It's a free 90-day online challenge for horse owners across the country, and it kicks off September 1. Whether you've been around horses your whole life or you're still finding your footing, its designed for every discipline, every horse, and every stage of ownership. Over the 90 days you'll get: ✅ Weekly activities and themes ✅ Educational content from leading equine professionals ✅ Live Q&A sessions ✅ Prizes and giveaways ✅ A private Facebook community to connect and learn alongside other horse owners I'll be contributing content on essential oils and equine aromatherapy as part of the challenge, and I'd love to see you there! Registration is free and takes just a minute: 👉 https://www.thehorseconcierge.com/horsemanship-challenge

This Week’s 10-Minute Experiment: What’s Happening vs. What Am I Predicting? Last week we worked on physical tension with the standing-in-your-stirrups exercise. This week, we’re tackling mental tension—especially the anxiety that starts before you ever get on. I'm constantly amazed by how many of my students say they suffer from this type of anxiety! Why don't we talk about it more? As you approach your horse and the mounting block, notice where your brain goes. Are you thinking: What if she spooks? What if he won’t stand? What if today is the day it all goes wrong? Don’t argue with the thought. Name it. Then ask yourself: Is that happening right now—or am I predicting it? For the next 10 minutes, narrate what is actually happening: “My horse is walking beside me.” “His head just came up.” “I’m holding my breath.” “She shifted her weight.” “I’m standing on the mounting block.” Notice the difference between: “Her head came up.” → observation “She’s about to spook.”→ prediction You’re not trying to convince yourself that everything is fine. If the horse you have right now is giving you a legitimate reason not to mount, listen to that information. The goal is simply to stop riding the horse you’re afraid you might have before you’ve even gotten on. Imagine and expect the horse you want, while staying aware of the horse you actually have. And when your brain races into the future, bring it back with one question: What is actually happening right now? You don't have to imagine yourself like this but, you could 😉

Sorry for the delay, getting stung near my eye by a wasp was not on my to-do list for starting the week, so that put me behind a little. With the help of some steroids, I'm back at it. So, you've got your experiment just a little bit late. This Simple Exercise Will Instantly Improve Your Balance This week's experiment is one of my favorites because it teaches so many skills at once. At the halt, with a trusted helper holding your horse: ✅ Stand straight up in your stirrups. ✅ Use the pommel for balance if you need to. ✅ Work toward taking your hands off the saddle and stretching them out like airplane wings. ✅ Then slowly lower yourself back into the saddle with control. The goal is to stand, find your balance, and then be able to lower yourself down SMOOTHLY. The second part is learning to sit down before you fall down. This trains your brain to recover and adapt rather than just REACT to falling backwards or forwards. This simple exercise develops:🐴 Better balance💪 Core strength🧠 Proprioception (your body's awareness of where it is in space)✨ Confidence through recovery instead of gripping The better you know where your center of gravity is, the less your brain has to panic when something unexpected happens. Give it a try this week and let me know what you notice. I think you'll be surprised how much this one simple exercise improves your riding. 👇 Have you ever practiced standing straight up in your stirrups—not in two-point, but all the way up?

Before you dive in, take a minute to read this. This post sets the tone for how we learn, share, and show up here. ✅ This IS a place for: - People who care deeply about their horses’ physical and emotional well-being - Riders of any discipline, level, age, or background - Curiosity, reflection, and thoughtful conversation - Asking why, not just how - Learning skills and mindset together - Seeing behavior as information, not defiance - Open-minded discussion, experimentation, and shared learning - Riders who are willing to keep evolving—even when it’s uncomfortable You don’t need to have all the answers here. You just need to be willing to ask better questions. 🚫 This is NOT a place for: - Discipline shaming or “my way is the only way” thinking - Dominance, intimidation, or fear-based training advice - Quick fixes that ignore the horse’s experience - Ego-driven hierarchy (titles matter less than curiosity here) - Arguments meant to win instead of understand - Rigid tradition for tradition’s sake We can talk about any approach— but we do it through inquiry, respect, and the lens of the horse. 🧠 How to Get the Most Out of This Lab - Read posts with curiosity before reacting - Share experiences, not ultimatums - Ask questions that open dialogue - Assume good intent—from humans and horses alike - Remember: learning is a process, not a performance This is a lab, not a courtroom. We’re here to explore, test, and learn—together. If this resonates, you’re in the right place. If it challenges you a little… you’re still in the right place. Welcome 💙

This week’s experiment comes straight out of our latest Thinking Horse and Rider conversation - don't worry...I'm working on getting the episode finished! Just take a minute, and think about YOUR horse: What’s ONE thing you avoid doing because you know it creates a problem? Maybe you don’t: - Trailer with another horse because yours gets attached. - Feed treats because your horse gets pushy. - Ride outside because your horse gets spooky. - Separate from the herd because it becomes a battle. - Canter because things get a little… 😬. Avoidance can be perfectly good management when you or your horse don't have the skills to handle something safely yet. But management isn't training and there are so many training modalities available to us today, so find one that is a change from your normal routine and give it a try! Your challenge today: Spend 10 minutes researching ONE new way to approach the thing you've been avoiding. And instead of searching: “How do I stop my horse from _____?” Try: 👉 “What does my horse need to learn to successfully _____?” You don't even have to try the new technique today. Your job is simply to discover another possibility. Then come back here and tell us what you picked! What have you been avoiding? And what did you discover when you started looking for the missing skill instead of a way to stop the behavior? Drop yours below 👇 — someone else in the Lab may be wrestling with the exact same thing. Bonus points: If you can't figure out what skill is missing, post the problem anyway. Let's troubleshoot it together. 🧪🐴