05/29/2026
Can you give up control, to gain control?
Sounds wild, but it will forever be an incredible feeling and will strengthen the relationship with your horse.
The biggest fear I see when people ride their horses (especially babies) is that they "need" control. They need to have a bit and tight reins right out of the gate.
If you can learn to trust, relax those reins, and focus more on your body, your horse will finally have the opportunity to show you just how much they want to ride off of your seat vs just your hands.
Start in a small pen, try and let go. Let your horse show you where their holes are and work towards not holding them in the exact place you want to be, but allow them to find cruise. Find responsibility for where they should be riding, while you help guide vs force and micromanage.
Charlie and I had 1 last session together and I pulled the bridle off to see where our holes were. She showed me she was confident in all gaits and had a lot of whoa when asked, but she also showed me that I had held her with more left rein vs asking her to hold herself. To the right she was so intune, to left she was waiting for my hand vs really focusing on what my seat was saying. 😌
