Good Habits For A Great Practice Ride

Great Habits For a Good Practice Ride:

1. Practice shouldn't always look perfect. If it does, you may need to spend more time practicing the things you and your horse aren't already good at if you want to progress and become a better rider and trainer. 2. Slow down. When teaching your horse something new, teach it at the slower paces first. Once they have mastered it at the walk and trot, then add speed. If things fall apart at the lope, go back to the previous gait. It is very difficult to fix things at the lope. Fix it at a walk or trot first, then go back up to the lope and try again. Repeat as necessary. 3. Use repetition of correct practice to help solidify your muscle memory and your horse's muscle memory. Do not spend your time practicing the wrong thing over and over because you will create muscle memory of the wrong thing. If things are going sideways and you can't figure out why it's not working, don't stay stuck. Use this as your cue to get help. Ask a knowledgable friend to be your eyes on the ground or take a lesson with someone who can help you. 4. If there is no one available who can help you, try filming yourself. You may be surprised at what you see. Things often feel very different from the top of a horse than they look from the ground. Regularly filming your practice rides can improve your riding dramatically.