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Let's Talk About 'Bad Rides'
We all have 'em. So let's talk about them.
First, let's define the term. What does a 'bad ride' mean to you? Is it one where you fell off? Left feeling disappointed, inadequate, or like you failed your horse in some way? Is it one where your horse just wouldn't DO what you wanted him to do?
When we think we've had a bad ride, it is usually because the expectation of that ride was not met. Whether that unmet expectation stems from you as the rider, or whether it stems from your horse, the reaction typically is to deem it a "bad ride" and feel defeated and down on ourselves and/or our horse. This is where we can talk about the reality of the situation versus our narrative of the situation.
Asking yourself a few questions can usually help to reframe this:
- What is the emotion I'm currently experiencing around this ride. Name it. "I feel frustrated, angry, sad, overwhelmed."
- Is that why you've decided it was a bad ride? Notice the back story and history that is behind the feeling. No need to retell it to anyone who will listen, just notice it.
- Come back to today. What was my expectation going into this ride, and was that a realistic one?
- If I had expected a smaller margin of improvement, would I have still called this a 'bad ride'?
- What were the moments in this ride that I felt were an improvement, or that I felt positive/confident about? Can I place a bigger emphasis on those?
- What can I learn from the 'bad' moments, and what resources can I bring on board to improve on those in future rides? Can I come to the ride differently? Do I have specific tools/exercises I can use with my horse to work on one small thing next time? Can I break this down into smaller pieces?
As you work through these questions, you'll likely find that your bad ride wasn't actually that bad, and that shifting your expectations around yourself and your horse can be more reflective of the reality of training: that we're looking for moments of genuine try from the horse, and celebrating 1% improvement. Progress doesn't happen in leaps and bounds most of the time, and finding those moments of 1% improvement can make all the difference in how you view your training journey.
AI Font Generator nailed it with the reality versus narrative point — I've definitely let an unmet expectation turn a normal training hiccup into a whole "bad ride" story. This post is a good reminder to pause before I blame myself or my horse for what's just a mismatch between plan and reality.
The point about unmet expectations really resonates. A bad ride is often less about what happened and more about the gap between what we pictured and what we got. That framing helps separate a genuinely rough session from one where the horse simply had a different idea. On the visual side, if anyone likes turning ride photos or sketches into a retro look, there's a pixel art converter that lets you adjust pixel size, colors, and palettes. Not essential to the conversation, but a fun creative outlet when you want to step away from analyzing the ride itself.
AI BG Remover really got me thinking about how we label rides as "bad" just because our expectations weren't met. It's a helpful reminder to distinguish between what actually happened and the story we tell ourselves about it.
This really hit home for me — especially the part about naming the emotion before deciding the ride was "bad." I've definitely been guilty of lumping an entire ride into that category just because one thing didn't go as planned, when really there were a few small wins buried in there. The 1% improvement mindset is something I'm trying to embrace more, though it's hard when you're used to chasing big leaps. Speaking of seeing things from a different angle, I recently stumbled on a bad quality image maker that turns photos into intentionally grainy, pixelated versions — it's a fun way to laugh at those "bad" moments instead of getting stuck on them.
I really appreciate this post for putting into words what many of us feel after a ride that doesn't go as planned. It's easy to get caught up in the disappointment and forget that our horses are individuals with their own moods and physical states. I've found that keeping a simple journal of each ride, noting both the positives and the challenges, helps me see patterns and adjust my expectations more realistically. It also gives me a visual record of progress. For those who like to track progress visually, you might find an image splitter useful for creating a photo grid of your rides to see how far you've come.