Riding plateaus have a way of appearing right when things seem to be going well. One week I feel like my horse and I are moving forward with ease, and the next week it feels like someone quietly replaced all my progress with frustration. These stretches can sneak up on anyone, no matter how long they’ve been riding. What makes them so tricky is that they test both the rider’s patience and their confidence. Instead of dramatic challenges that force me to react, plateaus create a slow kind of struggle that makes me question whether I’m improving at all.