Some Gems in this article! Worth the read at whatever level you ride (or want to ride!)"I’ve always said that riding is like tennis (or, these days, pickleball). It’s a lifetime sport. You can enjoy riding at almost any age, and there are many levels of participation. Things don’t get tricky until you want to compete. And then they get really tricky when you want to compete—and succeed—at a high level. Here are some thoughts on success in horse sports.
If you’ve been in this sport for any length of time, you already know this. If you’re just starting out… well, welcome aboard the struggle bus.
However, there is a path to success. You may think that path involves talent, and while talent surely doesn’t hurt, it’s not always the main ingredient for success in horse sport. If you’re not the most talented rider out there, there are other things you can do that will help vault you to the top.
At least 50% of the people (okay, 99%) reading this right now are thinking the same thing—money. And they’re not wrong. I’m a realist, and have been playing in this sandbox long enough to understand that money plays a significant role in horse sport. Frankly, access to some fairly deep pockets is essential. A competitive horse is expensive. Top coaching and training are expensive. Upper-level horse shows are expensive.
But there are some things that money can’t buy. And those things can get you closer to the top, regardless of how rich or talented you might be. Here’s my top 3.
Time
Success in this sport requires a great deal of time. This includes time in the tack as well as time at the barn. That sounds easy enough, right? I wish.
I’ve spoken to so many parents over the years who wonder why Suzie isn’t doing better…doing more…winning more. Unfortunately, Suzie takes one or two lessons a week, misses a lot for school activities, social activities, “tired”, or a million other reasons, and cannot find time to come to the barn to ride her horse much outside of her scheduled lesson rides. She is very busy and just doesn’t have the time.
To really succeed in this sport, you have to know your horse. You must know his canter in all its facets. And for that to happen, you need to make a serious time commitment to the barn and to your horse. You need to take lessons at least twice weekly (preferably with one of them a flat lesson), and ride on your own several other times.
If you are not putting the time in with your horse at home, it’s hard to be the winner at shows.
Anyone can enjoy this sport at a lower level without spending a lot of time at it, but to succeed at a higher level, time riding and at the barn is essential.
Effort
Here’s another one that sounds easy. But, like time, effort is sometimes rare.
I’ve known kids who come to the barn a lot. They show up with friends, spend an hour or so chatting and having fun, finally get their horse ready, and ride for 15 or 20 minutes between standing center ring and gabbing. I like fun, I like chatting, and I like gabbing. It’s important, and it definitely belongs in a barn. I’d just like to see that same effort expended on actually riding.
We spend a lot of time on tracking exercises in lessons, and I know other trainers do as well. The foundation for a winning hunter ride is track and pace. And yet many students don’t practice difficult tracks when they hack on their own. It’s all w/t/c on the rail, and an occasional circle. Your horse doesn’t need to work hard every ride, but he does need to concentrate occasionally. It’s a skill that requires effort.
What does effort look like? It looks like practicing difficult tracks, it looks like varying your canter pace, it looks like riding on your own without stirrups, it looks like cantering in a half seat for a hot minute, it looks like varying your posting rhythm, and challenging yourself with some hard ones. It looks like framing, and bending, and flexing, and stretching. And once your ride is over, it looks like taking good care of your horse with a proper cool-down, maybe ice boots or some liniment, maybe a nice bath, maybe a hand-graze. It’s certainly not just throwing him back in his stall after a cursory brushing.
Anyone can enjoy this sport at a lower level without making a huge effort, but to succeed at a higher level, effort is essential.
Commitment
This one is a little more elusive than the first two. Basically, it’s sticking to something when it gets hard. “I asked him to do that, and he didn’t.”
“He won’t listen.”
“I did everything right, and we still didn’t win.”
My answer? Try it again. And possibly again. And possibly 100 times after that, without getting angry or frustrated or taking it out on your horse. Read the first sentence of this article again. Success in this sport is hard. There will be frustrating moments. There will be many fails. You can do everything right and still not win. And yet, do it again. Try harder. Keep your cool. Assess. Evaluate. Tweak. Listen. Change. Learn. Grow.
Anyone can enjoy this sport at a lower level without making an enormous commitment, but to succeed at a higher level, commitment is essential.
If you can put in the time, give the effort, and make the commitment, you might be surprised how far you can get."
Such a great way to cap off the season! Special congratulations to Annabelle and Cleo, adding just one rail to their first 3 phase, and Olivia and Parker for a clean cruise around cross country! ... See MoreSee Less
Returning 6-year-old stallion, Celestial Ranger (R H F Golden Globe xx – Twentyfour Kt Gold xx) rounds out the morning schooling sessions. ... See MoreSee Less
Waredaca 3Day event needs volunteers on Saturday! It’s endurance day, so lots of fun positions that dont need experience! Please consider helping out!!
Barn Manager Cassie & former boarder, working student, groom and girl everything, Sophie! Before she moves away over several ponds! ... See MoreSee Less
A few shots from Loch Moy's dressage and jumper rounds today! Great job to all our riders. Next up: cross country schooling next weekend and MDHT starter event the following ... See MoreSee Less
So much fun at Potomac Pony Club's combined test this past weekend! Making the most of this beautiful fall weather with outings every weekend! ... See MoreSee Less
Buff is a quiet 16 hand TB gelding available for a 2day or 3day week lease (any days but Wednesdays & Saturdays). PM if you want to come try him! Poolesville Maryland ... See MoreSee Less
Training Tip Tuesday... Working the foundation of the Training Pyramid today. It is good practice to return to the basics periodically to test the horse's rhythm and suppleness. Without those, the remaining parts of the pyramid are not possible.
Ride 10-meter voltes in each corner with a change of direction across the center of the ring. In the voltes, it is important to pay close attention to your geometry and that the horse is bending from poll to tail around the inside leg. If you are not sure if your geometry is correct, you can always count each quarter of the circle to see if you get the same number of strides. If all 4 quarters count the same, then you have an accurate circle.
Maintain the horse's rhythm as you leave the volte to the middle of the long side and turn onto the line between E&B. Remember, the turn onto and leaving this line are like riding a corner and there should be a straight line as you travel across the ring. The change of bend can take place over 3 strides, so as not to upset the balance of the horse. Straighten the horse over "X" and begin the new bend the stride after "X."
This may seem like a really simple exercise, but it's complexity is in the details. This can be performed in all gaits. You can do flying changes over X if your horse has them - testing the straightness of your change. You can add transitions or a halt at "X." Try to be 100% accurate in your geometry, voltes, corners, bend and straightness. It's much harder than it seems.
You might try a lengthening down the long side or across the diagonal after you have ridden the exercise correctly to see if you have more impulsion and stretch.
If you struggle to maintain a straight line, try placing the letter across the arena from you between the horse's ears and look straight ahead as if you are looking past the letter (not at your horse).
Let us know how it goes. Happy riding. #dressagetraining #dressage ... See MoreSee Less
Some Gems in this article! Worth the read at whatever level you ride (or want to ride!)"I’ve always said that riding is like tennis (or, these days, pickleball). It’s a lifetime sport. You can enjoy riding at almost any age, and there are many levels of participation. Things don’t get tricky until you want to compete. And then they get really tricky when you want to compete—and succeed—at a high level. Here are some thoughts on success in horse sports.
If you’ve been in this sport for any length of time, you already know this. If you’re just starting out… well, welcome aboard the struggle bus.
However, there is a path to success. You may think that path involves talent, and while talent surely doesn’t hurt, it’s not always the main ingredient for success in horse sport. If you’re not the most talented rider out there, there are other things you can do that will help vault you to the top.
At least 50% of the people (okay, 99%) reading this right now are thinking the same thing—money. And they’re not wrong. I’m a realist, and have been playing in this sandbox long enough to understand that money plays a significant role in horse sport. Frankly, access to some fairly deep pockets is essential. A competitive horse is expensive. Top coaching and training are expensive. Upper-level horse shows are expensive.
But there are some things that money can’t buy. And those things can get you closer to the top, regardless of how rich or talented you might be. Here’s my top 3.
Time
Success in this sport requires a great deal of time. This includes time in the tack as well as time at the barn. That sounds easy enough, right? I wish.
I’ve spoken to so many parents over the years who wonder why Suzie isn’t doing better…doing more…winning more. Unfortunately, Suzie takes one or two lessons a week, misses a lot for school activities, social activities, “tired”, or a million other reasons, and cannot find time to come to the barn to ride her horse much outside of her scheduled lesson rides. She is very busy and just doesn’t have the time.
To really succeed in this sport, you have to know your horse. You must know his canter in all its facets. And for that to happen, you need to make a serious time commitment to the barn and to your horse. You need to take lessons at least twice weekly (preferably with one of them a flat lesson), and ride on your own several other times.
If you are not putting the time in with your horse at home, it’s hard to be the winner at shows.
Anyone can enjoy this sport at a lower level without spending a lot of time at it, but to succeed at a higher level, time riding and at the barn is essential.
Effort
Here’s another one that sounds easy. But, like time, effort is sometimes rare.
I’ve known kids who come to the barn a lot. They show up with friends, spend an hour or so chatting and having fun, finally get their horse ready, and ride for 15 or 20 minutes between standing center ring and gabbing. I like fun, I like chatting, and I like gabbing. It’s important, and it definitely belongs in a barn. I’d just like to see that same effort expended on actually riding.
We spend a lot of time on tracking exercises in lessons, and I know other trainers do as well. The foundation for a winning hunter ride is track and pace. And yet many students don’t practice difficult tracks when they hack on their own. It’s all w/t/c on the rail, and an occasional circle. Your horse doesn’t need to work hard every ride, but he does need to concentrate occasionally. It’s a skill that requires effort.
What does effort look like? It looks like practicing difficult tracks, it looks like varying your canter pace, it looks like riding on your own without stirrups, it looks like cantering in a half seat for a hot minute, it looks like varying your posting rhythm, and challenging yourself with some hard ones. It looks like framing, and bending, and flexing, and stretching. And once your ride is over, it looks like taking good care of your horse with a proper cool-down, maybe ice boots or some liniment, maybe a nice bath, maybe a hand-graze. It’s certainly not just throwing him back in his stall after a cursory brushing.
Anyone can enjoy this sport at a lower level without making a huge effort, but to succeed at a higher level, effort is essential.
Commitment
This one is a little more elusive than the first two. Basically, it’s sticking to something when it gets hard. “I asked him to do that, and he didn’t.”
“He won’t listen.”
“I did everything right, and we still didn’t win.”
My answer? Try it again. And possibly again. And possibly 100 times after that, without getting angry or frustrated or taking it out on your horse. Read the first sentence of this article again. Success in this sport is hard. There will be frustrating moments. There will be many fails. You can do everything right and still not win. And yet, do it again. Try harder. Keep your cool. Assess. Evaluate. Tweak. Listen. Change. Learn. Grow.
Anyone can enjoy this sport at a lower level without making an enormous commitment, but to succeed at a higher level, commitment is essential.
If you can put in the time, give the effort, and make the commitment, you might be surprised how far you can get."
📎 Save & share this article by Daphne Thornton at www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/11/11/success-in-this-sport-is-hard/
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Such a great way to cap off the season! Special congratulations to Annabelle and Cleo, adding just one rail to their first 3 phase, and Olivia and Parker for a clean cruise around cross country! ... See MoreSee Less
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Celestial Ranger (R H F Golden Globe xx – Twentyfour Kt Gold xx) is starting off the 6-yr-olds. ... See MoreSee Less
Celestial Ranger (R H F Golden Globe xx – Twentyfour Kt Gold xx) is starting off the 6-yr-olds.
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Returning 6-year-old stallion, Celestial Ranger (R H F Golden Globe xx – Twentyfour Kt Gold xx) rounds out the morning schooling sessions. ... See MoreSee Less
Returning 6-year-old stallion, Celestial Ranger (R H F Golden Globe xx – Twentyfour Kt Gold xx) rounds out the morning schooling sessions.
www.facebook.com
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Waredaca 3Day event needs volunteers on Saturday! It’s endurance day, so lots of fun positions that dont need experience! Please consider helping out!!
... See MoreSee Less
Waredaca Classic 3 Day Event
www.eventingvolunteers.com
We are looking for volunteers from October 22nd, 2025 to October 26th, 2025 near Laytonsville, MD.0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Barn Besties ... See MoreSee Less
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Barn Manager Cassie & former boarder, working student, groom and girl everything, Sophie! Before she moves away over several ponds! ... See MoreSee Less
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A few shots from Loch Moy's dressage and jumper rounds today! Great job to all our riders. Next up: cross country schooling next weekend and MDHT starter event the following ... See MoreSee Less
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Super fun cross country outing this morning! ... See MoreSee Less
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So much fun at Potomac Pony Club's combined test this past weekend! Making the most of this beautiful fall weather with outings every weekend! ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Buff is a quiet 16 hand TB gelding available for a 2day or 3day week lease (any days but Wednesdays & Saturdays). PM if you want to come try him! Poolesville Maryland ... See MoreSee Less
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Training Tip Tuesday... Working the foundation of the Training Pyramid today. It is good practice to return to the basics periodically to test the horse's rhythm and suppleness. Without those, the remaining parts of the pyramid are not possible.
Ride 10-meter voltes in each corner with a change of direction across the center of the ring. In the voltes, it is important to pay close attention to your geometry and that the horse is bending from poll to tail around the inside leg. If you are not sure if your geometry is correct, you can always count each quarter of the circle to see if you get the same number of strides. If all 4 quarters count the same, then you have an accurate circle.
Maintain the horse's rhythm as you leave the volte to the middle of the long side and turn onto the line between E&B. Remember, the turn onto and leaving this line are like riding a corner and there should be a straight line as you travel across the ring. The change of bend can take place over 3 strides, so as not to upset the balance of the horse. Straighten the horse over "X" and begin the new bend the stride after "X."
This may seem like a really simple exercise, but it's complexity is in the details. This can be performed in all gaits. You can do flying changes over X if your horse has them - testing the straightness of your change. You can add transitions or a halt at "X." Try to be 100% accurate in your geometry, voltes, corners, bend and straightness. It's much harder than it seems.
You might try a lengthening down the long side or across the diagonal after you have ridden the exercise correctly to see if you have more impulsion and stretch.
If you struggle to maintain a straight line, try placing the letter across the arena from you between the horse's ears and look straight ahead as if you are looking past the letter (not at your horse).
Let us know how it goes. Happy riding. #dressagetraining #dressage ... See MoreSee Less
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