Ep 145: Celebrating the Small Wins
When progressing a horse through its training, it is easy for us to feel like we aren't doing enough. In my experience, I've found that some of the best horses I've trained took a little extra time and patience than others.
One horse that comes to mind is Dona Kay Rule’s horse, High Valor. Years ago, I had the privilege of starting Valor as a colt, and you talk about a horse with a lot of power and potential — Valor had it all. The physical ability of this horse was quite incredible, and his speed was unmatched. While Valor wasn’t a challenging horse in the respect of being reactive, harnessing his level of physical ability proved to be a challenge. When you have a horse with that level of athletic potential, it takes a special person to have the patience to see their training through. Dona Kay was exactly the person who Valor needed to bring out his full potential.
I have another horse in training right now that reminds me a lot of Valor. This two year old is recently gelded, and he has all the potential in the world. However, his stud-like tendencies are still running through his veins. When it comes to establishing authority, it takes a lot of extra patience on my part to give this horse the time he needs to become great.
There’s no doubt that some horses will have a longer training journey than others. I’m a very goal-oriented person, so when I have a vision, I like to see it through. The challenge with horse training is, you can’t always move at the speed of your goals. Sometimes, you have to move at the speed that your horse needs.
When you find yourself in the middle of a training journey that seems to be taking longer than expected, remember to celebrate the small wins along the way. Celebrate the seemingly insignificant progressions, the little victories, and the moments where you see things ‘clicking’ for your horse.
As they say, the greatest views often come after the longest and hardest climbs. Don’t give up just yet. Be patient, and give your horse the chance to become great.
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