Resilience is built through gradual exposure — like muscle. Think of a progression staircase: soft ground first (pasture, sand, forest trail), then firm (fine gravel, hard dirt road), and only then rough (coarser gravel, stone). Short, frequent sessions beat long, rare ones. Your most important instrument is the horse stride: long, relaxed steps mean the level is right; short-striding means step back one level for a few days.