Look Where You Want to Go

When you’re learning to ride a horse, and you start moving faster than a walk, your instinct is to look down. You want to see the horse, your legs, and the ground in front of you. For some reason you feel safe that way. 

I suppose there is some comfort in being able to see what the horse doing and that you are still in the saddle. But three years of riding lessons taught me that looking down is the most unsafe thing you can do. 

If you’re looking at the ground, it’s very hard to direct the horse, and your whole body is off balance. The horse is now taking you for a ride, and you’re in danger of falling off. Not good. 

What you learn with practice is to always look where you want to go. If you want to turn right, you decide that before you get to the turn and look in that direction — with your head, not just your eyes. Now you’re directing the horse with your intention and your body. 

When you turn your head to the right, your whole body shifts and the horse feels that. It clues him in to what he’s supposed to do next. You use the reins too, but you can be much subtler with them, which is easier on the horse’s mouth and neck. It all makes for a smoother, more connected ride for you and the horse.

This is great training for life, too. 

Wherever you want to go in life, focus there. The instinct to focus on what is happening around us is so strong that we forget how to move past it. If we train ourselves to always look beyond our current circumstances, we’re leading life, not allowing it to lead us. 

Focusing on where you are is the surest way to keep finding yourself in the same spot. 

Lift your head up, decide where you want to go, and then look in that direction. It takes practice, but it makes for a much smoother ride.