Developing & Testing Your Horse's Mental Toughness

This episode is inspired by a question from one of our loyal listeners and Be Your Best Membership members. Her question is: What’s something you see good riders doing that they don’t realize is actually creating anxiety or resistance in their horses?Tune in to hear my take on this question as I share some hidden habits that even the most skilled riders fall back on from time to time that can create undesirable responses from their horses.

There are always going to be things we can’t control—the weather, our circumstances, or how quickly progress comes—but we can control how we approach them. In this episode, I talk about adjusting our training through the summer heat, the difference between happiness and joy, and why learning to enjoy the process matters both in horsemanship and in life. I also share some thoughts on gratitude, resilience, and making the most of the season you’re in.

In this episode, I’m talking about what it takes to build both the mental and physical toughness needed to perform when the pressure is on. Tune in as I share how to prepare horses for the situations they’ll face in competition, how a horse's physical and mental performance are connected, and how repetition helps turn the right responses into habits. Whether we’re preparing ourselves or our horses, the more comfortable we can become in those game-time situations, the better prepared we’ll be to handle them when they count.

The better we become at reading the horse in front of us, the better we can apply what we know to help that horse succeed.In this episode, I’m sharing examples from some of the rope horses in our program and how the same training principles can require a different application from one horse to the next.Tune in as I talk through scoring, rate, positioning, stopping, release points, and using different disciplines to fill in the gaps—all while learning to adjust your approach to fit the individual horse.

If you want a result you aren't getting, you've got to be willing to do something you aren't doing. In this episode, I'm talking about what it means to stay in growth mode—from developing young horses and recognizing that each one is going to progress differently, to evaluating our own horsemanship and making changes when something isn't working. I also share a few takeaways from Atomic Habits about how our identity shapes our habits and why continued growth requires us to get outside our comfort zone and be willing to do things differently.

As an owner, your role in your horse’s training process starts long before you ever drop them off at the trainer’s barn. In this episode, I talk about how the handling and preparation we put into our young horses as weanlings and yearlings can make a huge difference when it comes time to start them as two- and three-year-olds. I also share why good communication between the owner and trainer matters, from being clear about your goals for that horse to setting realistic expectations for what can be accomplished within a training program.

The summer season puts a different level of stress on your horses. When you are in the 'heat' of training and competition, maintaining adequate hydration is key to proactively preventing physical issues, as well as boosting overall health and performance in your horses. Join me as I sit down with equine nutrition expert, Dr. Jyme Nichols from Bluebonnet, as she shares tips for getting ahead of your horse's hydration program, making seasonal adjustments to feeding and forage, and implementing best practices for maintaining equine health in warmer months.

Every season requires something different from both you and your horse. In the summer months, heat, humidity, and longer days can take a physical and mental toll, which means your training program has to adapt. In this episode, I talk about why listening to your horse is more important than sticking to a rigid schedule, how to recognize when physical fatigue is turning into mental defensiveness, and why it's important to prioritize building trust and confidence over simply adding more repetitions when you're training in extreme heat and challenging conditions.

When it comes to horsemanship, connection is key. Establishing that initial connection with your horse is what opens the door to creating trust, confidence, and control—especially at faster speeds. Tune into this episode as I break down the differences between physical manipulation and mental connection and share how to get that essential connection established with your horse.

This episode is all about habits―developing the routines, mindset, and systems to be your best everyday. Join me as I share some of my favorite takeaways from James Clear's book, Atomic Habits, and how these philosophies carry over into the horsemanship journey.