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.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about aging. My mare Aiden is aging, and I recently found out she has severe arthritis in her back. She can still be ridden, but it’s different now. I no longer ride her with goals of improving movements or unlocking the next level. I’m not asking her to be the best version of herself anymore.
Instead, I think about our rides differently. I ride Aiden to keep her comfortable, to keep her limber, to let her enjoy moving her body. I pay attention to whether she seems happy. I celebrate softness instead of collection and willingness instead of achievement.
At first, I felt sadness. It felt like something had been lost. But then I realized something surprising: maybe this isn’t a loss at all. Maybe, it’s simply a new season. And I’ve realized I’m seeing this same season play out in other parts of my life.
Some of the people I love most are aging too — and in a big way. The things I once admired most about them are changing: the quick wit, the sharp memory, the ability to reason through complex problems. Slowly, some of those things are fading. For a while, I found myself grieving that, too.
Then one day, I realized that maybe I was measuring them by the wrong things. Maybe what they gave me was never supposed to last forever. Perhaps the gift wasn’t their brilliance in the moment, but rather the gift was everything they had already taught me.
Now, instead of waiting for them to be who they were, I try to meet them where they are. When I get those moments of lucidity, or flashes of the person I remember so clearly, I treasure them. But more importantly, I ask myself different questions now:
How can I give back?
How can I give patience instead of expecting speed?
How can I offer dignity instead of frustration?
How can I become for them what they once were for me?
It’s a fine line, this aging thing. You want to honor who someone was without demanding they remain unchanged. You want to care without diminishing, and you want to help without taking away independence. And maybe that’s the lesson Aiden is teaching me. Love evolves. Partnership evolves.
The people and horses we love won’t always be able to give us the same things they once did. But if we’re lucky, age gives us the chance to return the favor.
To stop asking: What can I get from you? And start asking: How can I care for you?
Maybe that’s not the end of the story.
Instead, maybe that’s the most beautiful chapter.
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.
