The Number Way to Excell

Brenda Robson Author

Overcoming roadblocks to your horsemanship success. It is more than just setting goals. Tips for ramping up your IMPLEMENTATION.

The Number One Way to Excel

Reaching your goals requires so much more from you than having the right horse for the job, getting more knowledge, gaining understanding, and taking in-person lessons.
Those things are all vital to your progress, and most horse owners are already learning online, digesting the psychologies offered, and taking lessons from professionals.
But there is more, of course. It is called “implementation.”

Begin by sorting out exactly which items are needed, then order them correctly on the path to your goal. This list will give you purpose for each week’s practice and rides.
Each of those items will have their specific challenges, and as you work through each one, you not only satisfy that step of your journey, but you also acquire wisdom from working each item through to excellence. Once an item is accomplished, the wisdom you gained will carry through and impact the next item, and so on.
Implementation is now the #1 way to excel with your horse and reach your goals.

This is why I have become the “harpy” of haltering with excellence. It is a small item that you do every day. As you implement the specific and detailed method I outlined (see my blog at www.thehorsesmartway.ca), you begin to notice your horse’s responses, its cooperation efforts, and its anticipation of what will happen next. You will become more coordinated with this simple task, and soon you will see haltering fade into the realm of unconscious competence, meaning you do it with excellence without having to focus on each step of the process. Remember, just because you got the halter ON does not mean you did it with excellence. It is also not really about the halter.

By adding implementation to the specific steps of your journey, with the determination to do it with excellence, you will go a long way toward realizing excellence at your destination.

I know what holds me back from consistently implementing the steps necessary for success on my journey. These might be familiar to you also. Life happens and restricts stable time. Frustrations and “failures”. Weather and injuries also have a huge impact, to name a few.

Here are some tips.
Select small items from your journey that you can fit into restricted stable time and injury layoffs. Obviously, dressing appropriately for the weather is another.
Perhaps you can arrange for easy access to your horse and the work area you require by talking to the stable owner, staff, or another boarder.
If you have to catch your horse from 24/7 turnout, blankets, snow, and mud can be deterrents. Could you pay the stable to have your horse inside when you arrive? A fee or tip to the staff for this service would go a long way toward giving you increased, stress-free time.
Maybe a boarding friend with similar issues would be willing to reciprocate catches or turnout efforts.

Delaying or deferring your stable time can be a big roadblock. In the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, he speaks about habit stacking and triggers that you can become aware of that will help you set yourself up for success and overcome any tendency to delay or defer and ultimately fail in achieving your goals. A very worthwhile read.

Finally, know exactly what item you will work on and bring a list of the steps for reference. This will save you “thinking” time. Use the time you spend as rewarding breaks in your session to review your next planned steps.

Until 2026 then, have a very Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of our Saviour, and then step into the New Year with stronger resolve and a great journey map.