Psychology

horse rider psychology, mental horse riding traps, improve horse riding focus, April Clay

What are mental traps? They are those little mental glitches you fall into again...and again. Here are some common traps and deep trenches that can lead you off your game.

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There is a saying that best sums up getting ready for the competitive arena, “if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. Preparation doesn’t just mean training your skills. Yes, you have to replicate what you learned to do at home, but there is more. A performance situation places different demands on the rider.

If you are like many riders, there are times when you wish you could relax on command. Of course, it’s very difficult to will yourself into a pleasant lull when you most need to. Fortunately, you can learn how to truly relax your body so you can “push the relax button” in times of stress. It just takes a little work.

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Raiders who have never invested in their own mental training will cope as well as the next person. They possess “ordinary” skills that will assist them in coping to a certain level. On the other hand, those who train specifically to develop their toughness skills can become “extraordinary” in this area; it is very much a learned skill.

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There may come a time in your riding career when you find yourself saying: Why do I put myself through this? Why do I show? It usually arises when you’re under considerable stress, or after a cycle of disappointment. It can happen for many reasons, and when it does, it’s time to put the joy back into competing with your horse.

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Riders, at some point in their careers, usually know physical fear. Reoccurrences of physical fear can be confusing and really interfere with your riding pleasure. Some even give up at that point, exhausted from the inner struggle. There are things you can do, skills you can learn, to get yourself back to all that fun you’ve been missing.

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Riders hear and feel the call of the “fear alarm” for two main reasons. One is the awareness of the possibility of physical injury or pain. The second has to do with threats of a non-physical nature. This is the kind of fear you feel when you experience threats to your emotional self.

Perhaps the most important component of goal setting success is intention. Deciding on a goal is determining your destination, but intention is about focusing your mind on your path. It is your intention that ultimately creates the energy that moves you forward.

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You’ve got the championship, the horse you always wanted, moved up a division, or mastered a high level skill. You feel as though nothing will ever hold you back again because you, the winner, are in complete command. Now what?

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Riders all too often give up on their “confidence” with the first failure. They think, “Well, that didn’t work. Thinking positively just doesn’t work.” Sure it works, but it’s not magic. The good news? Confidence is yours to have and to keep if you develop it and take care of it properly.

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