Where Are You Going? – RES022 - a podcast by Van Hargis

It’s Good to Be Back!
I’d like to send a big thank you out to all of you who encouraged Laura and me to cut our microphones back on during the break. Your support and encouragement has helped us shake off the dust on Ride Every Stride, and we’re ready to dive back in.

Ride Every Stride
If there was a single message I wanted to get across in Ride Every Stride, it would be this: be present. It is so important to be in the moment and take things one step at a time. While you need to have a destination in mind, something aim for, you also have to accept the fact that your journey never ends—even after you meet your goals. Everyone’s journey with horsemanship ends up different than they imagined. Obstacles arise. Injuries happen. And maybe most important, you keep learning, which can change the route on your journey. It’s important to be honest with yourself and to stay away from self-destructive thoughts when your journey hits bumps in the road. While you may have not had a perfect ride in relation to your goal, you may have had a perfect ride for the moment. It’s all about making progress. Learning how to celebrate progress and reward yourself along the way is a cornerstone of finding a fulfilling relationship with yourself and the horses you ride.
Key Takeaways:
When facing new situations and tough obstacles, remember other times that you were scared or anxious and managed to persevere. Take that feeling with you into the arena and into the saddle to keep your journey moving forward.
Meeting your goals becomes more satisfying when you open yourself up and accept your journey for what it is, and not how you imagined it would be.
Acknowledge your successes and milestones along the way, and celebrate them. Take time to reflect on these moments, evaluate them, and use that knowledge to progress and raise the bar for yourself, and your animals.
While some in the industry might advertise that they have the ultimate horse training secret—a magic pill if you will—I find that notion to be misleading. The truth is, there is no secret. Horses aren’t binary. There isn’t a textbook, foolproof method that applies to every animal (or human).
Ask yourself if your thoughts about your horsemanship are productive. Are you trying to learn from your mistakes, or are you just beating yourself up over them?
No one ever has a clear path. Maybe you’ve had to borrow saddles. Maybe you’ve had to sleep in the back of your truck, or faced an injury that left you grounded. Success comes from keeping your eyes planted on your goals in these moments, and accepting the change in your paths.
A horse isn’t worried about yesterday or anxious about tomorrow. It survives in the moment. Horses don’t lose sleep over whether or not they won a gold medal. They aren’t comparing themselves and their performance to any other animal. Let that presence from them humble you, and keep you in the here and now.
Understanding the horse’s strengths, weaknesses, and limitations is key, but it’s just as important to understand your own limitations as well.
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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