When Showing Up Isn’t Enough

I thought I was making progress. Then my trainer got on and told me the truth I hadn’t wanted to see.

“He’s on the forehand. You’re fighting for a distance that doesn’t exist. We need to fix the canter.”

And just like that, all the effort I’d been putting in felt like it was missing the mark.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little crushed. I’ve been out there riding in the heat, sweating through my shirts, trying hard. I’ve also been in the gym, lifting heavy, training my own hind end. I’ve been working on flexibility. Strength. Mental clarity. I’ve been trying to put it all together and apply it in the saddle.

So to hear that my horse needed to go back to basics and that my struggle wasn’t just about my riding but about what I was being given to work with felt frustrating. Like all that effort wasn’t enough.

But the truth is, it wasn’t.

I’m strong. I’m committed. I’ve been showing up. But my horse needed help. And I did too. Not because I wasn’t trying hard enough. But because effort without alignment only gets you so far.

And that’s true in life, too.

We’ve all been in seasons where we’re doing everything “right.”
We’re pushing. Training. Working. Juggling. Trying.

But something still isn’t clicking. We can’t see the next step clearly. We’re reacting instead of riding forward. We feel stuck, even though we’re moving.

That feeling is one I know well. And for a long time, I told myself that if I just kept going, eventually things would come together. But now I know better.

Sometimes, showing up isn’t enough.
Sometimes, you need support. A new perspective. Someone who can get on the horse and say, "Of course you're stuck…this canter isn’t giving you anything to work with."

Sometimes, things have to be rebuilt from the back end. With rhythm. With balance. With intention.

That’s the work I do now. In the barn. In the gym. In my coaching.

Because I’ve learned that strength only works when it’s applied the right way. And change only sticks when it’s rooted in clarity. No amount of hustle replaces strategy. No amount of discipline replaces direction.

If you’re in a season where you’re trying, and it still feels like too much, I get it.

And if you’re starting to wonder whether the answer isn’t to try harder, but to try differently you’re not alone.

This is what The Klein-Smith Edit is for
To help you take what you already have; all that strength, wisdom, experience and shape it into something that actually works. Something sustainable. Something yours.

Let’s fix the canter. Let’s build from the back end. Let’s ride forward.

If you’re ready, I’d love to help.