#218 I Haven’t Been Riding Enough Lately. Here’s What I’m Doing About It.

00:00

18:35

Here’s a fun little equation every horse person eventually runs into: five things need to happen today, you have time for three of them... and somehow riding your horse was supposed to fit in there too. 😂

You WANT to ride. Your horse is right there. You have goals you care about. And yet work runs late, the kids need to be somewhere, appointments pop up, the weather doesn’t cooperate, and suddenly another day goes by without getting in the saddle.

Then comes the part that makes it worse.

I should be riding more.

I’ve been so inconsistent.

I need to get it together.

If I were really serious about this, I’d find the time.

That’s where a busy week with your horse can turn into a whole story about what kind of rider you are.

So in this episode, we’re talking about what happens when your riding goals run straight into real life—and how to navigate those seasons without throwing the goal out OR expecting yourself to magically create more hours in the day.

We’re getting into shorter rides, missed rides, unrealistic comeback plans, comparing your riding schedule to other equestrians, and why what you think you’ve been doing with your horse isn’t always what you’ve actually been doing.

Because your riding goals need to work in your real life—not just the imaginary week where nothing goes wrong and somehow you have all afternoon to ride. 🐴

If you or someone you know has benefited from this episode, be sure to tag me @nicoleburnettmentalcoach and @resilientreiner on Instagram and share this episode with your horse-show crew!

I am genuinely curious to hear about your experience—especially if you’re one of those riders who really wants to ride more, but life keeps having other plans.

And be sure to leave a review on iTunes to help other western riders discover the show!

In This Episode You Will Learn:

Why not riding as much as you planned doesn’t automatically tell you anything about how serious you are about your goals
How riders turn “I haven’t ridden much lately” into a much bigger judgment about themselves
Why one crazy week—or month—doesn’t define your consistency
What the minimum useful version of riding can look like during a packed season
Why 15 or 20 minutes with your horse can still move things forward
How to separate the riding goal from the exact schedule you thought you needed to follow
Why rest and gaps in your riding aren’t automatically something you need to fix
How the classic “NEXT WEEK I’m riding every day” comeback plan gets us into trouble
A better way to decide what your next week of riding can realistically look like
Why tracking your rides can give you a much more accurate picture of what’s happening with each horse
Why comparing your riding schedule to a trainer, retiree, or someone with horses in their backyard isn’t exactly a fair comparison
How to be frustrated about not getting to ride without spending the entire day beating yourself up about it
Why consciously deciding that today isn’t a riding day can actually make it easier to move forward
What consistency can look like when real life refuses to follow the plan

Questions I Answer:

What do you do when you WANT to ride your horse but genuinely don’t have enough time?
Does riding less for a few weeks mean you’re becoming inconsistent?
Is getting on for only 15 or 20 minutes actually worth it?
How can you keep your horse progressing when your ideal riding schedule isn’t realistic right now?
Do you need to make up the rides you missed?
Why does “I’ll ride every day next week” sound like such a great plan—and then fall apart by Wednesday?
How can you tell what you’ve actually been doing with each horse instead of relying on what you remember?
How do you stop comparing yourself to riders who have completely different schedules, resources, and responsibilities?
What does being serious about your riding goals look like during a really busy season?
How do you keep going when life keeps interrupting the plan?

Links + Resources:

EveryHorse Training Tracker 🐴
Available now for iPhone in the Apple App Store. Search EveryHorse Training Tracker and look for the green horse icon. Every feature is free to try for seven days.

Get EveryHorse Training Tracker here

Android Riders: The Android version is built! Google requires a testing period before public release, so reach out if you’d like to help test EveryHorse.

🎯 5 Days to Confident Competitor - Stop “show nerves” and saddle up with swagger. 👉 https://nicoleburnettcoaching.thrivecart.com/5-days-to-confident-competitor/
🎯 Mental Gym for Equestrians - Train your mind like a pro so you ride like one. 👉 https://mentalgymforequestrians.com/
🎯 Free Weekly Mental Coaching Tips - Get rider-specific mindset tools in your inbox. Join my email list here. 👉https://www.resilientreiner.com/