The Imperfect Ride (Pre-Order)

Coming September 2025

Busting the perfectionism myth so you can improve your performance in the saddle. 

Andrea Waldo—rider, trainer, instructor, and former psychotherapist—is back with her long-awaited follow-up to the bestselling Brain Training for Riders. In her new book she tackles the problem of perfectionism, providing a roadmap for riders to identify how the idea of “perfect” interferes with their natural progression and distracts from the day-to-day enjoyment of the equestrian experience.  

With Waldo’s guidance, born of both research and personal experience, readers consider both the positives and negatives of being driven to be “perfect.” They weigh the perceived benefits of holding oneself to the highest ideal and address the limiting effects they may not have been aware of, constructing a healthier understanding of the role of perfectionism in our world. Waldo scaffolds that new understanding with her distinctive exercises, providing a practical means to self-improvement that is both healthy and horse-friendly.

The natural phases of self-growth necessitate two things, Waldo professes: mistakes (because we can’t learn from them without making them) and the “messy middle”—the times when we’ve surpassed a skill or a situation but haven’t figured out what comes next. As is the case with fear, riders often feel like there's “something wrong with them” when they make mistakes or find themselves in the “messy middle,” when everyone else actually experiences the same thing.  

With her characteristic humor and intelligence, and her clear love for horses and equestrian sport, Waldo gives riders the tools to be inspired by ideals, rather than pressured by them, and to tie their self-worth to goals for high standards but not prizes or results. This is a book for all riders seeking a more satisfying, less stressful relationship with themselves and with their horses, which when achieved, is more likely to lead to success, whatever your goals may be.

Author: Andrea Monsarrat Waldo

Format: Paperback

Page Count: 224

Illustrations: unillustrated

ISBN: 9781646012794