Progress Comes One Small Step at a Time
I may have found the secret to getting through hard seasons with horses — and honestly, with life in general. I call it: just do what you can do.
Maybe that sounds overly simple, but it’s helped me more than almost anything else over the years.
Horse people are especially good at carrying guilt around. We feel bad when our horses haven’t been ridden enough, when training plans fall behind, or when life gets so busy that even getting out to the barn feels overwhelming. And once that guilt starts piling up, it can turn into paralysis surprisingly fast.
Sometimes the pressure to do everything perfectly keeps us from doing anything at all.
Confidence Builds One Step at a Time
Years ago, I asked another trainer how he handled riding a particularly explosive horse known for bucking, bolting, and rearing.
I expected some brave or dramatic answer. Instead, he shrugged and said he only did what he felt confident managing that day.
Sometimes he simply hand-walked the horse around the arena. Other days he mounted, sat quietly, and dismounted without ever leaving the mounting block. Maybe the next ride they’d walk a few steps farther.
That was enough.
The idea stuck with me because it removed the pressure to force huge breakthroughs all at once.
Some Days “Enough” Looks Different
There are winter days when the wind is hammering the barn walls, the footing is terrible, and the horse feels just as tense and reactive as I do.
On those days, I remind myself that small effort still matters.
Maybe I only do:
- A little liberty work
- Grooming
- Hand grazing
- In-hand exercises
- A short walk ride
- Mounting practice
And honestly, once I remove the pressure to accomplish something major, I often end up doing more than I expected anyway.
A simple fifteen-minute walk can quietly turn into lateral work, obstacle practice, or a productive training session without forcing it.
But even when it doesn’t, the horse still benefits from the consistency, attention, and connection.
This Helps Nervous Riders Too
I’ve shared this same advice with students who are afraid to ride again after losing confidence.
Sometimes progress means riding for an hour.
Sometimes progress means sitting quietly in the saddle for thirty seconds.
Sometimes it means walking twenty feet and dismounting.
That still counts.
Building confidence usually happens through small successful experiences repeated over time, not through pushing ourselves past the point where we feel safe or capable.
It Applies Outside the Barn Too
The funny thing is, this mindset started helping the rest of my life too.
When the chores pile up.
When bills feel overwhelming.
When writing feels impossible.
When motivation disappears completely.
Doing one small thing usually creates momentum for the next thing.
Write five sentences.
Wash a few dishes.
Pay one bill.
Brush the horse.
Sometimes that’s enough to get things moving again.
Little Efforts Add Up
Horse training has always been about consistency more than perfection.
Trust builds slowly.
Confidence builds slowly.
Habits build slowly.
And those little low-pressure sessions we sometimes dismiss as “not enough” often matter more than we realize.
Because over time, all those small efforts quietly become progress.
Feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Kim Roe grew up riding on the family ranch and competed in Western rail classes, trail horse, reining, working cow, and hunter/jumper. She trained her first horse for money at 12 years old, starting a pony for a neighbor.
Kim has been a professional dressage instructor in Washington state for over 30 years, training hundreds of horses and students through the levels. In recent years Kim has become involved in Working Equitation and is a small ‘r’ Working Equitation judge with WE United.
Kim is the editor of the Northwest Horse Source Magazine, and also a writer, photographer, and poet. She owns and manages Blue Gate Farm in Deming, Washington where she continues to be passionate about helping horses and riders in many disciplines.
