Trust Your Wings: What a German Warmblood Taught Me About Seeking Validation

A mentor shared something with me recently that I didn't fully understand until I found myself standing in a German stable yard with ten men watching my every move.

"A bird doesn't trust the branch it lands on. It trusts its own wings."

At the time, I smiled. Nodded. Filed it away as nice wisdom.

But wisdom doesn't become real until you're forced to live it.

The Call

The call came earlier this year.

A warmblood show jumper was struggling. His canter had weakened over six months, affecting his ability to jump. His rider clearly loved him - they'd tried everything.

New tack. Different feed. Farrier adjustments. Multiple therapy sessions. One of Europe's top vets had examined him thoroughly and ruled out pain.

Still, the canter felt wrong. The horse was starting to compensate in other areas of his body.

After my initial call with the rider, hearing the complete history of everything they'd already tried, I had a moment of doubt.

I doubted I could find what all these professionals had missed.

But I took the flight anyway.

The Pressure

When I arrived at the beautiful yard in Germany, I understood the stakes immediately.

Ten men waited for me.

The rider. His business partners. The veterinarian. The trainer. Several others whose roles I never identified.

They presented the horse straight away. The expectation was clear - assess and treat. Now.

Everyone was staring. Waiting to see if I was worth the flight from the UK.

In that moment, I felt the familiar pull. The urge to perform. To prove. To meet their expectations immediately.

The branch was right there - solid, familiar, safe. Just do what they expect. Give them the show they're waiting for.

The Choice

But I remembered the bird.

Instead of caving to the pressure, I paused. Blocked out the distractions. Went back to what I know works.

The Horse Listener framework. The same approach I use every single time, regardless of who's watching.

Step one: Observe.

I watched this horse in all gaits. Both directions. I observed how he stood, how he interacted with his environment, how he breathed.

Before I even laid hands on him, I stopped and said what I saw.

"There's a break in his pattern on the right rein. In walk and canter."

I asked the vet about the x-rays. Mild changes in the left hock, they confirmed. But nothing to explain the canter issue.

I smiled. Said nothing.

Step two: Assess.

When I examined him, I found it. A noticeable difference in flexion between the left and right hind. Nothing fancy - just the simple act of picking up each hind leg and feeling the difference.

I asked more questions. This continued for fifteen minutes while ten men watched and waited.

Eventually, I gave my opinion based on what I saw and felt, not what I was expected to find.

"We don't ride the x-ray. We ride the body of the horse. If there's a noticeable difference between the right and left hind, how can this not be affecting his canter?"

The vet and I went deeper into anatomy discussion. We agreed on the best next step - a four-week intensive corrective exercise plan tailored to what I'd found.

The Result

Week five, the rider called.

"The canter has never felt this good."

Not because I did something revolutionary. Because I trusted my framework instead of the pressure.

The framework gave me something those ten men couldn't take away: clarity and inner confidence.

Not from their validation. From trusting my own wings.

The Real Lesson

Since that day in Germany, I've noticed something uncomfortable about my own patterns.

I ask business direction questions when I already know the answer. Seek support for decisions I've already made. Keep landing on branches instead of trusting my wings.

The framework works. I proved it in front of ten skeptical men in a German stable yard.

But I only access its power when I stop seeking validation I don't actually need.

Branches vs. Wings

Those ten men were the branch. Solid. Familiar. Ready to support me if I just did what they expected.

The Horse Listener framework was my wings. The thing I'd developed through thousands of hours with horses. The methodology I knew worked because I'd proven it over and over.

I could have landed on the branch - performed for them, given them the show they expected, sought their approval at every step.

Instead, I chose to trust my wings.

That choice made all the difference. Not just for the horse, but for me.

About The Horse Listener

The Horse Listener is a 6-week program that teaches equestrian women to develop complete understanding and effortless communication with their horse.

It's not about techniques to apply to your horse. It's about becoming the rider your horse is already asking for - the one who trusts their wings instead of landing on every branch.

Learn more at: https://www.nikavorster.com/newsletter

Nika Vorster is an equine chiropractor and professional rider who has worked with horses for 30 years. After representing Great Britain as an equestrian and winning races as a flat jockey, she now helps riders develop the kind of connection with their horses that transforms both horse and rider.