Personal Awareness

Emotional state is essentially how you feel about what you are doing. Horse training can be a very dangerous process depending on what point of the training you and your horse are at. Green horses or horses that are not well behaved can seriously affect your emotional state. We can not easily control our emotional state and although you should not dwell on it, do not ignore it. Before I get on any horse I try to be aware of how I feel at that particular moment with my thoughts on riding that particular horse. If I get a sense that things are okay, I continue with my ride. Since I ride many young horses at various stages of training, if I feel that the horse is not ready, for whatever reason, I do not get on. I make the focus of my lesson to help the horse deal with what is stressing it and leave the ride for later or another day. I am not prepared to sacrifice my emotional state and my physical well-being for the sake of one ride. If I get on and the ride does not go well, apart from the physical risk, there is a confidence issue. There is the possible destruction of confidence to consider, mine and the horses. Confidence is a fragile thing and once lost it is a very slow rebuilding process. Confidence is the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear.

Physical well-being is just as important as the mental and emotional aspects. As I get older I seem to be more aware of where I hurt. If I am more sore than usual I will take this into consideration. I may feel well enough to ride some horses but too slow in my physical responses to be safe and effective riding a very green or sensitive horse that cannot compensate for small errors on my part. The better I know my horse the easier this decision is to make. The more I am aware of my personal physical limitations and abilities, the safer I will stay.

After you take the time to consider your mental, emotional and physical factors, take another minute and consider the mental, emotional and physical state of your horse.