Are You a Horse or a Jockey?
Did you know the attachments on a racehorse’s headwear (frequently known as blinders) are called blinkers?
Their role is to quite literally control what the horse can see in a blink — limiting its vision to what’s directly ahead and blocking what would catch its eye in the periphery.
The term comes from older English usage of “blink,” which didn’t just mean closing your eyes, but also glancing or looking sideways briefly.
Blinkers stop that side-glancing behavior. They prevent the horse from “blinking” attention toward distractions like other horses or the crowd, keeping its focus fixed forward.
Blinkers aren’t about blindness. They’re about intentional sight. Choosing what you allow into your field of vision, and just as importantly, what you don’t.
There comes a healthy & necessary time in running your business when you need to put your blinkers on. In the early stages, it actually makes sense to wear “looser” blinkers. You need some visibility into your competitors to understand pricing, positioning, and gaps in the market.
That awareness of your surroundings is what helps you get your footing.
But if you stay there too long, constantly looking side to side, you risk becoming reactive. You start shaping your business in response to what others instead of building something distinct. You’re keeping up instead of trailblazing.
That constant side-glancing is costing you your edge. A distracted horse is not a champion horse.
At a certain point, you have to tighten the blinkers. As your business matures, winning comes from committing to your own vision, your own customer, and your own standards of excellence.
The businesses that stand out aren’t the ones endlessly scanning their competitors. They’re the ones that knew when to stop looking sideways and start running forward with power.
But never running alone.
Every great racehorse has a jockey.
You can’t carry the weight of watching every competitor move while also trying to execute at a high level.
While the horse runs with conviction, the jockey is the one scanning the field, reading the pace, and making strategic adjustments in real time. The jockey sees what the horse can’t and shouldn’t be focused on.
The strongest businesses are the ones that stay focused on their lane, while trusting the right people to guide, position, and navigate the broader landscape.
That balance, of focus, excellent execution, and strategy is what creates a true champion.
What I know: You’re either the horse or the jockey.
You can’t be both at the same time and expect to win the race.
You might be the powerhouse force – maybe you’re the only one able to perform. You’re the one carrying the weight, doing the work, driving the team forward with high level execution. This is likely the case if you’re the chef, artist or service provider in your business.
You might be the jockey. The one holding the vision, reading the landscape, and making the strategic calls that guide the whole race. This is likely if you love the quarterly planning, business development, or marketing strategy in your business.
Where I see the most tension (and failure) is in business owners trying to be both.
You’re trying to run full speed while also scanning every direction, looking at competitors, adjusting their business plan, changing their logo, overthinking, and carrying it all.
If you’re in a stuck in this place, ask yourself: Am I a horse trying to be a jockey? Am I a jockey trying to be the horse?
You can avoid burnout and grow your business by committing to one or the other.
The good news is: they’re both champions.
