse to do the same.  It also, when riding, allows you to begin to move more with your horse, rather than against. Long story short, it will improve the quality of your warm-up.

    4. Highlights Reel during the Cool Down

    So after you have actually worked your horse (quality over quantity – always), rather than just zoning out during the cool down, you can use this time to begin putting your thoughts together regarding how things actually went for you both.  If you used your ‘tacking up time’ to visualise or imagine what you wanted for the ride, it makes this even easier.

    Ask yourself some strategic questions; did we achieve our overall goal for this session? How ‘on track’ did we remain? What worked well? And what needs attention (or is missing something)?

    Doing this when it’s still fresh in your head, as in it only just happened, means it’s more honest and true.  Sometimes we can allow the whole ride to be defined by a couple of seconds and one single event.  However, regardless of if the ride was ‘a win’ or a ‘try again tomorrow’, when you take the time to really dig in, piece by piece, you will find so much more there that you can learn from.

    5. Writing it All Down in Your Riding Journal

    Finally, as soon as you have taken care of your horse, that will depend on your unique circumstances, sit down on a bale or a blanket and quickly capture the ride in your riding journal. If you truly want to upgrade your riding, this is essential for you to do on a regular basis.

    A riding journal creates a personal feedback loop for you in your riding – especially important if you are working alone a lot of the time. Over time you will begin to see patterns – these are gold!

    However, in my experience, it is the one thing that most riders are NOT willing to do in their riding! So, if you’re not doing this… WHY?! It literally takes 4 to 5 minutes.  And it is a gold mine when it comes to identifying what’s working, what needs changing, what needs to be done, what needs to stop, and everything in between for you and your horse.

    Upgrade Your Riding Today

    Okay, I personally think that all of these items are ‘doable’ for you and your horse, starting today. They are simple, easy to achieve, and require little to no extra effort on your part.  They also require little to no extra time, if time is an issue for you and your horse.

    I would love to hear how you get on with this, make sure you join the Daily Strides Podcast Online Community over HERE and let me know which one you’re going to do.  Or, if you’re going all in on all 5 of them for you and your horse!

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Get Going in Your Riding:-

    Daily Strides Premium is back! The first and original audio horse riding lessons you can use to improve your riding, train your horse, keep things interesting, have fun… Even if you don’t have a trainer or coach

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  • Why You Need to Start Your Riding Journal Today

    Why You Need to Start Your Riding Journal Today

    I have a little ‘test’ for you… Can you describe, in full detail, each interaction you had with your horse 4 weeks ago? Yes, go back 4 weeks and each of the lunging or riding sessions you had with your horse, describe what happened. How was your mood? What did you focus on and how did that go?

    Why You Need to Start Your Riding Journal Today

    Now, I’m going to bet that you can probably give some information about those rides. However, can you see how all of the rides begin blending together with the passing of time? Specific details become blurred and more difficult to pinpoint.

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    A riding journal is a simple way to ensure you have all the details in one place so that you can use them to help you develop your riding and your horse.

    And yet, why do we so often equate simple to worthless? We rather look for complicated because we think it guarantees better results. I don’t know the answer to this. But I’m asking you to try using a simple journal for your riding. And I’m making a bold statement that has the power to change everything…

    The Power of Objectivity

    How do you feel after each ride? It probably varies between a lot of different emotions. And the issue comes in when those emotions begin flavoring our opinion of each ride. As a trainer, I see, on an almost weekly basis, riders who become caught up in all the feels. They ‘think’ the ride was good and they are on cloud nine. Or, the opposite.

    The ride is just a ride. It’s really neither good nor bad. Your feelings about it are what make it that.

    And when you are holding on to all that emotion about the ride, it can be hard to see the real picture of what happened. Like a coach or trainer would if they were with you in the arena. Which is one of the big reasons a coach or trainer is so valuable? They are not getting all caught up in the emotion. They are looking at each ride objectively.

    A journal will allow you to do this for yourself. To review each ride a month from now, minus all of the emotion, so that you can really learn from it. You can use that information to adapt and adjust going forward.

    Begin Looking for Patterns

    So once you can look at your riding from a different perspective, patterns will begin to emerge. I have a previous post HERE about what to actually take note of with regards to your riding journal. Some of the things that can almost seem trivial have the potential to be really eyeopening for you.

    The time of day and your energy levels can make all the difference in your attitude towards your riding.

    Rides that happen close to unpleasant interactions or stressful reoccurring situations is another one to look out for. Feeding times and your horse’s attitude can play a huge role in his focus and dedication. The subtle changes that show up 2 or 3 days after you ride a particular exercise. Or ride in a certain arena or area.

    Noticing the patterns will allow you to begin tweaking your schedule to get more of the ‘good’ rides in. And if every ride is truly a stepping stone, this can begin making all the difference to your progress in the long run.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

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