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?

Here's a quick video I recorded because @Carolyn Duffy asked the question. Of course, these are my preferred positions to start teaching horses with, but you can teach your horse any way you want. Just make sure you are super clear and consistent. I hope this helps 🤩

The newest podcast episode comes from a question that was asked during the Happy Horse (and human) Camp. I'd love to know everyone's thoughts on this one and just ignore my tongue tie moment. I was still recovering 🤣

Just wondering, how many of you were taught things like a one-rein stop or emergency dismount when you learned to ride? Were you taught any other safety maneuvers you can think of? I know we have some experienced horsewomen/instructors in the group too, do you teach these or ask your students if they know them?

I was so happy to listen to your latest podcast episode with your thoughts on lunging. I’ve been seeing it more and more at the barn where we board our horses, and being new to the horse world, something about it seemed very confusing to me. When I heard you speak about it I thought, “yes, that’s what I couldn’t quite put my finger on but you said it perfectly.” I knew it wouldn’t be my go-to before a ride, but I saw so many people following the trainer’s advice and then expressing that “it worked.” Your ten-minute Tuesday experiment really resonated with me, as I’m a big fan of the Masterson Method. I did your experiment before my Friday lesson, and even got some licking and chewing, and it felt like a peaceful way to start the ride, in a regulated way. Thank you!