Making The Most Of Time
How many times have you gone to the barn with the intention of riding your horse and you never get into the saddle? Or do you find yourself procrastinate getting into the saddle because there is something holding you back? Are you fearful to ride, did something happen to shake your confidence? I have been there. And if you have been working with horses for any amount of time, you may have had an instance where your confidence was shaken.
So I have decided to create a movement. A movement of creating confident riders, and you don’t even need a riding instructor to make this happen. It’s something you can do on your own.
Starting August 1,2018 I am going to create a video every single day over on my YouTube channel, The Budget Equestrian to help you be more confident around your horse. And in anticipation of that, I want to help you to get ready for that moment. And since Saddle Box has given me the opportunity to share some blog space, I thought I would share some motivation here to help you get ready to be a confident rider.
If you want to get in on the confident rider challenge, go subscribe to my YouTube channel, and then come back here to Saddle Box, so you can get ready!
First, let’s get a little more in depth on our tack, and what we need to ride our horses. We need to have a clear plan, and clean tack room in order to move onto the next step.
Tack In General
In general terms, most of us will be riding in tack. Meaning we will have a bridle, saddle, saddle pad, girth and don’t forget everything we need to outfit ourselves to ride. But the tack we choose can help or hinder our horses. And most riders seem to accumulate a LOT of stuff that we intend on using to help us to ride, and enjoy our time in the saddle. But how much of that stuff so we really use? I use myself as an example. I have a huge collection of saddle pads, but I tend to use only two consistently.
And bridles? well, I have a lot of bridles too, but again, I usually only use two of them!
Keep Your Tack Clean
First, I want you to gather all your tack. Yep, every saddle pad, girth, bridle, bit, and well, you get the idea. Gather all of your tack and put it in an area you can work on it and get everything ready. You will also need some leather cleaner and conditioner as well as some towels and sponges for cleaning. Because not only are we going to take inventory of everything we have but we are also going to clean all of it!
You should also have a paper and pen, notebook or your phone, whatever you can take notes on. And I want you to go through all your tack and inspect it and clean it.
Now go through everything. How is your saddle? Is it in good shape? How about your girth, and bridle? Are your saddle pads clean? If not, throw them in the wash. You want all of your tack to be sparkling clean. The leather should be clean and supple. And everything should be serviceable and sound for use.
Do You Need To Replace Anything
After everything is clean, now is the time to make a list of anything you may need for your horse. Do you need a correction pad to lift your saddle? Or does your girth need to be replaced? How is your bridle? Is it still in good condition? You should be able to tell now because you just cleaned and inspected everything.
If you are in need of a new pad or anything actually, make a list of what you would like to replace, and think about why you want to replace it. Don’t commit to running out and buying it just yet, because we will be going over a lot of tack, and what in my opinion is the best of the best to help your horse instead of hindering him.
Organizing Your Tack
All right, now that your tack is sparkling clean, it’s time to organize it in your tack room so it is easy to get too. If you have everything close by and organized for your ride, it will be easier to get in to the saddle and ride. And there is just something incredible about looking at your horse in clean, and beautiful tack before you get on.
So if your tack room is in disarray, this can impact your ride and your horse time. If it takes you 20 minutes to find your crop, that is 20 minutes you could have been working with your horse. And I also find that having a tidy and well organized tack room will make your time with your horse even more enjoyable, sort of like a sanctuary of happiness. So take the time and organize your tack room. This includes everything! Clean out your grooming box and organize it. Hang your bridles and saddles. If you don’t have a saddle or bridle rack, make one or buy one.
I know this may not seem to have anything to do with riding, but I promise, it does! You are getting yourself in the mindset of making this your happy place. If you are happy, you will enjoy it more. You will also look forward to your horse time because it makes you happy. And when you are happy, you are more confident.
And one final thing, if you have a bunch of tack that you never use, you should consider getting rid of it. Especially if it is broken or damaged toss it out. When you are getting geared up to ride more consistently, you will inevitably be buying something new. Here is a good rule to follow. If you buy something new, you need to get rid of at least 2 old items. If they are still useable, you can donate them or sell them. But if they are damaged, just toss them into the trash. If you have been saving that old bridle because you might need it for something. Don’t. Just get rid of it. You will be creating valuable space, and your tack room will be much more tidy and neat. So if you are buying something new, remember to find 2 old things to get rid of. For every one new thing you get, you need to get rid of two old things. Make it a rule you follow, and your tack room should be much easier to keep clean and organized.
Step 1 Complete
So now that your tack room is organized, and your tack is clean and ready to use, I want you to think about your level of confidence around your horse. Are you a confident horse person? Do you get nervous around your horse, or in the saddle? What makes you fearful? And after you determine what makes you fearful, think about something you do with your horse that gives you confidence. Write down what you do really well with your horse.
And be sure to come back next week for another exercise that will help put you down the path to confidence in the saddle!