09/22/2025
I hope one day you meet a difficult horse.
One that frustrates you. One that sometimes just says no.
One that shatters your plans and makes you feel completely hopeless because everything you know isn’t enough to fix them.
Why would I wish that on you?
Because that horse will change you.
They’ll show you where your knowledge ends and force you to step up. They’ll make you look at yourself, your skills, your patience, and the way you make a horse feel.
But sometimes the hardest lesson won’t be about your riding at all. It’ll be about acceptance. About realizing the horse you love and poured everything into isn’t comfortable . That all the resistance, all the “difficult,” was really just them struggling and asking for help. That realization will break your heart.
And once you’ve seen it, you’ll never un-see it. You’ll spot pain and struggle in other horses, and you’ll notice how many people are blind to it,just like you once were.
That difficult horse will teach you more than any ribbon or win ever could. They’ll make you a better horse person and one day, you’ll actually be grateful for what they put you through.
It won’t ever be an easy story to tell. Sometimes you’ll choke up trying to get the words out. But it’ll always be one of the most meaningful stories of your life.
And when you share it, you’ll hope it helps someone else listen to their own horse a little more closely. Because in that way, your difficult horse can go on to help theirs too.
