In riding, negative expectations so often become the reality (as in ‘I hope we don’t stop at the ditch!…’). When things are going well you have to ‘make it again, make it again’ - not stop doing it - and you can’t even afford to take time out and congratulate yourself! Hoping something good will happen is very different to expecting it to happen, and when it comes to impulsion, many riders set themselves up to ensure that it won’t happen. Naive teachers feed this rider lots of energy, and end up exhausted. There are other ways to encourage someone who is probably constrained by fear to step out of her comfort (and ineffectual) zone. I describe some difficult pupils who specialise in being their own worst enemy, and invite you to consider, ‘How teachable are you?’