The Last Week In The Confident Rider Challenge!

Budget Equestrian Weekly Podcast Episode 14

Welcome back to another podcast episode! Yes, you have found me, Lisa, The Budget Equestrian and my podcast where each week I will share with you different ideas for you to make the most of the time you have with your horse.

And in just a few days the confident rider challenge will be a memory. This has not been easy, but I am proud to be able to say that not only I have been able to get a new video out for every day of the challenge, but I have also been able to create a blog post, make this podcast, and actually get out there with my horses and participate in this challenge!

Not easy, but it has been so worth it. You see, I started this challenge for myself really. After I had surgery, I had 3 months where I wasn’t able to ride. So all of the progress that I had made with my weekly riding lessons came to a screeching halt when my lessons had to stop.

For the first two weeks after surgery, I could go out and say hello to my horses, but that was it. Then at 2 weeks I was allowed to groom, walk and bathe them. That was an incredible thing to be able to do. But it was a little scary too. Because I didn’t want to do anything to mess up my surgery, so I was very cautious while I was around my horses.

Why I Made The Confident Rider Challenge

I decided to start the confident rider challenge in anticipation of when I would be able to get back in the saddle. So for the past 3 months, roughly, I have been rebuilding my confidence with my horses from the ground up, literally.

And here we are at the last full week of the challenge, and the finale of the challenge will all be spent in the saddle! Well for me it will, but if you are going through this too, and you aren’t in the saddle yet, that is ok. We all progress through the work with our horses at different levels. And please remember, no matter where you are in this challenge as long as you are getting out there and working with your horse each and every day, that is what matters. The work is what is important. The time spent with your horse is what is important. Not how fast you can get through the challenge.

The most valuable lesson I have learned from doing this, and I hope that you learn as well, that just by being consistent and getting out there with my horses each and every day, my level of confidence is going up.

And the doubts that I had about my abilities are going away. My confidence has come back! It wasn’t really gone after all, it was just waiting for me to find it and reclaim it. Being able to work confidently around your horse is what I hope you get out of this challenge.

I Came, I Saw, I Did It, And So Can YOU

And I didn’t do anything fancy, or daring. I have simply been consistently working with my horses and spending more and more time in the saddle, and on the groundwork with Ethan. And because of the every day routine with my horses, I have found a new motivation to continue.

So the point I am trying to make is the more you work with your horse, and actually spending every day with him or her, you will improve. And you will be a more confident rider, or even horse handler.

All right enough of that, lets get into what we will be working on this week in the challenge!

• Day 25 – Video Record Your Ride
• Day 26 – It’s all about the Trot
• Day 27 Improving Balance and Core Strength with two-point
• Day 28 – Transition Work
• Day 29 – Are You Ready To Canter
• Day 30 – Working At Your Own Pace and Staying Consistent
• Day 31 – Recap Day! Before and After Transformation

And once each of these days are available on the blog, I will come back and apply the link, so you can get to each day easily.

 

And that is it for the 30 day confident rider challenge. I honestly was not sure if I would have been able to do this. I think I had success because I just took it one day at a time, and one task at a time. And if you are just getting started with the challenge, because you just found me, you can find a calendar to download on my website, Budget Equestrian, and there is a blog post that goes along with the challenge every day for 30 days.

And you can check out my YouTube channel, The Budget Equestrian where there is also a video to go along with every day of the challenge. Don’t forget the podcast, which you have already found! Thank you for finding me!

The Podcast Will Go On

And just because the confident rider challenge is complete doesn’t mean I am going to stop doing the podcast. Nope, this is just the beginning. And while I would love to commit to doing 5 podcasts a week, right now I can’t. But I can commit to doing one a week. Hopefully that will be enough to keep you coming back. I sure hope so!

Tell Your Friends

And I would love if you would tell your horse friends about it, and share it with your fellow equestrians. And one way that I do know that helps to get this podcast in front of a bigger audience is if it gets reviews. So I would be super grateful if you could go on over to iTunes and leave me a review. Tell me what you like or let me know what burning questions you would like to have answered. I will do my best to find the answers, and maybe even make a podcast episode about it!

All right guys, I think that’s about enough out of me for today. Thank you so much for taking your time to listen, don’t forget to hug your horse, and make it a fantastic week. And I will talk to you again real soon!