Flying A Performance Horses

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I think people misunderstand goals sometimes.

They think the big goal is the thing that matters most.

Winning the championship.
Making the team.
Buying the dream horse.
Building the business.
Reaching the top level.

And yes, those goals matter. They give us direction. They give us something to chase. But the older I get, the more I realize the big goal is really just sitting out in the distance watching who you become on the journey toward it.

Because the truth is, you do not arrive at big goals all at once.

You arrive there through hundreds of smaller goals that most people never see.

Getting up early when you are tired.
Doing one more set in the gym.
Riding one more transition correctly.
Taking care of your horse when nobody is watching.
Fixing the small weakness instead of avoiding it.
Choosing discipline over convenience over and over again.

The smallest goals are often the most important because they build the habits, character, and resilience required for the bigger ones later.

I think a lot about all the things I did not want to do at the time that ended up changing my life in the long run. The uncomfortable lessons. The repetitive work. The lonely seasons. The moments where progress felt invisible.

At the time, they just felt hard.

Now, looking back, I can see every one of those moments was preparing me for something bigger that I could not yet see.

That is why I think goals matter so much.

Not because of what you achieve in the end, but because of what the process demands from you along the way.

The big goal may inspire you.

But the small daily goals are what actually change your life.

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One of my students suggested this post after all the storms we’ve had lately, and honestly… I think it’s something every rider needs to hear.
With flooded arenas, washed out footing, and routines completely disrupted, it’s easy to feel frustrated when you can’t ride. But spending time with your horse outside of the saddle is some of the most important time you can spend with them.
Horses don’t measure relationships in training rides or scores. They measure consistency. Presence. Trust.
Some of the best moments happen in the quiet parts:
🐴 Hand grazing after a long day
🐴 Standing together in the barn
🐴 Going for a walk
🐴 Grooming without rushing
🐴 Sitting with them while they eat 🐴 Letting them relax and just be a horse

That time matters because:
It builds trust without pressure. It teaches your horse that your presence doesn’t always mean work. It helps you notice little changes in their body and mind. It creates partnership instead of just performance. And it reminds us why we love this life in the first place.

The best horsemen and horsewomen I know don’t only value the ride. They value the relationship.

So if the weather has stopped your training for a few days, go spend time with your horse anyway. It still matters.

Food for thought! A horse has to be aloud to be a horse.

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Let’s Talk About…

Have Expectations in the Horse World Become Unrealistic?

Everyone wants the perfect horse. Safe, forgiving, uncomplicated, brave. Doesn’t spook, doesn’t buck, doesn’t react, doesn’t look at anything! I could go on and on.

But at what point did we stop expecting horses to behave like animals and start expecting them to behave like robots?

Somewhere along the way, the standard for what people consider “safe” has become almost impossible. A horse flicks an ear at something, he’s labeled as distracted. Has one playful buck, he’s dangerous. Spooks at a flower box? Well that’s unacceptable!

The reality is, horses are prey animals. They are living, breathing creatures with feelings. They have insecurities and they get nervous just like we do. Some days they are fresh and others lazy. Yet more and more, it feels like people expect horses to absorb every ounce of nerves, inconsistency, poor timing, lack of confidence and lack of bravery without ever putting a foot wrong themselves. And if the horse does react? Suddenly the horse is the problem.

The truth is, truly “safe” horses are incredibly rare. The horses that quietly tolerate mistakes and pack people around courses whilst forgiving bad distances and still show up every day trying their hearts out are worth their weight in gold. But even those horses are still horses. Horses are not machines. We shouldn’t be expecting them to be emotionless schoolmasters programmed to never look at anything or have an opinion.

And maybe the bigger conversation is this: Have riders lost some of their own responsibility to become braver, better, more understanding horsemen? Because to me, good riding has never been about finding a horse that never reacts. It’s about learning how to ride through the moments when they do. Not every horse is suitable for every rider and not every rider is suitable for every horse. And there’s nothing wrong with admitting that.

Because sometimes the best amateur horse isn’t the quietest one in the barn, it’s the one that teaches the rider to improve instead of expecting the horse to be an emotionless robot and do all the work.

A lot has been happening around the farm lately! We’ve been busy improving arena footing, new cross country jumps to the jump field, setting up new paddock systems and shelters, and welcoming a few new students along the way.

It’s been a lot of hard work behind the scenes, but seeing everything come together makes it worth it. Excited for all the good things ahead this season!