I'm so excited to see more people joining us 😊 Let us know a little more about you @Karen Launis and @Robin Kockler. Remember, there are office hours tonight from 7-8pm EDT. If you came into Reconnect, Rebuild, and Ride with Heart because you signed up for a clinic; jump in and ask a question, even if it's not about the course! We've got a live coaching call coming up in the beginning of May, so keep following for that (you'll get an email too). Have you tried the experiment this week yet? I'd love to hear how those go in the call too 🤗

This week’s 10-minute experiment I call The Energy Ladder. Master the rungs and then climb the ladder faster to refine your horse's response. Start on the ground. Ask your horse to walk off. Either straight ahead with your or out on a circle, doesn't matter, whatever is easy for you. How did it feel? Do they walk on promptly with purpose at the lightest touch or maybe just your intention? No? Good. Now you can play with The Energy Ladder. What is the least amount of pressure or ask you'd like to use to get your horse moving? Save that as your first rung. What are you ACTUALLY having to do to get your horse moving? Save that as your third rung. Your second rung will be an action in between the first and third-pick whatever aid or combo of aids that works for you. The fourth rung is an action bigger or more enticing than the third rung. This could be using a tool - like a stick - or using something like food. What is going to really motivate your horse, KINDLY? Start asking for each rung of the ladder VERY CLEARLY and SLOWLY. Whenever your horse moves off, give a big HAPPY release! Simply notice when your horse goes. Is it always rung 3 or do they start moving off sooner? This week is about gathering data and noticing. Next week, we'll work on refining the ladder! If you want to hear more talk about, listen or watch this week's podcast episode. Here is a video of me doing this in the backup 👇

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! Food for thought while you're out riding 🧐 Breaking at the canter isn't disobedient, it's probably data that you're missing. This week, one of my students was working on her horse’s canter. He’s learning how to carry himself better—find balance, build strength, develop real self-carriage. And right now? It’s hard for him. So, he breaks to the trot. I told her to let it happen Because that moment? That’s information. That’s the horse saying: “This is where it gets hard. I lose my balance. I'm not strong enough." Instead of pushing past it or disciplining it? We use it. To reorganize. To show him the way. No frustration. No holding it together, but I know it was a struggle for the rider 🤯 No chasing, because that doesn't help. At first, she was worried: “Am I teaching him to break?” Fair question. Just not logical when you think about it in terms of training science. Not letting them break or get away with it, those are emotional reasons. Not science backed ones. Here’s what actually happens when you: 👉 can recreate your perfect trot (or something close). 👉 ask for the canter again. 👉 make all this happen in shorter intervals. You learn to feel the break before it happens. You can ask for the perfect trot before the break. This builds your horse's strength. How many times have you heard that you can never do too many transitions?? Then, the canter becomes easy and the horse won’t want to leave it 💙 No, it won't be easy tomorrow but, it will get easier and better much faster than it will when you chase an unbalanced horse around.

@Brenda Howell and @Vicki Eastridge looking forward to meeting you both in person May 9th! In the meantime, feel free to work through the content of Reconnect, Rebuild, and Ride with Heart - the online course in the classroom. I am in the process of moving content from another platform. You've got 3 modules there now with 4 more to come. I'd love to hear what you think! Feel free to post questions or jump into one of the Office Hours sessions 😊

I'm a little behind on my welcomes, but it's great to have all of you. I got to meet @Carolyn Duffy on an office hours call last week. I'd love to hear what goals @Kiele Marston and @Vicki Eastridge have with their horses. Feel free to jump into the office hours calls. You can find the times in the Calendar.