Do You Know When NOT To Ride?
Do You Know When NOT To Ride?
Do you know when not to ride?
There is always a lot of emphasis to saddle-up.
“To ride them through it”
“To ride the cobwebs away”
“To ride straight after your fall”
“To ride because everyone else is”
Though the question to ask yourself is, do you have the awareness of self to know when riding would be progressive to you and your horse, and when it could easily result in a negative outcome?
The ability to recognise emotions in yourself, and that of your horse, is an important part of your development as a horseman. The awareness of our emotional state and the internal feedback this gives us provides us with valuable information about what emotions are present, why, how well have we balanced these emotions and therefore how best to proceed.
I know when not to ride.
When riding, for me I feel a greater sense of responsibility to the horse; your bodies are linked as one large feedback loop, which takes a lifetime to continue to develop.
If I feel that my capacity, for whatever reason (we are all only human), to be able to take balance and responsibility for both of us, I will not place us in that situation, where too often it is the horse that will be compromised.
This comes down to years of development, and continuous development at that, and these days is very few and far between.
Knowing when not to ride is a skill.
It isn’t a lack of skill, it isn’t a weakness and it certainly does not make you less of a horse person.
That’s ego talk. I personally feel it makes you more.
It shows a level of awareness of self, it shows a level of awareness to the horse, it shows a level of adaptability to change the plan as the plan needs to be changed, and above all it shows you put a value at a higher level than that of the saddle.
