An effective trainer (or rider) looks at EVERY ride as a training session. An effective rider goes into every ride with a plan and fully expects the horse to be doing something 'better' at the end of that ride than it did at the end of the last ride, even a relaxing trail ride. To expect less will result in less. Horses seldom exceed our expectations. To get a better outcome than you anticipated is a 'gift' and you shouldn't expect one very often.