When I started referring to Equestrian Zen as part of my training ideology, I wanted to highlight the internal peace that comes from connecting body and mind in the moment. That moment of quiet within, gives us the space to become aware of what’s going on around us and give us a foundation for two way communication with our horse.
One of the toughest parts of connecting your body and mind is being willing to filter out the shoulds and the programming that says we’re not good enough. We have to begin the process of forgiving ourselves for our mistakes and set aside our need to be perfect. ??
.
Be willing to start fresh every day.
.
Stop beating ourselves up for our mistakes.
.
Committing to training with positive reinforcement means reprogramming our brains ? so we no longer punish ourselves for not being good enough.
.
We can split things into small pieces and celebrate each tiny step that takes us in the direction we want to go. We practice with our horses, but we are the real test of our understanding.
.
After spending most of my life rehabbing horses and retraining rescue horses, I can attest that the little things do add up. Take your time and stop comparing your progress to others. Everyone has their own individual challenges.
.
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by mistakes and painful experiences in your past. You can get to the point where you just don’t want to try again because it feels like you’re not ever going to be able to accomplish what you want. This feeling is similar to what happens to learners who are either punished or experienced lots of negative reinforcement in their past. This is where Positive Reinforcement Training really makes a difference- for you & your horse.
???
