The Rider Who Listens

February 6, 2026

Take a moment right now and slow down.

As you read these words, notice something simple. Someone is reading them. Someone is listening. But who is that, really?

At first, we might think, it’s my body. I’m my body. That makes sense, right? But think about this. Your body has changed over time. You were once a child. Your body has grown, gotten stronger, maybe gotten injured, tired, or sore. And yet, you still feel like the same you inside. So maybe you don’t are your body. Maybe you have a body.

Now think about horses. A horse can change too. Muscles develop. Toplines build. Old injuries heal or flare up. But underneath all of that, the horse is still the same horse. The body changes, but the being remains.

In The Michelle Method, we treat the horse’s body with care and intention, but we also respect the horse as more than just muscles and joints. The same is true for riders.

So if we aren’t just the body, maybe we are our thoughts. That voice in your head that talks all day long. The one that says things like “I’m doing this wrong,” or “This should be better by now,” or “Why won’t my horse relax?”

But here’s the interesting part. If you were your thoughts, how would you notice them? How would you hear that voice talking? There must be something listening to the thoughts.

Think about being in the barn early in the morning. It’s quiet. Then a horse snorts or shifts in the stall. You can hear the sound because there is silence around it. The silence doesn’t go away when the sound happens. It holds the sound.

In the same way, there is a quiet awareness inside you that notices your thoughts, your feelings, and your reactions. That quiet place is steady, even when your mind is loud.

This matters more than people realize, especially with horses.

Horses feel what we bring into the space. They feel tension. They feel rushing. They feel frustration. If our mind is constantly noisy and reactive, our body follows it. Our hands tighten. Our seat stiffens. Our timing gets rushed. The horse responds to that, not because they’re being difficult, but because they’re honest.

When we start doing the inner work, we learn to notice our thoughts instead of being dragged around by them. We learn to pause. To breathe. To soften. That changes everything.

A rider who can observe their own mind becomes a rider who can choose better responses. A softer leg instead of a stronger one. A pause instead of a push. Curiosity instead of blame.

And it doesn’t stop with horses.

That same awareness helps us in conversations, relationships, and daily stress. We stop reacting so fast. We listen more. We respond with intention instead of habit.

In The Michelle Method, this is the foundation. Strong bodies matter, but calm, aware riders create the biggest change. When the rider becomes more present and steady on the inside, the horse feels safer, moves better, and learns more easily.

And from that place of awareness, real partnership begins.

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