Reflections on Leadership Lessons from the Saddle
By Vicki Mayo, CEO & Founder, TouchPoint Solution
Welcome to Bridle & Boardroom, a monthly reflection where the lessons learned in the arena mirror the challenges of leadership. I’m an adult amateur dressage rider, and the CEO and Founder of TouchPoint Solution, a company that creates wearable devices clinically proven to reduce stress and anxiety in seconds. Through horses and leadership alike, I’ve learned that balance, trust, and connection are at the heart of true success – in the saddle, in the boardroom, and everywhere in between.
As I finished riding my horse, Aiden, the other day, I slipped off her bridle and just stood with her for a moment. She was calm, quiet, and she looked at me with soft, trusting eyes. A loud noise startled the stillness — a slamming door just behind her. Five years ago, the Aiden I knew then would have spooked, tossed her head, and bolted sideways. But this time, she didn’t move.
Instead, she leaned into me — nudging my hands with her nose, asking not for flight, but for comfort.
This was not the same head-shy, anxious mare I rescued years ago. This was a partner. And in that moment, the lesson was crystal clear: trust takes time.
We often talk about trust in vague or inspirational terms. But real trust — the kind that’s unshakable even when there’s a bang behind you — is not built in a moment. It’s built in moments. Repeatedly. Over time.
In the boardroom, I’ve learned this lesson again and again. You don’t just “trust your team” because you hired them. And your team doesn’t just trust you because you lead them. That kind of cohesion, the kind where your team turns toward you when things go sideways instead of scattering, is forged over time.
That’s why the old saying holds true: Hire slow, fire slow. When you’ve put someone into a role, it often makes more sense to invest in training and coaching than to start from scratch. Why? Because trust is a time-based asset. Firing someone resets the clock. And time is the one thing you can’t compress in a relationship — professional or otherwise.
In dressage, this is obvious when you watch the great partnerships. Think of the most celebrated pairs — horse and rider moving as one, seemingly reading each other’s minds. The harmony looks effortless. But it isn’t. It’s thousands of rides, hundreds of quiet moments, years of trial, patience, and belief.
Sometimes, you can’t tell where the rider ends and the horse begins. Is the rider directing the horse? Or is the horse leading and the rider simply listening well enough to follow? That’s the magic of trust — a kind of mutual intuition that only time can buy.
Whether you’re building cohesion in the boardroom or harmony in the ring, don’t overlook the role of time. You can’t fake it. You can’t rush it. You just have to show up again and again — steady, consistent, listening.
One day, the horse that once flinched will lean in for comfort.
One day, the team that once questioned will step in without needing direction.
Trust is earned. And time is how you earn it.
About the Author
Vicki Mayo is the CEO and Founder of TouchPoint Solution, a serial entrepreneur, author, and adult amateur dressage rider based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her professional journey has spanned founding and leading multiple companies, while her personal journey has brought her back to the saddle after a two-decade hiatus. Today, she blends lessons learned in the arena with leadership insights from the boardroom, sharing her belief that trust, resilience, and connection are at the heart of true success – in business, in riding, and in life.
