Horse Show, Horses, Stable Management, Tips

Improve Your Ride – 5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Ride

Have you ever had one of those rides you wish you could forget? The cat jumped out, the footing was hard, the lead was gone, the feeling was lost? And things seemed to be going from bad to worse?Follow these 5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Ride and enjoy your horse.

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Have you ever had a bad ride?

Step 1 to Improve Your Ride

Just because you have a bad ride today does not mean it will happen again tomorrow. Decide that today is done and it has no bearing on what will happen in future rides. What happened today will have no affect on what will happen tomorrow.

Step 2 to Improve Your Ride

Think about how far you’ve come. Just last week you couldn’t hold the canter together, or couldn’t face getting on a horse. Measure your goals by your successes.

Step 3 to Improve Your Ride

Decide you will have a good ride before you even start. Concentrate on the good things your horse is performing. It maybe a great freewalk on a loose rein, or it may be the fact that s/he stood still while you climbed aboard. Whatever it is decide you will have a good ride and enjoy the things he is doing well.

Step 4 to Improve Your Ride

Look at the big picture. You are making progress in the whole scheme of things. Maybe this ride was not a move forward step but it is a piece of the entire puzzle. It is an intrecate step toward your ulitmate riding goal.

Step 5 to Improve Your Ride

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Enjoy Your Horse

Have fun while you are riding. Throw away the riding textbooks and step by step programs and enjoy your horse. Learn and bond with your horse. These moments are the times when bonds are made and these bonds are what form a friendship and partnership during those times when things go wrong.


 

What one thing can you do during your next ride to improve your ride? What do you do to make your rides as easy and fun as possible?