01/04/2026
Enjoying the journey with this horse. He’s reminding me to slow down and trust the process. It would be easy to obsess over something that isn’t there or ask for more than he can give. I’ve been reminded that it’s often the simplest, most obvious thing, and not the worst-case-scenario, that’s creating the challenge.
Even when we are doing all the things, they’re still horses, after all. So in addition to the time and the training and the maintenance needed to keep them moving their best and feeling comfortable, we give space for them to be who they are, too.
Progress can feel slow, but it’s there. Changing or creating new patterns of movement after eliminating discomfort or stress takes time and work. A lot of time, a lot of work, a lot of patience.
All the body work, joint injections, supplements, and saddle fits won’t “fix” things if we don’t also implement a program that supports new patterns of movement and appropriate behavioral responses (tension on top of tension isn’t helpful for anything).
These pictures will be fun to look back on when the cold winder days keep me from riding as much and we inevitably hit the reset on fitness and focus. They mark a pivotal day in his training journey and not because he was sooo good, but because he wasn’t and he worked through it. We built trust in each other and within ourselves and in turn unlocked a new level of power and relaxation (which was measurable in the next session, not pictured).
Oh, and a tidbit of advice - keep wise horse women in your corner to help ground you and remind you that you don’t know everything, and it isn’t always catastrophic when you sense an issue.
