wet saddle blankets

Wet saddle blankets don’t just make good horses, but good riders as well. As nice as it would be some days, there is no substitute for ass in the saddle time. If you want to be a better hand or more skillful rider nothing will get you there faster than time spent doing it.

I give a lot of beginner lessons to a lot of intelligent, athletic individuals that want to ride correctly and do right by their horses. Riders worried about cueing correctly, and proper posture, afraid to make a mistake. And while they absolutely benefit from a skilled set of eyes watching and directing their rides it does not compensate for the hours of ride time needed to be a great rider. The hours of trial and error and simply sitting on a horse absorbing their movements and cultivating that feel we are all after. I can break down the mechanics of riding to anyone, but it is nearly impossible to teach the feel and ability to know what that horse is going to do before they do it without putting in the hours. You learn the most by doing, no number of books, videos or lessons can replace hands on experience.

Skilled riders get this. They are the ones most anxious when it has been a couple of days or a week since their last ride, understanding that their timing and feel is lacking because of this. The muscle memory has depreciated no more than one percent after a call of days out of the saddle, but they know. They can feel the difference and are chomping at the bit to get it back. They are the ones most adamant that they need to get on as many horses as possible to improve upon their feel and ability to read any horse and situation. Even if it is just turning back in the cutting pen or going on a trail ride, they understand that any time spent in the saddle is beneficial.

Just like for our horses, we do not always need to be in training mode to make progress, a lot of time simply the miles and time spent are enough to make vast improvements.