26/ MAY 2026 THE RIDER Confident Horsemanship: From “Not Good Enough” To An Empowered Mindset


was a teen and the eldest in her 70s. Nei- ther did the riding discipline, with event- ing, jumper, dressage, western, and pleasure riders all represented. Nor did levels of skill or experience. The group included lifelong riders, those who re- turned to the saddle after decades away to focus on families and careers, and others who had taken up riding later in life.


Despite their diverse backgrounds,


By Anne Gage, The Horse Riding Con- fidence Coach


At a recent Riding Confidence


workshop, a common theme emerged among the twelve participants: “I’m not good enough.” Age didn’t matter; the youngest


they shared a common feeling of inade- quacy. This “victim” mindset turns every ride into a minefield of worry, where the fear of making mistakes, looking foolish, or “ruining” the horse outweighs the joy of the partnership.


The Power of Neuroplasticity Energy flows where attention goes.


Those repetitive negative thoughts are a lot like the rut that develops on the out- side of a riding ring. The more you ride


the same path, the deeper and easier to follow it becomes. However, you can choose to steer out of that “victim” rut and carve a new, empowering path. Neuroscience shows that repetitive


thoughts physically reshape the brain through a process called neuroplasticity. Continually thinking “I’m not good enough” creates a story that steals your confidence and stalls your progress. Al- ternatively, by choosing empowering thoughts, you literally create new neural pathways that support a new reality.


Three Steps to Shift Your Story 1.Reframe “Victim” Phrases: Lan- guage shapes our perspective. Start catching yourself in the moment and shifting the phrasing: • From “I should be…” to “I’m


learning and improving…” • From “I always…” to “I some-


times… and then I…” • From “I have to…” to “I choose


to…” 2. Focus on Solutions, Not Problems: When you focus on what is going wrong, your brain automatically looks for more evidence to support that prob- lem. Something wonderful happens when you switch to finding solutions by asking better questions. Instead of ask- ing, “Why can’t I do a decent canter transition?” ask, “What do I need to change to improve my canter transi- tions?” 3. Silence the Inner Critic: Generally, we are our own harshest critics. We speak to ourselves in ways we would never speak to a good friend. Imagine what you would say to a friend who was beating themselves up. You would be kind, supportive, and helpful. Commit to offering that same grace to yourself. The Present Partner It is not about being perfect, or


Pony Club News


even being “as good” as someone else. It is about accepting where you currently are and acknowledging that your horse doesn’t need you to be perfect - only present. When you change the “not good enough” story, you stop holding yourself back and riding becomes enjoyable again.


Confidence isn’t the absence of


mistakes; it’s the belief that you are ca- pable of handling whatever happens. By changing your internal dialogue, you aren’t just changing your mindset; you are becoming the partner your horse needs and deserves. Author Bio: Anne Gage is a certified riding coach, horse trainer, and mindset expert who helps adult riders release fear, build confidence, and enjoy every ride — at home and in the show ring. Learn more at ConfidentHorseman- ship.com.


LongRun’s TB Star of May


Rondure is a gorgeous,


16h, 7-year-old Bay gelding ready for his next career. This gelding who had a


successful career at the race track, would make an


excellent western pleasure mount/pleasure ride.


If you are interested in meeting Rondure,


please contact LongRun!


Rondure


“O” components of the TOWERS strategy while practicing the use of the Talk&Type


focused on their area of greatest need: writ- ing. They practiced logging into their de- vices and, with assistance, accessed a Word document through the Google Chrome browser using the bookmark bar. With en- couragement, they loaded the Read&Write toolbar to support their writing. The students worked on the “T” and


By Sommer Burrows. As directed by the SERT, the students


the microphone on, state their sentence, and then turn it off promptly to support accu- racy and focus. They demonstrated engage- ment by adjusting the reading speed and voice settings within the Read&Write tool- bar to better suit their learning preferences.


microphone and the play function within the Read&Write toolbar. They also ex- plored the built-in microphone in Microsoft Word to determine which tool best sup- ported their needs. The students were encouraged to turn


Call 416-916-1527 www.longrunretirement.com • info@longrunretirement.com


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