First Ride Energy of 2026

When I ride, the first thing I think about is my horse and the space we’re about to share.

I want to understand how he’s feeling.
I want to meet him where he is, not where I wish he’d be.

If he’s tense or edgy, I don’t want to bring more tension with me.
He doesn’t need perfection from me, but he does need consistency, openness, and attention.

When I ride, I’m stepping into my horse’s world as much as he’s choosing to join me in mine.

He’s offering his attention, his instincts, his way of reading what’s around us.
I bring my intention, my care, and my willingness to notice.

That’s where riding lives for me.
In the relationship.
In the space we share.
In the choices we make together as the ride unfolds.

Riding has always given me a sense of freedom and possibility.

Not in a dramatic way, but in a deeply motivating one.
Being with horses brings me alive.
It gives direction to my energy and meaning to my effort.

At different ages and stages of my life, the details have changed, but the feeling hasn’t.
The need to connect with horses has always been there.

They are my reason.
My purpose.
My happiness.
My potential for joy.

First ride energy isn’t about the calendar.

It’s about intention and discovery.

It’s the choice to arrive with curiosity.
To notice what’s there today.
To let the ride become a conversation rather than a plan.

We mark moments in time because we’re human.
New years.
First rides.
New seasons.

They give us a chance to begin again, with awareness and care.

That’s what first ride energy means to me.

That’s why I’ve created the Five-Minute Rider Reset.

It’s a short, guided moment you can take before a ride, or whenever you want to reconnect with how you’re arriving.

Five minutes to pause with me.
Five minutes to reflect, notice, and tune back in.

It’s a way of priming your mind and energy so you step into your next ride feeling present, open, and ready to listen.

However and whenever you ride next,
I hope you feel that sense of intention and possibility again.

The kind that comes from sharing space with a horse
and choosing to meet them with openness.

That’s first ride energy, for me.