The Power of Simple in Horsemanship

The Power of Simple:

What Gall’s Law Teaches Us About Horsemanship

I received an email from Seth Godin recently—one of my favorite business mentors—and he shared something that struck me deeply. Although he was talking about systems in a business context, the message applies to nearly every area of our lives… especially horsemanship.

He shared Gall’s Law, which states:

“A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system.”

I don’t know if there’s ever been a clearer way to explain what so many of us run into with our horses.

So often, we want the end result—the softness, the responsiveness, the calm trail ride, the beautiful transitions, the flying lead changes, the partnership that looks effortless. But we expect ourselves and our horses to produce those results without fully understanding, valuing, or committing to the simple foundation underneath it all.

And here’s the truth:

The foundation is the challenge.

The foundation is where people get impatient.
The foundation is where we want to skip ahead.
The foundation is where things feel “too slow,” “too boring,” or “too basic.”

But the foundation is also where everything begins to work.

When we build the simple pieces—on the ground, in the saddle, with clarity, consistency, and purpose—we create a system that can become something complex, beautiful, connected, and powerful.

If we don’t?
Then we’re forever trying to patch holes in the complex work… and we end up frustrated, confused, or starting over again and again.

True transformation happens when the simple becomes reliable.

Not when we push for more…
but when we understand the “why” and “how” of the basics so deeply that the horse understands them too.

Because once you understand the simple—and once your horse has been taught to understand the simple—adding one or two small elements at a time naturally compounds. This is where softness shows up. This is where ease of movement appears. This is where the levels grow.

Not through force.
Not through skipping steps.
Not through rushing.
But through the compound effect of good, simple foundations done well and done consistently.

So as you move into the new year with your horse, I encourage you to embrace the slow down that so many people resist. Embrace the repetition. Embrace the clarity. Embrace the small steps that stack into something extraordinary.

Because a connected horse-and-human partnership is never built from moving too fast.
It evolves—beautifully—from a simple system that works.