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Riders show up to their lessons week after week, but may lack direction.
It’s a pattern clinical psychologist Paul Haefner, Ph.D., has noticed repeatedly in his work with equestrians. Riders are committed and putting in the hours, but many approach their lessons without a clear intention beyond simply getting through the ride. They ride what’s put in front of them, respond to feedback in the moment, and work hard… but they’re not always riding with a clear sense of purpose.
The Difference Between Activity and Progress
Lessons can be busy without being purposeful. A rider might jump a full course, make adjustments, hear feedback, and leave feeling like they worked hard. But without a clear sense of what they were trying to accomplish, it becomes difficult to track progress from one ride to the next.
Haefner points out that in many cases, there is no explicit intention guiding the lesson. The goal becomes simply to “get a lesson,” rather than to develop a specific skill or build toward a larger objective.
That approach creates a subtle disconnect. The rider is participating, but not fully engaging in the process of development. Progress is about doing something specific, repeatedly, with awareness.
Why Intention Matters More Than Effort
Effort alone doesn’t always translate into improvement, especially when there’s no clear direction guiding it.
Two riders can take the same lesson, jump the same course, and hear the same feedback. One leaves with a clear takeaway. The other leaves with a general sense of having ridden, but no defined direction moving forward. The difference is intention.
When a rider approaches a lesson with a specific focus, whether it’s improving pace, staying connected through turns, or maintaining composure after a mistake, everything in that lesson becomes more meaningful. Feedback has context and corrections have purpose. Repetition becomes deliberate instead of automatic. Without that framework, it can be hard to understand the direction that the training needs to go.
The Role of the Rider in Their Own Development
There is an assumption in riding that the trainer is responsible for setting the agenda, and the rider’s job is simply to listen, respond, and execute. But Haefner encourages riders to better understand where they are in their development and where they’re trying to go. In some cases, a trainer may have a plan, but the rider doesn’t always feel connected to it or understand how each lesson fits into a larger progression.
When riders understand the purpose behind what they’re doing, they become more consistent. More aware. More capable of carrying that work into the next ride. Without that understanding, lessons can start to feel disconnected.
From Passive Riding to Intentional Riding
Intentional riding doesn’t require a complicated system. It can start with something simple like identifying a focus for the day.
Maybe it’s maintaining a steady rhythm or softening through transitions.The key is clarity.
Haefner emphasizes the importance of understanding not just what you’re working on, but how it fits into where you’re going. When riders can connect the work of a single lesson to a larger goal, the process becomes more cohesive and more effective.
Without intention, riders often default to reaction. They fix what goes wrong in the moment, but don’t always understand the underlying pattern. They rely heavily on their trainer’s input, but may struggle to replicate results on their own. Over time, this can create a sense that progress is inconsistent or hard to track.
Building a More Effective Lesson
The most productive lessons tend to share a few common characteristics. There is a clear focus going in. There is communication between rider and trainer about goals. There is space to reflect, adjust, and apply feedback in real time.
Haefner also highlights something often overlooked: the importance of giving riders time to work through what they’ve learned on their own. In his programs, riders are given space to “play with what we talked about… so they have an opportunity to own it.”
When riders begin to approach their lessons with intention, they start to recognize patterns more quickly. They retain information more effectively, and develop a clearer sense of how each ride fits into their overall development.
Lessons stop feeling like isolated efforts and start functioning as part of a larger progression.
Want more insight from Paul Haefner, Ph.D.? Listen to episode 479 of The Plaidcast and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform for conversations with the most influential voices in the equestrian world.
