Welcome back to Ride Every Stride – we’re in the thick of summer now and I thought it’d be good to have an episode about something you all have probably heard. “Oh, that horse just needs some wet saddle blankets. That’ll do them some good.” I get where this comes from, the idea of getting a horse busy to have them fall in line with the behaviors you want. But you can’t just give a horse busy work and expect them to grow. That’s the equivalent of throwing a monkey on a border collie – just putting a rider on and running your horse aimlessly won’t teach them anything. So, wet saddle blankets alone don’t get you a whole lot of anything. It’s the purpose and intentions behind the work that matter.

Key Takeaways

When you work with your horse you want to make that time valuable. Productive time means you’re doing something positive for you and your horse’s relationship and education. Remember, practice doesn’t make perfect – practice just makes permanent. So keep this in mind: are you training your horse to be average, or above average? If you’re going to get wet saddle blankets either way, why not aim as high as you can?

Beginner riders can benefit from having a professional show them how to communicate effectively with a horse. If you observe horses from afar you can pick up on the subtleties of the way the convey messages to one another. Certain tail swishes and ear movements can mean different things. But while your horse may not understand every word we speak to them, don’t let that stop you from talking to them. When you talk out loud you have to organize your thoughts. You can then use that organization to turn your thoughts into effective actions.

Sometimes it can be good to let y our horse relax too. I’ll do what I call “mindless riding” where I ride out and give the horse a pretty easy job, one they already excel at. This practice doesn’t place a whole lot of psychological stress on them, which teaches them how to perform a job while relaxed.

You are a trainer, make sure you understand that. Every time you interact with a horse you are training them, so you better do it with a purpose. Just loping circles is a surefire way to get your horse bored and dull your relationship.

Laura knows that being busy is a badge of honor in society now, but if you aren’t doing your work with a purpose in mind you won’t get far.

Picture what a perfect day with your horse looks like, and then see what you can do today to get there. Every time you get in the saddle you should have a gameplan, but remember your horse may not have read it, just like life. Think about how you are going to handle your obstacles while staying positive and working towards your perfect day.