| One thing I have learnt during my struggles | | | | 6. Practice Gratitude |
| to become a better horseback rider is | | | | |
| definitely non-negotiable: Whatever it is | | | | Be grateful for everything you have achieved |
| that you want to achieve with your horse and | | | | so far, no matter how small and insignificant |
| your riding, there is one fundamental concept | | | | a goal it was. Get a gratitude attitude |
| you have to accept in all its complexity: you | | | | |
| have to exercise you mind with as much | | | | 7. Goal setting |
| diligence as you exercise your body. | | | | |
| | | | Your self-esteem, awareness, ability to |
| There is a vast variety of mental exercises | | | | communicate with horses and people, energy |
| at the thinking rider's disposal: mental | | | | and happiness can all be amplified by your |
| rehearsal, anchoring, resourceful state | | | | use of goal setting. This type of |
| induction, eradicating limiting beliefs with | | | | confidence-building takes time, although the |
| affirmations, reframing, perceptual | | | | sense of achievement when you reach that |
| positioning and many more...at least one to | | | | elusive star, is an instantaneous confidence |
| suit every rider, though most riders prefer | | | | booster. So aim for the moon, if you miss it |
| to use their own combination of techniques. | | | | you will still land amongst the stars. |
| The following ten are some of the greatest | | | | |
| confidence boosters for horseback riders. | | | | 8. Reframing |
| | | | |
| 1. Start by accepting yourself exactly as | | | | In reframing you choose what an event will |
| you are. | | | | mean to you and how you are going to respond |
| | | | to it emotionally. After a dressage test you |
| You are good enough exactly as you are now. | | | | can focus intentionally on what went well, |
| That does not mean that there is no room for | | | | instead of every little thing that went |
| improvement, just that you are perfectly | | | | wrong. Usually we tend to maximise our |
| acceptable in whatever state or condition you | | | | blunders, even if they are by far in the |
| are right now. And while you are at it, give | | | | minority. Often we are blind and deaf to our |
| your horse a break and accept him too - just | | | | own successes. |
| as he is now. | | | | |
| | | | 9. Get rid of limiting beliefs |
| 2. Mental rehearsal | | | | |
| | | | Most of us have very rigid ideas of who we |
| Athletes every where use this technique to | | | | are, what we can or can't do, what we do or |
| prepare themselves form competitions. | | | | don't believe about horses and riding, about |
| Imagining and fine tuning every step of their | | | | instructors and farriers and vets. Very few |
| performance results in a dramatically | | | | of us are willing to adjust our beliefs even |
| enhanced outcome. | | | | in the face of overwhelming evidence to the |
| | | | contrary. Instead of changing our beliefs, we |
| 3. Installing anchors | | | | get even more entrenched in our comfort zone, |
| | | | and decide instead to find some one or |
| An anchor is a stimulus that generates a | | | | something else to blame: our horse, for |
| specific state of mind. For example, touching | | | | example. Or the weather, another rider, the |
| a thumb to an index finger while holding the | | | | course planner, the trainer, our instructor |
| reins could be an anchor that will make you | | | | etc. etc. |
| feel more confident in the saddle. | | | | |
| | | | 10. Discover your learning style and stage |
| 4. Journaling | | | | |
| | | | Your mental fitness determines how |
| Keeping a journal or training can be a | | | | efficiently you learn; how easily you |
| powerful confidence booster. When you feel as | | | | remember new information and master new |
| if your training is going nowhere, you can | | | | skills. How effectively you can use your |
| look back at past achievements to remind | | | | brain to achieve the goals you aim for is |
| yourself that one often feel discouraged just | | | | subject to your level of mental fitness. |
| before one's greatest breakthroughs. | | | | |
| | | | Start your mental fitness program today. You |
| 5. Hypnosis | | | | get mentally fit in exactly the same way as |
| | | | you get fit physically. By exercising your |
| The power of suggestion to the sub-conscious | | | | mental muscles. Daily, preferably. Otherwise |
| mind can not be neglected. I believe it is an | | | | as often as you can find time. The fitter you |
| essential supplement to the thinking rider's | | | | are mentally, the more spectacular the |
| mental toolkit. | | | | increase in your confidence. |
| | | | |