There’s a pattern I see with my students again and again, and once you start noticing it, you can’t unsee it. The horse disconnects. It happens quickly. Within minutes the horse is distracted, high-headed, unsettled, often doing the exact thing that frustrates their human the most. The rider keeps trying, keeps asking the horse to calm down, keeps attempting to soften their own body, all the while quietly wondering what is wrong with the horse. And then something shifts, but

I am making a conscious decision to put down the title "RESILIENT." I've done my time. I don't want to be celebrated for my ability to...