08/27/2026
125%!!!! I had a conversation with a student today that’s worth sharing. Recently, I told this rider that there is simply no alternative to riding if you want to improve. Read the articles or books, watch the videos, do whatever you want to do… but the only way to get good at riding is by riding.
So that’s what she did. She’s been showing up and riding the horse. And lo and behold… IMPROVEMENT!
We did the math today. The most any of my students do a week with me is 2 hours. 2 lessons a week. That’s 2 of the 168 hours that each week brings. As the trainer, I am not responsible for what you do for the other 166 or 167 hours of your week. If you don’t show up and ride and practice in between lessons, that’s on you. It’s my job to give you 100% of myself for that hour, and give you tools to work on in between lessons. That is a recipe for growth.
And that’s what growth takes. I doubt any football player would play 1 hour a week and expect to be on the starting bench. Riding is the same, with one major difference. That difference being that we climb aboard giant animals that are sentient and deserve a knowledgeable, well-intended, and capable rider. The horses don’t get a say in this journey so it’s the least we can do for them to be the best we can be.
If you lesson twice a week, what are you doing with your remaining 166 hours a week? What role are you playing in your own progress?
Show up or be quiet about it.
Sincerely, every trainer out there
