don’t mix…

Recently, I was warming up for my first dressage competition in a long time. I was a little tense when I got on, and the harder I tried, the stiffer I got, which got me even more tense and agitated… which did not make Cavi respond any better.

Riding can be such an emotional sport. There are 2 living beings, trying to communicate with each other and work together to achieve one person’s goals. The horse does not care if he wins the Gold medal at the Olympics or if you ride the perfect 20m circle. The rider does. Remember that the horse does not owe us anything. They are not required to give us a good lesson just because we have paid for one, or because we have paid for his feed / livery / shoes etc. The onus is still on the rider to get the best possible out of the horse.

We also get so wrapped in what we think our horse is doing / wants to do / is feeling. We think he is just giving us a hard time or that he is just not wanting to cooperate, but what we forget is often, the horse is trying to tell us something.

If he is not cooperative today, maybe he is feeling a little stiff or sore. If he is not going forward, maybe there is something in your position that is telling him that you don’t really want to go forward. If he is hot and tense, maybe there is something in your energy that is telling him that not all is well with the world and that there is a troll that we should be watching out for.

If you get on your horse with all these emotions; angst from arguing with your partner, frustration from work, fear because it is a windy day, your horse is very likely going to react and possibly not in a good way.

When you get on and worry about something that you think your horse might do or how something may affect it, it could be the beginning of a vicious cycle, where you think of something and your horse then reacts to your emotions or vibes, and does whatever you thought he might do (spook/shy/etc) and then you get even more worried and he reacts even more.

I often say to my students “Leave your emotions on the ground. Don’t take it with you when you get onto your horse.”

Our emotions are very strong, which is what makes us human. When we are riding or dealing with our horses, we need to make sure that our emotions and energies are the right ones to create the best possible working relationship and harmony.