Ride Smarter: The Power of Planning Your Ride

 Plan Your Ride, Ride Your Plan: The Secret to Effective Riding

Ever heard the saying, "Plan your ride, ride your plan"? It sounds simple, but it's a profound concept that can transform your riding. It's all about intentionality and precision, and it involves using your eyes and body in specific ways. Let's break it down into easy-to-understand terms and practical exercises you can try today.

What Does "Plan Your Ride, Ride Your Plan" Really Mean?

At its heart, this concept means you have a clear picture of exactly where you want to go and what you want your horse to do, and then you execute that vision with purpose. It's not just about steering; it's about drawing a precise path in your mind and guiding your horse along it.

Think of it like this:

Planning Your Ride: This is your internal blueprint. It's deciding, "I'm going to ride a perfect 20-meter circle, reaching exactly marker X at the halfway point, with my horse perfectly bent."

Riding Your Plan: This is the execution. It's using your body and aids to make that blueprint a reality, constantly checking if you're on track and making tiny adjustments as needed.

Your Riding Superpowers: Hard Eye, Soft Eye, and Position

To truly "plan your ride and ride your plan," you'll use three key tools:

Your "Hard Eye": The Laser Pointer of Intent

What it is: This is your focused, direct gaze. It's where you intend to go, not just where you're currently going. Think of it as drawing a precise laser line on the ground, tracing your ideal path.

Its Job: To establish your exact desired track. It sets the goal.

Your "Soft Eye": The Real-Time GPS

What it is: This is your peripheral vision, your awareness of everything around you without directly looking at it. It's what you see "out of the corner of your eye."

Its Job: To tell you where you and your horse actually are in relation to the path your hard eye has planned. It's your constant feedback system.

Your Biomechanically Correct Position & Aids: The Steering Wheel & Gas Pedal

What it is: This refers to your balanced, effective seat, hands, and legs. It's how you communicate with your horse.

Its Job: To align your horse precisely within the path you've planned, based on the feedback from your soft eye. It's your way of making subtle corrections and guiding your horse.

The Process, Step-by-Step

Imagine yourself riding:

STEP 1: PLAN WITH YOUR HARD EYE. Before you even ask your horse to move, mentally draw the exact line or shape you want to ride. Your hard eye "draws" that path on the ground.

STEP 2: MONITOR WITH YOUR SOFT EYE. As you ride, keep your hard eye on your intended path, but allow your soft eye to continually scan your horse's body and your own. Are you still on your planned line? Is your horse straight or bent correctly? Is your body aligned?

STEP 3: ADJUST WITH YOUR POSITION & AIDS. Based on what your soft eye tells you, use your correct position and subtle aids (seat, legs, reins) to keep your horse precisely on that "laser line" your hard eye is drawing.

Sounds easy? Not at first! It takes practice to coordinate all three elements seamlessly.

Simple Exercises to Get Started

Try these exercises at the walk, then trot, and eventually canter. Focus on the process, not perfection initially.

Exercise 1: The "Straight Line Laser"

The Plan: Pick two cones, markers, or even just spots on the arena wall. Your goal is to ride a perfectly straight line connecting them.

Hard Eye: Before you start, look at your finishing point. As you ride, keep your hard eye focused on that point, drawing a laser line from where you are to where you're going.

Soft Eye: While looking ahead, use your peripheral vision to notice if your horse's head, neck, and body are staying directly between their front legs. Are you wobbling left or right?

Position & Aids: If your soft eye tells you your horse is drifting, use tiny, focused corrections with your legs and seat to keep them on that laser line. Imagine "squeezing" your horse between your legs to keep them straight on the path you've drawn with your eye.

Exercise 2: The "Perfect Circle Blueprint"

The Plan: Choose a 20-meter circle. Your goal is to ride a perfectly round circle that touches the arena wall at specific points (e.g., A, C, or markers).

Hard Eye: As you begin the circle, pick a point on the circle's arc ahead of you. As you ride, constantly shift your hard eye to the next point on the perfect circle you're about to ride, always drawing that next segment of the curve.

Soft Eye: While your hard eye draws the arc, use your soft eye to check your horse's bend. Are they truly bending through their body, or just their neck? Are they drifting inward or outward?

Position & Aids: If your soft eye sees your horse bulging out, use your inside leg at the girth to create the bend and your outside leg slightly back to prevent the haunches from swinging out. If they're falling in, use your outside rein and leg to support them. Think about aligning your own body with the curve.

Exercise 3: "The Cone Weave" (Advanced Walk/Trot)

The Plan: Set up three cones in a straight line, about 6-8 feet apart. Your goal is to weave precisely through them, turning just enough to clear each one.

Hard Eye: As you approach the first cone, your hard eye should already be focused on the path around the second cone. Once you're around the first, immediately shift your hard eye to the path around the third. You're always looking ahead to the next planned turn.

Soft Eye: Is your horse staying centered between the cones? Are you cutting your turns short, or making them too wide?

Position & Aids: Use very subtle steering aids – a light opening rein, a yielding leg – to guide your horse precisely through the weave, following the path your hard eye is leading.

The Takeaway

"Planning your ride and riding your plan" is a skill that takes time and conscious effort, but it's incredibly rewarding. It fosters a deeper connection with your horse, improves your precision, and makes your riding more effective and enjoyable. Start small, be patient, and consistently practice engaging your hard eye, soft eye, and effective position. Yo

You'll be amazed at the difference it makes!

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