Chevy's Coaching Blog - Get Gritty With Chevy

Get Gritty With Chevy

Sometimes things don't go according to plan...

7/24/2018

Sometimes with horses, things just don't go according to plan.

It seems like with my horse Bandida, nothing goes according to plan.

On our honeymoon, Zeb bought a breeding to Martha's Mega Jac on a stallion auction for me. My hopes were to raise and train the foal as my next reining horse. I AI'd his mare, and 11 months later Bandida was born (she was even born on my Birthday!)

She was exactly what I wanted-a filly with chrome!

And that was the last time anything went according to plan for Bandida.

A few weeks later, she cut her hind leg. It healed up, but she still has a bump and scar on that leg.

Bandida turned two right after Colin was born. Having two kids under age two, a full time job, cattle and other horses to ride meant that she was put to the back burner.

Today, she is four. She is un-started, and basically just a pasture pet.

And you know what? That's ok.

Sure, sometimes I am disappointed that she isn't the reining futurity horse that I wanted her to be. And honestly, I didn't have the confidence to start her under saddle as a two or three year old anyway. I have been enjoying riding Breezy and regaining my confidence and horsemanship skills, and getting focusing on getting back into the show pen with Breezy this year.

So while she isn't where a lot of horse people think she should be for her age, it doesn't matter. Because she is right where she needs to be for ME and MY horsemanship journey-and that is waiting for me for unwrap the potential hidden inside that pretty package. Maybe she will be another ranch horse for our family, or maybe a brood mare. Who knows? All I do know is that I need to trust myself, and my own journey. And at the end of the day, the voices of others don't matter. Our horsemanship journeys are twisted roads, with lots of unexpected and unanticipated turns.

As long as you and your horse are happy, that is what matters!

Get Gritty,

Chevy

Back in the Saddle After Baby

5/26/2018

If you have ever struggled with fear in the saddle after having children, then my newest article that has just been published in the Performance Horse Journal is for you!

Read it online at: http://horsedigests.com/1HD/5-18/html5.html#page/39

To the Mom Facing Fear in the Saddle After Having Kids: It Is All Going to Be O.K.

5/11/2018

Hi there Mom. I see you. I see you struggling to juggle all of the demands in your life. From taking care of your kids, to the demands of your job, trying to keep up on the endless pile of laundry and dishes, making time to ride can see impossible. So when you finally do get the time to ride, feeling afraid in the saddle can quickly take all of the fun out of an activity that you used to enjoy-spending time with your horse! I understand your struggle. Riding after having kids is not the same. Because YOU are not the same. The physical changes are obvious. Our bodies are not the same after having kids! It takes time (and work!) to regain our core strength, to adjust to changes in balance and strength.

Your Horsemanship Journey: The Importance of Feel, Timing, Balance, and Experience

3/1/2018

You don’t have to do much research about horsemanship to hear that it takes Feel, Timing, Balance and Experience to become a Horseman.

Of these words, Balance and Experience are pretty easy concepts to understand.

Timing is a little more complicated, but most riders can be taught the idea of the timing of their cues.

Feel, however, is much harder to define, and hard to teach. Feel is a vague word that is often used by trainers, clinicians, and instructors. Most of them agree that to become a True Horseman, you must develop feel.

It is a word surrounded by confusion, with the connotation of having an almost magical quality, leaving the reader confused and wondering if “feel” is some magical talent that only horse whisperers possess.

In this blog, I will examine different definitions of Feel. Some of these definitions come from Natural Horsemanship trainers/clinicians, and some from top Performance Horse trainers. I will look at the connection between Feel and Timing, take a quick look at Balance, and also at the role that Experience plays into developing Feel, Timing, and Balance.

Hopefully this will help clear the confusion around “Feel” and help you on your horsemanship journey.

Can you Accept Compliments?

1/25/2018

When someone compliments your riding, what do you do?

Do you say "oh I'm not that good, so-and-so is better."

Or do you say "thank you," with a smile and then shut your mouth?

Confident riders able to graciously accept compliments because they know their own riding strengths. They recognize what they have worked hard to learn, and they're proud of their skills. They own their riding abilities.

Get Gritty with Chevy: No Grit, No Pearl

1/24/2018

What phrases or sayings inspire you? Tell me what you think-leave a comment!

Chevy

Chevy's Musings on Horsemanship Theory: The Concept of Mañana

1/13/2018

"'Mañana' means tomorrow...and that word should be part of the anthem for every training program. Good training takes patience-there is always tomorrow."

-The Art of Hackamore Training by Al Dunning and Benny Guitron

Get What You Want: Program Your Mind For Success

1/2/2018

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.”
-Henry Ford

We often have a gap between what we want, and what we expect.

We also tend to act and behave based on what we expect, not what we want.

For example, if we are expecting our horse to spook in the corner of the arena, we tend to ride defensively. Our thoughts drift to what our horse might do, how we expect him to react. Will he spook? Shy? Bolt? So we act accordingly. We might shorten our reins, tense our muscles, hold our breath, etc.

So how does our horse respond? He senses our fear, and most likely will spook!

When we have this gap between what we expect to happen, and what we want to happen, we often feel nervous, fearful, disappointed, depressed, etc.

So how do we break this cycle?

Six Essentials of Effective Goal Setting

12/31/2017

Happy New Year!

If you follow my Facebook Page, you have probably noticed I have been talking about the benefits of being values-focused instead of goals-focused.

But this doesn't mean that I don't think that goals are not important-because they are!

You just need to be setting the right goals, that is, goals that are driven by your values. (If you haven't set your values for 2018, click here to download my Value Setting Workbook.)

So, what are the goals that you want to accomplish in 2018?

Then ask yourself, does the actions that I need to take to achieve this goal align with my values?

Your values are your guide, your North Star. They direct your horsemanship journey (and your life journey). The goals that you set for yourself are the things that you do along the way, the mile markers so to speak. If your goals are not aligned with your values, the mile markers that you pass won't direct you to where you want to go.

For example, if you value Adventure, and your goals lead to spending lots of time in an arena, you probably won’t be as happy with your horsemanship journey as if your goals included trail rides to new places.

So how else can you ensure that you are setting effective goals that you will actually achieve?

By following these six essentials:

Do You Have a Post Mistake Ritual?

10/8/2017

We all make mistakes. It is an inevitable part of competing, riding horses, and even just part of life in general.

When we make mistakes in competition, it can cause a domino effect, resulting in a loss of concentration, negative self-talk, and more mistakes. Most riders blame themselves, their horse, or other factors. This causes a negative spiral,

Gritty competitors have a plan for when they make mistakes, to prevent the mistake from affecting the rest of their performance.

You can have the same advantage as these gritty competitors by creating your own post mistake ritual.