When given the opportunity by my trainer to ride other horses in her barn, I jumped at the chance. Riding different horses helped to expand my “toolbox”.
- Get Out Of A Rut. Riding different horses allowed me to try something new since I have a tendency to focus on the same issues each ride.
- Improved Riding Fitness. I noticed I was much sharper in the saddle mentally and physically when riding three different horses.
- Better Balance. I realized that I’m not actually ‘centered’ in the saddle and tend to sit to the outside. This forced me to constantly focus on perfecting my position in order to get the correct feel from the horse I was riding.
- More Responsive Cues. Riding horses trained with light contact and more sensitive to my leg taught me to quickly adjust the timing, execution, and intensity of my cues.
- Proper Execution. Riding young horses reminded me that repetition of correctiveness is just as important as the actual execution of a maneuver itself.
- Determining Cause Of Issues. I learned that I have the ability to ‘light’ a horse up with my seat–an issue not caused by the actual horse I’m riding.
