Kelly Simpson Training Centre

Perfect weather for the North River Riders horse show today ☀️ 🐎

**Phenomenally written post by original author**

Not every horseman is called to the same role.

Some are competitors who thrive under pressure and love the thrill of the arena. Some are incredible horsemen who may never win big, but their feel, timing, and understanding of a horse are second to none. Some are gifted coaches and mentors, pouring into the next generation and helping others achieve their dreams.

Some are trainers who would rather stay at home, starting colts, solving problems, and building great horses than chasing rodeo miles. And some are blessed to do a little bit of all of the above.

I’ve seen champions who have won a lot but aren’t great horsemen. I’ve seen outstanding horsemen who rarely compete or never seem to win. I’ve seen people who excel at both.

I’ve also seen trainers who have no desire to compete they simply love developing horses and helping others succeed. And I’ve seen successful competitors who are so busy competing that they don’t have the time to coach.

None of these paths is more valuable than another.

The horse industry needs competitors, horsemen, trainers, coaches, and mentors. Each one plays a different role, and together they make our industry stronger.

So don’t compare your journey to someone else’s. Keep working hard, stay true to the role God has called you to, and do what brings you joy.

Success isn’t determined by the arena you’re standing in. It’s determined by the impact you leave behind and by the horses and people who are better because you crossed their path.

❤️❤️❤️❤️
Elsabe Hausauer
MBR Performance Horsemanship LLC

Leona & Penny. She is doing a great job working patiently & slowly with this very sensitive mare.

Your Horse Is Not One Piece

One of the biggest shifts that happened in my riding wasn't learning a new maneuver.
It was realizing that a horse is not one solid object.
Most people ride a horse like they're steering a truck. Pull the front end over here. Push the back end over there. Slow the whole thing down. Speed the whole thing up.
The problem is, horses don't move like that.
They move one foot at a time.
One shoulder at a time.
One rib cage at a time.
One hip at a time.
The better you get at influencing those individual pieces, the less you have to fight the whole horse.

Think about someone trying to dance with their entire body locked stiff. They'd be awkward. Off balance. Heavy.
Now imagine someone who can move each part of their body independently. Their shoulders. Their hips. Their feet. Everything flows together because each piece knows how to do its job.
That's exactly what we're trying to teach a horse.
When I ask for a shoulder movement, I'm not teaching a trick.
When I move the hindquarters over, I'm not checking a box.
When I ask the rib cage to soften around my inside leg, I'm not just making a prettier circle.
I'm teaching the horse how to organize himself.
That's a completely different goal.

A lot of riders spend years trying to fix symptoms.
"He leans on the bridle."
"He falls in."
"He drifts through his shoulder."
"He won't pick up the correct lead."
Most of those aren't separate problems.
They're simply what happens when the horse doesn't yet know where to put his body.
Once he learns he can independently move his shoulders, his hips, and his rib cage, something interesting happens.
You stop having to hold him together.
He starts putting himself together.
That's where collection begins.
Not because you held his head in a certain place.
Because his body finally knows how to carry itself.
The horse starts balancing instead of being balanced.
That's the difference between riding a maneuver...
..and educating the horse.

Every exercise has to answer one question:
"What part of his body is learning something right now?"
If you can't answer that, you're probably just moving him around.
If you can answer it, you're building a horse that understands how to arrange himself instead of waiting for you to arrange him.
And that's when riding starts feeling a whole lot lighter.

Congratulations to Annette and Lenny Summerama 2026 ☀️

Chelsey & Cherokee….adding some new skills to this gelding one step at a time.

Samantha & Dallas aka “Bubba”. This big guy is learning that he can have self carriage 😅

Gail & Meadow working on softer transitions 😊👍🏻

So proud of this team. Putting in the hard work and it’s finally all coming together.