Why Does My Horse… or How Does My Horse…?

After a ride, while I'm making my horse comfortable, my mind is full of ideas, questions, emotions and fragments of the feel of the ride.

I'm just as interested in these thoughts as I am in the ride itself.

After I ride, questions often begin with why.

Why does my horse drift left?

One of the most valuable things I was taught as a rider was to change the question.

Instead of asking:

Why does my horse drift left?

I learnt to ask:

How does my horse drift left?

Changing why to how encourages me to look more closely at what is happening.

When does the drift begin? What happens to my horse's shoulders and quarters? What am I doing as the rider? What changes when I prepare differently?

Thinking about how something happens helps me consider what my horse needs from me.

How can I support my horse so they can develop the strength and understanding to become straighter?

The same process works with other questions that appear after I ride.

Why does my horse lose balance in the transition?

How does my horse lose balance in the transition?

Why does my horse find one rein more difficult?

How does my horse find one rein more difficult?

The question gives me somewhere to begin. I can think about how I communicate with my horse, how I prepare for an exercise and what happens in the moments before something changes.

Why does my horse…?

Try changing the question.

How does my horse…?

After you ride

Sometimes there is a question to untangle. Sometimes there is something you want to remember or celebrate.

The Heroes Riding Club Library has guidance to help you think things through after you ride.