What I Saw On Horseback Last Week Still Gives Me Goosebumps

Hey! Prefer to listen instead of read the Newsletter? I got you! The Resilient Reiner Newsletter also comes as a podcast! 🎙️ Tune in to listen now! 

Hey friend,

I’ve got a story for you.

Last week, I saddled up for a trail ride that turned into something out of a western dream.

We rode through wide open country, winding along dusty paths that felt like they hadn’t changed in a hundred years.

✨ I watched a herd of bison graze just off the trail.
✨ A pronghorn antelope came tearing across the plain—so fast I barely caught it before it vanished.
✨ A bald eagle flew past so close I could see the glint in its eye—no more than 50 feet away.
✨ And at the top of the ridge, I sat in stillness, watching the sunset blaze across mountain peaks and shimmer over the water below.

It was quiet. Wild. Sacred.

And it hit me like a ton of bricks:

This is what confidence is really about.

Not ribbons.
Not scores.
Not who’s watching from the rail.

But being confident enough in yourself—and your horse—to saddle up and go live.

To ride out into the world.
To explore.
To experience the kind of moments that remind you exactly why you fell in love with horses in the first place.

Because here’s the truth:
If you’re not training your mind, your brain will keep convincing you to play small.

❌ “That trail looks steep.”
❌ “What if my horse spooks?”
❌ “I’m not ready for that kind of ride.”

But you are ready. You just need to train your brain to believe it, too.

That’s exactly what we do inside Resilient Reiner Academy.

Yes, we talk about the show pen.
But it’s so much more than that.

It’s about learning to trust yourself.
To ride with grounded confidence.
To stop second-guessing and start showing up as the horsewoman you actually are—whether that’s in an arena or on a mountaintop.

👉 If you’re ready to stop waiting and start riding like you mean it… doors are open: [insert link]

You deserve more than just “getting by.” You deserve goosebumps.

See ya out there,
Nicole

P.S. You don’t have to wait until you feel “ready” to do badass things with your horse. You train for it. And RRA is where that training starts.