One Ride Away 30-Day Challenge

Develop focus to stay on track with your horse by setting a clear goal, following through, and adjusting calmly when distractions arise, using release to reward the desired behavior.

Learn to read feel, maintain space and lightness, and use focused practice to guide backing, yielding, and turning with a balanced horse.

Choose tested groundwork gear, 13-foot lead rope, a well-fitting rope halter, and a stick and string with a flag, to manage energy; a lunge whip isn't a replacement.

Master timing and feel in horse training by learning when to go and when to quit, using pressure and releases for clear signals.

Balance in horsemanship arises when focus, feel, and timing align to harmonize the horse’s mind, emotion, and feet across all movement.

Explore how horses use phases and rhythm to move, following a one-two-three-four sequence with pressure and release. Apply sequences—lead, lift, swing, touch—to turn threats into promises and build consistent responses.

Develop a deeper feel and balance by practicing sending horses in a circle with a lead rope, stick or flag, refining walk-trot-canter transitions, rhythm, and space awareness.

Apply the four phases of pressure to guide the horse toward consistency and softness before releasing. Focus on bend, shoulder, and hindquarters to unlock movement, rhythm, and later speed.

Develop a balanced horse relationship by teaching yield and backing up on cue. Use rhythmic phases of pressure, soft halter work, and controlled touch to free the feet.

Learn to balance a horse by moving the front feet laterally with a wall and driving pressure, using a lead rope, and integrating hindquarters for the four corners balance.

Master bridling with prep, including a noseband, halter around the neck, reins over the opposite arm, and pressure-and-release with a comfort snaffle to improve feel, timing, and calm.

Develop a 50/50 horsemanship partnership by mastering mounting block prep through thorough groundwork, using your toolbox—sending, hips over, shoulders over, backing—to build discipline and leadership.

Begin lateral flexion under saddle from a loose rein, slide your hand down the rein, apply light pressure to the thigh, and release when the horse softens.

Back up the horse under saddle using a sequence of bend, soften, sit, draw back with seat and legs, think to ground, and use light rein pressure for controlled steps.

Apply purpose to riding principles by guiding your horse to the gate, and practice activating and releasing at the gate to build functional cooperation.

Develop impulsion control by refining feel and connection through breaking gaits into slow and fast sections, using seat and leg cues on a loose rein across walk, trot, and canter.

Use the separation exercise to help your horse read situations, warm its brain before riding, and practice standing and moving cues with a stick and string.

Develop the verbal wo from the ground to stop and back up on cue, using sends, rope wiggle, and release, with focus on timing.

Master the verbal whoa under saddle by circling to the fence, turning at 45 degrees, then stopping without pulling and moving off again; build impulsion, softness, balance, and confidence.

Master the loop drill to build calm, engaged performance by weaving arena work with trail riding, establishing a consistent pattern that reshapes herd bound behavior and barn sour tendencies.