Ep 150: Training Courageously
Have you ever felt nervous or intimidated about pushing your horse to the next level? For many years, I was afraid to put horses in positions where they may fail because I thought if they fell apart, I had failed them as a trainer. Over the years I’ve learned that the exact opposite is true.
Horses need us to help them develop courage. We need to put them in situations where they are pushed outside of their comfort zone. This can simply mean adding a little more speed or intensity with an exercise. We need to expose them a little to give them courage to go at that speed and still complete the desired task.
Every time you push your horse to another level, you give them the opportunity to either succeed or learn. If they excel with the extra pressure, great. If they fall apart and you have to put them back together, great. Even if your horse falls apart, that gives you the opportunity to help them, put them back together, and show them they can go to that next level. With either result, it means they are growing, learning, and getting closer to reaching their full potential.
Whether it’s life or training horses, you have to give yourself and your horses the chance to act courageously and build confidence. Horses are just like people – you can’t live in a bubble and expect to achieve greatness. You have to be bold and courageous and act without fear of failure. If you want to reach your full potential, you have to learn how to live outside of your comfort zone. Before long, you will not only learn to live outside of your comfort zone, but you will learn to thrive outside of your comfort zone.
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