2025-2026 Riding Season Quotes & Challenges
Week 1 • September 7-13
“Release is when we take the pressure off. RELIEF is when the horse feels it.”
— Dr. Stephen Peters
Challenge: How much relief can you supply to your horse this week?
Week 2 • September 14-20
“Harmony isn’t about perfection anyway. It’s about a synchronized coming
together of a common goal.”
— Mark Rashid
Challenge: Where is the harmony in your life this week?
Week 3 • September 21-27
“Getting a horse “free” is a state of mind not a speed or a gait.”
— Nick Dowers
Challenge: Where can we find freedom in our horse and in our lives this week?
Week 4 • September 28 - October 4
“The closer you can release on a thought the more impact it will have on your horse.”
— Nick Dowers
Challenge: Be mindful of the impact you have on your horse this week.
Week 5 • October 5-11
“Find the try, direct the effort and reward and let it soak.”
— Nick Dowers
Challenge: Where in your life do you need to let it soak?
Week 6 • October 12-18
“If you’re only a student of “technique”, then the options become very limited, but if you’re a student of the horse, the options are unlimited.”
— Mark Rashid
Challenge: What are you a student of this week?
Week 7 • October 19-25
“Whoever controls the distance, controls the situation.”
— Mark Rashid
Challenge: Pay attention to your situations this week.
Week 8 • October 26 - November 1st
“Trust is not built in big, sweeping moments. It’s built in tiny moments every day.”
— Brene Brown
Challenge: Where are you building trust this week?
Week 9 • November 2-8th
“When we only practice the things we are good at and stay away from the things that are hard, the things that are hard never get easier.”
— Mark Rashid
Challenge: What difficult things can you practice this week?
Week 10 • November 9-15
“When a belief becomes stagnant, growth is not possible.”
— Mark Rashid
Challenge: Examine your beliefs this week.
Week 11 • November 16-22
“Because of the horse…I have learned the quieter you become the more you can hear.”
— Vicki Tait
Challenge: Spend some quiet time contemplating this week.
Week 12 • November 23-29
“Like a murmuration of birds, when we move with awareness, we create beauty without trying.”
— John O’Donohue
Challenge: How can we find awareness this week?
Week 13 • December 1-6
“Humor is the great thing, the saving thing after all. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations, and resentments flit away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.”
— Mark Twain