HORSE MANAGEMENT ARTICLES
Laura King CHT NLP
SummitDynamics@aol.com
Riders believe that it is imperative to nail the “perfect spot” on the first fence, to perform flawless transitions, and to have perfect lead changes each and every time. When, once in a while, we don’t perform perfectly, we feel frustrated, embarrassed, and humiliated. Our performance then goes downhill very fast from there as we start to berate and reject ourselves right there in the riding ring.
All of this occurs because we expect perfection from ourselves.
To overcome the problems that occur because of a poor mind-set, I suggest you look at your riding from a brand new perspective. Take a step back. Realize that you are only human and that people make mistakes. The best athletes in the world and the most successful riders make mistakes as well. Remember that very few performances are flawless.
When a mistake is made it is important to learn to forgive yourself because you are only human. You must not let these imperfections, either large or small, to get the best of you.
Once a rider demands of him or herself that they be perfect, it is a downward spiral from there. Not only do they judge themselves against a false ideal, but they become convinced that other people expect them to be perfect as well. The end result is that the rider feels an extraordinarily unnatural and unhealthy amount of pressure when competing before a crowd. The rider becomes afraid of making a mistake because of the fact that it may reveal them as being less than perfect.
This fear causes muscle tension, negative self-talk, loss of focus, and an accompanying array of other harmful thoughts that stand in the way of achieving their own peak performance.
If you happen to chip a fence, or miss a transition, remind yourself that the mistake does not reflect on you as a person or an athlete – it’s the way you respond to that mistake that does.
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