“As if horses weren’t enough to deal with, we all have the distinct disadvantage of dealing with our own psyche. ”
for them to do just that. Ask for more consistency and higher quality and that will soon become the norm. Then raise the expectations again! Don’t get caught up in
thinking, “he’s young and inexperienced,” or “he’s never seen this before,” or “he used to race, drive, was ridden by a poor rider, mistreated, etc....” You don’t have control of where he’s been, but you certainly have control of the future, so change it!
RIDER’S MENTAL PREPARATION As if horses weren’t enough to deal with, we all have the distinct disadvantage of dealing with our own psyche. Often, we become the obstacle to our success. Libraries are full of sports psychology books, and I’ve included my favorites at the end of the article. Whether you call it positive thinking, peak performance, in the zone or the right attitude, training your mind is as important a discipline as toning muscles. Follow these steps to become the best rider you can be. 1. Ride for the right reasons. As I travel across the
country, I see this common problem across disciplines and geography. To become the best you can be, you have to have an intrinsic drive to become better at the sport. Like the free refills at your favorite restaurant, your reserves are never empty. No one in any sport will reach the pinnacle of their potential if their motivation is due to some external cause. Extrinsic motivation will fuel your desire in the short term, but in a time of need, your tank of energy will soon be empty. Without that limitless thirst, you might as well move on to other interests. This is especially true in equestrian sports. If you are peer-pressured into playing tennis, the worst that might happen is that you will get a work out and won’t enjoy yourself. It’s a rare event that your tennis racquet goes rogue, flies out of your hand and lands you in a grove of trees with broken limbs or worse. Then, during your arduous rehab, your racquet drains your bank account until you can find it a suitable owner. 2. Find a positive outlet for your nerves. Nervous energy can be debilitating or it can elevate your senses
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and allow for a higher performance. Countless outlets are detailed in books. Find the tools that work best for you. Those that I’ve found most effective are: Stare at a point in space to detach from a stressful
situation. Just before entering the ring, the start box or upon the first cry of the hounds signifying your initial run, take a moment to stare off into space. Find something off in the distance, and give yourself the time to realize that this overwhelming situation you’ve found yourself in is just a transient moment. You are just a small speck on this planet. The entire world is still revolving. Deep breathing. Count your breaths as you inhale and
exhale—one, and two, up to ten. Repeat until you feel a gentle relaxation. Visualize positive outcomes. I’ve found visualization is a key element of peak performance. Think of the largest venue where you might be most nervous. Every day when practicing, visualize riding in that venue. The trick with this one, is the day that you actually arrive at that very venue, visualize that you are there, don’t just say, well I’m here. This way every competitive arena or situation that causes you the most angst is now the same. Constancy is key to a calm, confident performance. 3. Process-oriented thinking. This might be the most important of the bunch. Think of your performance as a series of benchmarks that are not results based. The last thing you need to be thinking about in your last round is the fact that you must have a clean round without time or you need to score a goal in the last 15 seconds of the game to win. Think about your performance as a series of steps. Evaluate your results not as your final placing, but in the show jumping example that you had a balanced canter at an appropriate speed and
Above pictures: Doug competing Happy Valley.
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