You get more of whatever you think about. It’s true! Anything you give your attention to increases. That includes the bad stuff. This rule doesn’t have an opinion about “good” or “bad.” It just is.

You humans live in a “fix it” culture. You are trained to search for what’s wrong. That’s fine, if you’re looking for a stone in my hoof or a burr embedded in my saddle pad. But when you focus on what’s amiss with everything and everyone around you, you can really mess up your life.

The best example of this rule causing trouble is in relationships. It doesn’t matter if it is the relationship with your mate, your boss, your best friend, or your horse. If you spend more time looking for what’s wrong with that person/horse or the relationship you have together than you do looking for and appreciating what’s right, you will become out of sync with that person/horse until you will feel compelled to fight with her, or leave her. It’s a rule. It will happen!

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 54, by Jane Savoie →

The world is getting smaller. Of course that’s just a metaphor, but it’s very fitting. Jane has friends all over the world. When it’s snowing here in the USA, she has friends who remind her that it’s hot summer in Australia. It may be freezing in Canada, but it will be warm in Florida. Comparing weather is one of the easiest ways to measure just how far apart we are in miles or kilometers. But none of that really matters when you consider that we are just a thought or a click of the mouse away in ideas.

Ideas are more powerful than weapons, more powerful than armies, more powerful than the most entrenched dictator. It’s ideas that change the world, and ideas that change your life. Ideas inspire action, and that’s when the mountain really begins to move.

Without challenges we don’t have a lot of inspiration to come up with new ideas. That’s the gift to a problem or challenge. If you have no choice but to come up with a new idea, you will do so! I’m sure you’ve proven this to yourself many times.

If you have a challenge right now, have you made a list of ideas on how it can be handled? You’ll come up with even more ideas if you let someone join you in your brain storming. Find someone you trust and ask them to help you come up with ideas. Write them down, even if they are outrageous or seemingly impossible. Don’t judge or dismiss anything. You’ll probably find yourself laughing at the silly ideas, but just keep writing them down. Then, take just one of those ideas and figure out some action you can take right then toward that solution. Just one step…

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 51, by Jane Savoie →

Learning never stops. I am competing now at the highest level available, but I’m still learning more. I’m refining and improving all the time. There is never an end to journey, just new paths and new heights to reach.

Have you ever met someone who believes they already know all there is to know? I overheard one of the horses in the pasture next to mine say, “I’m not arrogant, I really do know everything.” I was so sad for this lovely mare, for she will never improve, never move forward, and never learn anything more. Yes, she is talented and has a lot to offer, but her cup is already full. Her belief that she’s already arrived at the pinnacle of her game will keep her stuck right where she is.

Dressage is a challenging sport. It attracts people who like precision, rhythm, and rules. Dressage riders tend to be a bit didactic, meaning once an idea of how something is done is accepted as THE way, they want it done that way every time.

But what if there’s another way? What if someone comes up with a new way that works better?

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 47, by Jane Savoie →

A good friend left the barn today. I was sad to know that he wasn’t coming back. His person took a new job in another city so he had to go to a new place. I will miss his funny nicker and his terrific sense of humor.

Letting go of friends, jobs, or situations can be hard. It can hurt. But letting go is a natural part of life. Change is inevitable, so it is wise to put some perspective on the feelings and understand how to move beyond the discomfort.

Everything changes. Everything! Resistance to change can be one of the most challenging natural traits to overcome. And yet, all you have to do is relax, let go of your need for things to be a certain way, and trust that there is more going on than meets the eye. There is a plan, an order to the Universe, that we can’t possibly know. It’s that leap of faith in trusting that all is well, even when it is uncomfortable and unknown, that’s the key to letting go of our discomfort with change.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 45, by Jane Savoie →

I just love show season. I’ve worked all summer long to get ready for the winter shows in Florida. There’s something about the camaraderie of the horses and the people that make a show feel like a special party.

Do you feel that way about showing?

Not everyone does. Some people get really stressed at shows. They know they’re being watched and judged, and it makes them squirm. That’s a natural reaction. We’re all conditioned to worry about what others think about us. And a show is the one place where you’re actually asking for someone to judge and openly “criticize” you.

If you’re trying to figure out what the judge is thinking about while he or she watches you, you’re creating a feedback loop that takes you out of the moment. Instead of concentrating on your ride, your mind has to make a full circle to think about what the judge is watching. As you try to see through the judge’s eyes, it’s hard to pay attention to what you and your horse are doing. WHEW! It’s confusing just to describe it!

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi no. 43, by Jane Savoie →

Over the next two months, I’m going to address some common canter questions. This month I’ll talk about the aids for the upward transition to the canter. Next month, we’ll look at the aids for the downward transition.

Question: What do I do with my outside leg to ask for the canter?

Answer: Swing your outside leg back once, and then bring it back to its normal position on the girth. Think of it as a spring-loaded action or a windshield wiper action.

If you wait for your horse to answer, he’s not listening to your leg aid. If he doesn’t canter right away, give him a little bump with your outside leg or tap him with the whip. (Carry your whip in the outside hand for the canter work so you can use it to reinforce your outside leg aid.) Then ask for the depart again.

As soon as he responds immediately to this quick aid, reward him.

You can teach him to canter by holding your outside leg back, but when you start doing half passes in the trot your horse might get confused. He won’t know whether to stay in the trot and go sideways for a half pass or pick up the canter. It’s easier to teach him to canter from an aid that only means canter depart, rather than to teach him to canter from that aid and then have to reschool him when you get to trot half passes.

Continue reading News from Jane Savoie: Canter Questions Answered →