Training Tip Tuesday:
The Power of the “Pause”
If you’re working with a Standardbred under saddle, here’s your golden rule this week:
Pause.
Not because they’re slow—but because they’re thinking fast.
Standardbreds are incredibly smart, often too smart for their own good. They’ve been trained their whole lives to respond to pressure and cues, but in a completely different language.
When we ask them to do something new—like carry a rider, bend through their ribcage, or pick up a canter—we’re not just teaching them a new skill, we are having to work with them on rewiring a lifetime of muscle memory.
So when your STB hesitates? That’s not defiance.
That’s them searching for the right answer.
👉 Ask.
👉 Then pause.
👉 Give them a moment to process
👉 Watch as the magic happens
Whether you’re introducing poles, contact, or that third gait that they know but believe they cannot do, build in moments of stillness. That pause gives them the space to try, to think, and the breathe, without fear of being wrong.
So this week, honour the pause.
Trust your STB to fill in the blanks.
Retraining isn’t just about progress.
It’s about the partnership you are putting together.
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