02/01/2026
With horses, there is no *destination*, so enjoy the beautiful, enlightening, humbling, amazing journey!
"Recently, one of my students didn’t have a great lesson," writes Patricia Jellerson. "It wasn’t terrible, not even bad. She got to the jumps just fine, but her timing was off, and she didn’t execute what I asked for as well as she usually does. I told her that not all rides are breakthroughs, or even satisfying. Some are just part of the process.
And it made me think.
In life, we have wonderful days, mediocre days, and bad days. The same applies to our riding and our horses. If you get on your horse regularly, those “just OK” days will happen. Horses can’t always perform at the highest level, and we can’t either. Successful riders and trainers take the horse’s physical and mental state into consideration. A sour, tense, stiff, spooky, playful, unresponsive, or fearful horse is giving information, so use it to adjust and meet your partner’s needs on that day.
Do the same for yourself. If you’re tired, distracted or lack confidence on a particular day, ask yourself why and then make the best plan for that ride. Maybe it’s not the time to perfect the haunches-in or conquer that water jump. Make choices that will give you and the horse the best chance for a rewarding ride.
But to recognize progress, we must trust the process. The rides we consider unsuccessful or unproductive will mesh into the fulfilling ones to make our “breakthrough” days. Every ride serves to build a stronger, more resilient team that can handle all circumstances. If your ride falls short of expectations, don’t just discount it. We train ourselves and our horses with the larger picture in mind."
Each moment with our horses makes a difference. Each ride is meaningful and brings us closer to our goals. You can’t know at the time how much or how little, so appreciate every moment on your horse.
🔗 https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/01/22/its-important-to-give-your-horse-and-yourself-grace/
