08/13/2026
Things I Thought I Knew
Every year we, as rider's/ trainers / horseman learn more and ( hopefully ) do better. As we add the layers of training / position and feel sometimes we have to go back and say...OHHHH I understand that better now.
I recall reading or hearing something and then years later I actually aquire understanding of that thing or statement. Some things that come to mind are half halts ,"on the bit", contact, connection, the affect of your position on the horse ...and I could go on endlessly.
Half halts are a good place to start. When I ask most people to tell me what a half halt is, I'd say the majority tell me some part of a half halt. Then when I ask how you do a half halt...most unfortunately say I squeeze the reins , I pull on the reins , I slow my horse, or something like that. And they do not half halt very often. And all their half halts are the same.
Then. You ride for 5 more years, get an instructor who teaches you how to half halt more effectively....and shows you the horse changes in the release at the end of every half halt...and you realize that was a layer .
We can only understand and perform what we can at that time . Most rider's begin with....not a lot of feel. As your position gets stronger and more consistent, you can feel more. And your understanding changes because your position can now receive that new understanding.
In other words you cannot learn calculus ( yet ) if you are currently learning multiplication.Your beginner instructor wasn't ' wrong ' , it was just what you were ready to learn that time. All of us must keep learning.
My horsemanship has certainly changed in the 40 years I have had horses. What I used to read as "resistance " I now often feel is pain or discomfort and the horse is trying to communicate that to me. How we feed horses has changed. And so many other things. It wasn't that we learned wrong things....it is that we now know better or have a clearer understanding.
So keep learning. The top rider's are MASTERS at the basics. That means they are constantly going back to the basics and checking to see if they are true and honest. Or is there something that could be better. Their lessons often focus on the most simple concepts too. Still adding layers
Pictured is Katie with Han Solo.
