18/08/2026
Don’t leave your horse on “read”
Monday night’s 6pm group are exactly what you’d expect—fun, a little cheeky, and very much there for the love of horses and each other.
Last week we were working on shortening the stride, allowing forward, then coming back again.
They were riding it beautifully.
Then we added canter.
Someone came around the corner… and completely dropped the contact.
By the next letter the horse was strong and running forward.
So we stopped.
Because moments like that aren’t about fixing the stride—they’re about understanding the why.
In the middle of the discussion, something unexpected came up: Snapchat.
“You know when you leave someone on read? The conversation stops?”
That’s exactly what happened.
From K to H, the rider had stopped communicating.
No contact.
No support.
No conversation.
Meanwhile, the horse kept going. They had responded to the last message the rider sent, and were waiting for a reply. Instead, they got silence.
And when the rider picked the reins back up? It was a new conversation, but the horse was now leaving them on read, because the flow had been disrupted!
Communication with a horse is constant, not on and off.
It’s every stride.
Through your seat.
Your leg.
Your elbows.
Your reins.
Once the riders understood that, everything changed.
They stayed in the conversation.
And suddenly the horses softened, the strides became more consistent and the connection improved.
Sometimes coaching isn’t about giving riders more information.
It’s about finding the explanation that finally makes it click.
So… are you chatting with your horse every stride or leaving them on read?
