Pick a gait...

Stand still, Walk, Trot, Canter, Gallop

Rate your skill in each gait like this...

What percentage are you a confident leader in that gait and what percentage are you a passenger, leaning on the training of the horse to keep you safe?

My 81 year old mother for instance is not a horse person, so sitting on a horse that isn't moving, she's at 99 percent passenger. Instinctively she could probably stop the horse if it walked off, maybe.

Me, on the other hand, I am 99 percent leader and in those rare situations where I'm not, I jump down and get the horse right then jump back up.

But that's just the stand still gait. What about the others?

What about the walk? How much control do you believe you have and how much are you relying on the horses training to take care of you? Many of our students are very competent while walking about. In fact, most are. There's always the newbie who isn't there yet but they'll get there soon enough. But now you take the quiz with me. While walking? What's the ratio for you? 90 leader 10 passenger? Or 50/50? Or 70/30? What is it for you of course it's all general and relative but on average what's your score?

And now how about the trot? Be honest. While trotting, are you truly confident or do you lean on the horses training to carry you? What's the ratio? Play with me. Right it down. Measure it.

Here's why you shouldn't just read this but also engage in this measurement game: You cannot improve that which you do not measure! I didn't just make that up. Study it's truth. There are hundreds of ways to measure something, this just happens to be a playful easy way to measure your confidence and skills so you can get a baseline to improve from.

Now how about the canter?

What's your score? Most of my clients are 20 to 30 percent leaders while cantering. Meaning most of the time they are holding on, not steering, most just tasting and getting familiar with the gait. Many aren't cantering really at all and a few are 90 percent leaders, practiced and capable of cantering dynamic courses. That's pretty normal industry wide. But what makes a great rider is one who improves through practice their leader to passenger ratio. Common, let's have some fun. Tell me your scores.

And lastly, how about the gallop? Full speed ahead. What's your ratio? I can tell you mine is lower in the gallop. I used to gallop all the time giving me a high score of maybe 70/30. Still exposing me to the whims of the horse but mostly it was all guided and controlled. Now it's probably flipped for me. More like 30/70. I need to get that back. Guess what my homework is gonna be. Lol

What's your homework. Take this quiz with me.

Comment below in this fashion...

Stand 60/40 (or whatever you are)

Walk 50/50 (or whatever you are)

Trot 90/10 (or whatever you are)

Canter 10/90 (or whatever you are)

Gallop 0/100 (or whatever you are)

Have fun, be honest, and se the room to improve. There is no judgment here. You all know me well enough by now, I know, I don't care a wink about perfection, only playful progress toward your own positive experiences. You could score super low on all of it just like my own mother and I'd still love you for playing the game with me. Don