The coming episodes are going to be tackling a trend I’ve seen lately from our listener questions and the clinics I’ve been hosting–and it has to do with the mental side of horsemanship. Often times our brain gets in the way of our ride more than the horse does. And one of the key parts of our brain to exercise is our imagination. When Laura first came to me she told me that she rode horses as a kid but fell out of it later on in life. She told me she was dreaming of riding horses, and that dream was incredibly important. We’re going to talk about those dreams and the imagination to make them happen. Key Takeaways We’ve all been caught in daydreams before—imagining riding down a beach, through pasture, or by a herd of mooing cows. Often times this can be seen as unproductive or a waste of time. We’re adults, right? We live in reality. But the only way to change that reality, move forward and grow, is to dream and then take action on those dreams. As kids our imagination can get us in trouble. We might climb a tree and jump on a cow’s back just to see what happens. But there’s nothing wrong with that in a certain sense—visualizing new things, trying them out, and even when failing—learning how to grow and move forward. I think we all still need to dream like kids dream—big and bold. We can let our experience as adults help out with the logistics of that dream, but you have to imagine it first. My grandma used to say “Yard by yard life is hard, but inch by inch it’s a cinch.” Take small steps to your dreams, because often times we have to overcome obstacles to get there. It takes a lot of time and effort, but taking it one step at a time makes the journey much easier and enjoyable. Worrying about how you’ll get to your dream is creating obstacles that don’t exist yet. Worry about the why, then just take a step. The how is going to change all the time. Let us know what your dream is over on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/VanHargisHorsemanship/)—and just as important, what you’re gonna do to take a step towards it Remember—dream big and dream like a kid.   *Also, if you’re a fan of the show please take time to head over and leave us an Itunes Review (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ride-every-stride-horsemanship-personal-growth-van/id1161557321?mt=2) to give Laura and myself a glimpse of how we’ve helped you or what we could do better to help you ride every stride. (http://www.funpic.hu/_files/pictures/630/70/1/40170.jpg)