Have you felt torn between sticking to your plan and trusting your intuition in the ring?  It’s a challenge so many riders face—because let’s face it, every horse, course, and situation can change in a heartbeat.

Planning gives you structure, while intuition helps you adjust in the moment. The key? Learning when to let go of the plan and tune into your feel.

We’re sharing 5 simple strategies to help you strike that balance, trust yourself, and make mistakes work for you (yes, mistakes!).

5 Strategies for Balancing Plans and Intuition in Riding

 Make the Plan, Then Let It Go
Planning is essential for success—but don’t let it take over. After walking your course and making a strategy, store it in the “back of your mind.” When you step into the ring, let your horse and the moment guide you.

 Try this: As you ride, focus on rhythm or position, not obsessing over the plan. Your intuition knows what to do if you trust it.

 Practice Under Pressure
Confidence grows in challenging situations. The more you expose yourself to difficult exercises in training, the easier it will feel to react in real-time at shows.

 Add tricky combinations, lines, or distances to your schooling sessions.
 Train with a coach who pushes you outside your comfort zone.

This prepares your brain (and your intuition) to handle the unexpected.

 Shift from Judging to Learning
When things don’t go as planned, self-criticism is natural—but it doesn’t help. Instead of judging yourself, view mistakes as feedback that improves your intuition.

 Next time something goes wrong, ask:

• “What can I learn from this?”
• “What will I do differently next time?”

Mistakes aren’t failures—they’re how we grow.

 Create an Awareness Point
When your mind starts to overthink, redirect it. Focus on something happening in the moment—your horse’s rhythm, the feel of your reins, or your seat position.

This keeps you present and provides your intuition with the information it needs to guide you.

 Tip: Awareness doesn’t mean overanalyzing. Tune in to your horse, not your self-criticism.

 Celebrate Mistakes as Progress
It’s time to reframe how we view mistakes. Each “oops” moment is a chance to develop better feel and intuition.

 Did you miss a distance? Use it to practice adjusting for the next one.

 Fell off? It’s okay—take the lesson, not the shame, and keep going.

Every professional rider got where they are by making (and learning from) mistakes. So celebrate them as stepping stones to your success!

Ready to Dive Deeper?
Listen to the full podcast episode ‘Balancing Plans and Intuition in Riding’ where we explore:

• How to combine planning and intuition for better rides.
• Why professionals seem to “ride by feel” so effortlessly.
• How making mistakes is your secret weapon for growth.
  
  

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Here’s to trusting your plan, your intuition, and yourself—one stride at a time. 
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