10/13/2026
๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ง ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ (๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ) ๐ด
We recently posted a short clip posing the question โWhere has the fun gone when it comes to riding?โ
For us itโs evident that fun eases learning, gives both horses and humans a better experience and thus actually often leads to better performance, even if that isnโt what we came looking for in the first place.
What has become really heart-warming about that post is not what we originally put in there, but the response we got from people in the comments.
A clip of a 3-year old girl experiencing her first trot to delightful giggles, a lady who has kept joy alive on her riding journey for 56 years now, some playful groundwork in the stable aisle during a rain storm, appreciation for trainers who make learning fun and a whiteboard in the stable with a quote from Juan Rubio of the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Equestre: โFor the most difficult movements you need alegria โ happinessโ โ and these are only some of them.
All these thoughts and moments have a clear connection to the joy and inspiration that originally brought us to horses. We start out wanting to ride, explore and simply spend time with these beautiful animals.
And then somewhere along the way, the goals creep in. We want to improve, get the movement right, ride a better transition, master a new skill. We compare ourselves to others, measure our progress, and sometimes become so focused on what we should be doing that we forget to enjoy what we're actually doing.
Of course riding is an art. It takes patience, dedication, and a willingness to learn. We want to develop our skills and become better partners for our horses.
But does that have to come at the expense of joy?
What if fun isn't something we earn once we've mastered a movement, reached a goal, or had a good training session?
What if it belongs right in the middle of the learning?
And perhaps there's something important here for our horses too.
Can we create energy without creating tension? Can we ask for more without losing curiosity? Can we take our training seriously without taking ourselves so seriously that there's no room left for play?
Maybe we don't need to become less ambitious, less skilled, or less committed.
Maybe we just need to remember what all that effort is in service of.
Because the point was never just to become good at riding, it was to experience something wonderful with a horse.
