How To Set Your Internal GPS | Ride Every Stride 032 - a podcast by Van Hargis

TIn today’s episode Laura and I discuss how to set your internal GPS and sit back until it starts giving you directions. In previous episodes I’ve discussed how to set your horse up for success and then give them the opportunity to do what you want. We’re riding deeper into that subject today. Sometimes when I set out on a trip, say a nice drive from South Texas to North Texas, I just enter a city into my GPS to get going. I don’t have the exact destination put in, but it’s enough to get me going. I have faith in the device that it will give me directions when I need them, so I can sit back and enjoy the drive on a long stretch of road. But as many of you know, if you turn off the intended path your GPS will start squawking at you--telling you to do U-turns or take back roads. After a good five minutes of having the lady in your GPS box shout at you, you tune out. This is exactly the opposite of what you want your horse to do. We want our horse to respect our commands and we want ourselves to enjoy the ride, not micromanage every second of it.

Key Takeaways:

Overriding. This is a term I use a lot when teaching people how to ride properly. Think about overriding like this: have you ever been in the back of a car and gotten nauseous from someone else’s driving? The sudden accelerations, lane changes, and braking can leave you feeling queasy. The same goes for your horse when you bug them every few seconds with pressure and commands. Overriding your horse results in them either becoming hyper sensitive to your commands or tuning your out all together.

All of the best teachers and bosses I’ve had have one thing in common. They set me on a path and then stepped back to watch how I moved forward and tackled a problem. No teacher ever went home with me after school and stood over my shoulder to slap my wrist every time I got a homework problem wrong. They gave me the chance to succeed on my own and were there to reward me, or correct me. This is exactly how we want to be with our horses. We don’t want to be there to nag and control their every move. We want to set them up for success and them reward them when they do the right thing by leaving them alone. Let their mind and body rest.

Ride Every Stride is the perfect name for our podcast, but I want to make something perfectly clear: ride every stride doesn’t mean you need to be constantly doing something each second you’re on a horse. I want you to be aware  and present in each and every moment.

You don’t wait until your car hits a power pole to start turning your vehicle. As soon as you see your horse veer off their intended path you need to be there to make a correction. You need to be able to balance corrections and pressure with sitting back and giving your horse opportunity’s to succeed. You are the leader in the relationship, and it’s your responsibility to communicate clearly and efficiently to your horse.

Make sure the goal you have in mind for your horse is achievable. Set them on the right path where the can most easily achieve that goal. At that point you owe it to yourself and your horse to keep to that path--don’t let them go to the right around a tree if you’ve set them up to go around the tree to the left. Communicate as best as you can, even if the horse doesn’t fully understand, make sure that their behavior is at your request so that you maintain your leadership role in the relationship between you and your horse.

What do you think?

We want to hear your questions, comments, and suggestions. Share them in the comments section below, reach out to us on the Van Hargis Horsemanship Facebook page, or email me! We want your suggestions for topics we can address in future episodes, so if there’s a particular area where you’re struggling, or just curious, let us know!

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Learn More About My Co-Host
My co-host, Laura McClellan, is a wife, mom to five, and attorney who also   hosts The Productive Woman, a podcast about productivity for busy women. Check it out!
Next Time on Ride Every Stride

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Thank you for listening. Until next time . . . remember to Ride Every Stride!

 

Van

Van Hargis Horsemanship

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