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Pace is a concern in our sport. During a recent Plaidcast In Person event with Michael Britt-León, Berry Porter, and Steven Bluman, the panel returned again and again to the same question: are riders actually being developed, or are they simply being moved up?
Moving Up Isn’t the Same as Getting Better
As Berry Porter explained, advancement and development are not the same thing. “There’s a lot of pressure now to keep going—keep showing, keep moving up,” he said. “And that doesn’t always line up with what’s best for the rider.”
Success has become increasingly visible and measurable. Slowing down, even when it might be necessary, can feel like falling behind.
“That’s a tough position for trainers,” Porter added. “You’re trying to do right by the rider and the horse, but you’re also operating inside a business.”
Showing Has Replaced Training Time
Steven Bluman pointed to how constant competition reshapes priorities. “There’s very little time to just train anymore,” he said. “Everything revolves around the next show.”
Instead of spending weeks developing feel, balance, and decision-making at home, many riders move from ring to ring managing rounds. The goal becomes maintaining momentum rather than building understanding.
“You can be incredibly busy and not actually improving,” Bluman said. “Showing a lot doesn’t automatically mean you’re learning.”
That pace leaves little room for reflection or rebuilding fundamentals. When something goes wrong, riders often adapt just enough to get through, rather than stepping back to address the root cause.
When Horses Absorb the Pressure
Michael Britt-León brought the conversation back to the horses and the quiet role they play in holding the system together. “A lot of times, the horses end up compensating,” he said. “They make it work.”
Talented horses can mask gaps in education. They stay forgiving. They stay consistent. But over time, that imbalance has consequences.
“When riders are pushed forward before they’re ready, it’s the horse that feels it,” Britt-León said. “Not because anyone means harm, but because the system doesn’t encourage slowing down.”
Horses become interchangeable pieces in a schedule that values output over longevity.
The Reality Trainers Navigate
None of the panelists suggested this dynamic is easy to fix. Trainers are balancing horsemanship, client expectations, staffing, and financial survival. “You’re making decisions inside a reality,” Porter said. “You can’t ignore that.”
Results are easier to explain than development. Staying in the same division for another year doesn’t always look like progress, even when it is. “Sometimes the right choice isn’t the impressive one,” Porter said. “That’s hard in today’s environment.”
One of the clearest takeaways from the conversation was that true development doesn’t follow a schedule.
“You can’t rush feel,” Britt-León said. “You can’t manufacture judgment.”
Riders don’t improve in straight lines. They need time to make mistakes, to understand why something didn’t work, and to rebuild without pressure.
But in a system that rarely stops, that space is disappearing.
Redefining Progress
The panel wasn’t arguing against ambition. Competition matters. Goals matter.
What they challenged was how progress is defined.
“You can have a great result and not actually grow,” Bluman said. “And you can have a rough day that teaches you a lot.”
Developing riders takes patience: from trainers, from owners, and from a sport that increasingly rewards speed. It’s not always visible. It doesn’t always come with immediate validation. But it builds foundations that hold.
“The riders who last are the ones who really learned how to ride,” Porter said. “Not just how to get through the course.”
Until development is valued as much as advancement, riders will keep moving forward—sometimes faster than their education can support.
Want more insight from Michael Britt-León, Berry Porter, and Steven Bluman? Listen to this Plaidcast In Person episode and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform for conversations with the most influential voices in the equestrian world.
