mind in the middle?
I wish I could remember where I first heard this phrase: mind in the middle. It was one of those things I heard on a podcast, or in an interview and it just made an impression. I couldn’t really tell you why, but it did. Mind in the middle; short, sweet, and to the point. I take it to mean being solely focused on the present situation. From a training standpoint, making sure to stay focused on just riding the horse beneath you at that moment. It’s hard to not think back on the last ride and bring some of those trepidations into the present, but we need to make sure to give them the benefit of the doubt, a clean slate so to speak. Not allowing ourselves to drift to problems past or anticipating future debacles. Not dwelling on the previous horse we worked or even unrelated events of the day before. It’s easier said than done, kind of like meditation- if you’ve never tried it you can just trust me on that one. Training our minds to stay focused on the present takes consistent work to develop those skills. Skills that can and should really be applied to all areas of our lives, not just our time in the arena. But I digress, for our purposes let’s just focus on the time spent in the arena. We expect our equine counterparts to be focused when we pull them from their stall so shouldn’t we expect the same from ourselves? It’s a partnership, right?
Just like our equine counterparts, some days are easier to stay focused than others. Sometimes I find myself needing to stop in the midst of a session simply to catch a breath, regroup, and reevaluate. Am I still present? What am I trying to accomplish? How does the horse feel today? Are they present or are they more distracted than usual? Asking these questions helps me to maintain focus and direction. Occasionally though, even that just isn’t enough, the external factors are just too great to tune out. It happens, life happens, and that is ok.
Our mental state plays a large part in our horse’s attitude as well. As much as I try not to let external factors affect my riding, some days are just not my day and it is unavoidable. Rough night’s sleep, outside events, or just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. It happens, and from experience, I have learned that on those days when I cannot clear my mind and focus on the horse, we will be more successful down the road if we just go for a trail ride instead. It takes the pressure off them as well as me that comes when you have a “training” mindset. Just as they have bad days, sometimes we do as well, and neither of us will benefit from forcing knowledge when we are not in the correct frame of mind. The wisdom and humility that come from understanding yourself and your own capabilities are what makes a horseman, not letting your ego get in the way of knowing that you are not able to give that horse 110% that day and thus, not expecting it from them. As an added bonus, a lot of times this decision will be rewarded because, as we’ve all heard, we are always either training or un-training our horses so even if that is not our intent we can still sneak some training in there.
Other days it may be the horse that is unable to focus. Too fresh, too many outside distractions or even hormones could be to blame. In these instances, a trail ride or simple conditioning would be more beneficial in exhausting the physical so that the mind was better able to focus in the future. Understanding your horses’ mental state is part of what makes a great trainer great. Being able to look at the big picture and decide today is not the day to ask for 110% because you know that it will not be achievable on that day. Instead, you wait until the horse is ready and hope you can ask for that extra bit tomorrow with much greater success. This awareness and understanding are what makes a horseman - being able to stay focused on the present while still keeping the big picture and long-term effects in mind.
As trainers, we need to be able to teach our horses that when we take them from their stall or pasture it is time for them to focus. For some it is easier than others, but just as for us, it has to be learned and developed over time. We work to build this focus and discipline from a young age so that when it comes time to show they are able to complete a reining pattern or barrel run without being distracted by a dog in the stands or airplane up above. We also teach them to come back to us and refocus quickly when they do get distracted because at some point in time this will inevitably happen. Our horses need to learn to keep their mind in the middle just as much as we do. It all starts in the mind; control the mind control the body. Therefore, as a team, we must always work to keep our minds in the middle.
