Mind Before Motion: The Three Mental Elements of a Successful Ride # 1
- Dennis Cappel
- 4 days ago
- 1 min read
Clear Mental Horsemanship with Dennis Cappel
A successful ride does not start in the saddle it starts in your mind. Long before your horse ever feels your leg or reads your body language, he is already responding to the picture you hold inside yourself.
The First Tool: Your Clear Mental Picture
The first and most crucial tool of all is your clear mental picture. This is the foundation that everything else rests upon. Without it, the rest of your horsemanship becomes guessing.
Your mental picture must be exact, you need to know precisely what you want you and your horse to be. This includes:
· The horse’s posture
· The horse’s attitude
· What the horse is doing physically
· How the horse feels
· Your posture
· Your attitude
· How you feel
If any of those parts of your mental picture is unclear or missing, your success in horsemanship is left to chance.
Why Horses Respond to Clarity
Horses recognize clarity. They also recognize when they or you are out of it. Your job as a horseman is to paint the picture so clearly that your horse can see it too. The more vivid and complete your mental picture, the more confident, connected, and successful your ride will be.
Stay tuned for element #2.
Mindful Riding,Â
Dennis Cappel - Master Horseman
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