Riding Far, LLC

During our conversation with Jim Groesbeck on Riding Far Together, a listener asked if we could share Jim’s recommended reading list.

As a starting point, here are some of the books that came up in our conversation and have shaped the way Jim approaches riding, training, and continuing to learn.

One of the themes we kept coming back to was the value of studying the ideas that have stood the test of time and comparing what different horsemen, from different traditions and eras, seem to agree on.

If you've read any of these, or if there are other books that have been valuable in your own journey, we'd love to hear about them in the comments.

We've got plenty happening at Sycamore Seed Farm over the next few months.

Whether you're looking for hands-on learning, a chance to audit and observe, or simply a space to think differently about horses and riding, there are opportunities to join us both with and without your horse.

From Classical Dressage with Pippa Callanan to our Immersion Clinics and private lesson days, we look forward to welcoming both familiar and new faces to the farm.

Immersion Clinic 2 may be full, but we've opened a second set of dates in July.

If one of these opportunities feels like the right next step for you and your horse, we'd love to have you join us.

Details and registration links can be found in the Events section of our page or through the Linktree in our bio.

Wise words from our friends at Hoof Falls & Footfalls

One of the things we enjoy about creating intentions each week is that they create a space for reflection.

A chance to pause and ask ourselves whether we're paying attention to the things that matter most.

This week's intentions:

Dr. Paul – spend time with the man in the mirror.

Justin – reset.

Sometimes the most interesting questions aren't out in front of us.

They're found when we take a moment to look more closely at where we are.

What intention is calling for your attention this week?

📷 Photo by Gilmore Photography

We're excited to welcome horseman and USAWE Master’s Rider, Jim Groesbeck, to a special Facebook Live next Tuesday.
Jim’s career with horses is rich with experience and variety - currently focused on training Lusitanos for Working Equitation. Along the way, he's drawn on both classical dressage traditions and practical horsemanship to shape his approach.
Jim has spent a lifetime learning from horses horsemen in many walks of life.
We'll begin by discussing ideas from different classical dressage traditions, but knowing Jim, I suspect our conversation will grow from there.
If you enjoy exploring the bigger questions behind horses, horsemanship, and the art of dressage, we'd love to have you with us.

Pull up a chair and join us here live on Tuesday, June 9 at 7pm EDT.

Psych Saturday: We've Always Done It That Way

I live in a circular neighborhood. There are two ways out, east or west, and they are exactly the same distance. I always leave heading west and return from the east. Always.

If I happen to find myself heading east on the way out, something feels genuinely wrong, like I forgot something, like the world is slightly off its axis.

I have no idea why.

I mentioned this recently to Pam, and she laughed, which is usually a sign that she has noticed something I have not. She has her own version of this. We all do.

You may have heard the story of the roast. It is practically family lore in our house.

Every woman in Pam's family cut the top off the roast before putting it in the oven. It was simply how you prepared a roast. The recipe had been passed down through generations, unquestioned and assumed to carry some deep culinary wisdom.

Until someone finally asked why.

The answer, eventually traced back to the original source, was disarmingly simple.

Mimi's roasting pan was too small.

That was it.

The pan was too small, the roast got trimmed to fit, and three generations of women dutifully trimmed their roasts, never thinking to ask why.

The horse world is full of these moments.

We do things a certain way because that is how we were taught, and our teachers were taught the same way. Somewhere back in the chain there was probably a very good reason, one that has long since stopped applying.

The particular way we tack up. The sequence of our warm-up. The way we approach a spooky corner. The rule about never letting a horse stop at a jump.

Some of these practices have excellent reasons behind them.

Some of them are the equestrian equivalent of trimming the roast.

The psychologist in me finds this genuinely fascinating.

We are pattern-seeking creatures. We find a sequence that works, or seems to work, or that the people we trust tell us works, and we encode it. Eventually, we stop questioning it. The pattern becomes invisible, which is exactly how habits are supposed to function.

Most of the time, this serves us well. It frees our attention for the things that actually require conscious thought.

But sometimes the pan got bigger and we never noticed.

Justin and I talk about this a lot.

One of the most important questions we can ask ourselves as horsemen and horsewomen is not just *What am I doing?* but *Why am I doing it?*

Not in a self-critical way.

In a genuinely curious one.

Because every once in a while, the honest answer is, *I have no idea.*

And that is exactly the moment when something new becomes possible.

So here is your invitation for the week:

Pick one thing you do consistently with your horse and ask yourself, sincerely, why.

You might discover a very good reason.

You might discover that the pan was always big enough.

~ Paul

PC - Erin Gilmore Photography

June is shaping up to be a busy month.

Whether you're looking for conversation, competition, hands-on learning, or simply a chance to spend time around thoughtful horse people, we'd love to have you join us.

We're looking forward to welcoming Pippa Callanan later this month and heading to Oak Spring Equestrian Maryland Working Equitation schooling show - Justin's taking Artie and Leonard - if you're going to be there please come and say hi, we'd love to meet you.

More information and sign-up links can be found in the Events section of our page or in the Linktree in our bio.

We look forward to seeing you this month.