Ep 206: The Fundamentals of Being Your Best
In this episode, I’m recapping our recent mentorship week and sharing some of the highlights of this experience. These mentorship weeks are not only designed to progress horsemanship fundamentals, but the fundamentals of being your best in every arena of life. Join me as we dive into some of the key takeaways from this mentorship experience.
A Look Inside the Mentorship Experience
Mentorship weeks are a unique blend of refining horsemanship fundamentals, investing in personal development, and laying the groundwork for business growth. It's more than a few extra days spent on horseback; it's a transformative experience that can truly change your life and career, if you allow it to.
And, I don’t say this because I’m under the impression that anything I am presenting during this week is groundbreaking–I say this because I genuinely believe that anyone who is dedicating that much time to working on themselves will see the results. It's not about groundbreaking revelations but rather the commitment to self-work that makes all the difference.
The Self-Confidence Formula
In the world of horsemanship, self-confidence is the cornerstone of progress. As trainers, we have to pay special attention to our thoughts and what we let our self-image become. Our self- image is the collection of our thoughts. These thoughts become imprints on our self-worth, which in turn, influences our self-confidence.
It’s easy for those feelings of “I’m not good enough” or “I can’t do it” to creep in, but a fundamental understanding of horsemanship is acknowledging that everyone has these thoughts of self-doubt from time to time. Addressing feelings of inadequacy and replacing them with positive self-talk is a pivotal step toward advancing your horsemanship journey.
Reinforcing The Fundamentals of Horsemanship
One of the most important horsemanship fundamentals we covered during this mentorship session was the art of using the release to your advantage.This simple yet effective concept helps horses comprehend subtle cues and changes in your body. They learn to recognize moments of release as rewards for performing desired maneuvers. This is a great fundamental to have in your toolkit, especially if you are dealing with a reactive horse.
The simplest fundamentals are often the most effective. Any change you see in the short term with your horse is a reflection of your growth as a trainer. Those changes will stay in the short term if you don’t make a point to continue reinforcing those fundamentals.Repetitions create muscle memory, and that muscle memory helps your horse consistently recognize the cues and releases because you are providing them in a consistent way.
Learning from Every Experience
Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. All experiences–good and not so good–are all positive if we learn from them. At all of my clinics and mentorship weeks, I tell trainers that I am much less concerned with where you are at the end of the clinic and more concerned with where you are 6-12 months from now. It's not about instant perfection; it's about the commitment to ongoing learning and growth.
“Be Your Best Horsemanship” is brought to you by Silver Lining Herbs, Classic Equine, Martin Saddlery, Better Horses Network, Purina, Healthycoat, CINCH, Starbar, and Clarifly. These brands have been part of the Phil Haugen Horsemanship team for many years, and their products continue to play an integral role in the success of our performance horse training program. To support these brands, visit our Sponsors tab.
