by Tonya Johnston, MA
Appeared in The Plaid Horse, January 2010

Imagine yourself going through your daily routine at the barn or a horse show and then ask yourself this question: What inspires you? What brings you joy, helps you work hard toward your goals, and reminds you how much you enjoy riding a horse? Is it a nice hack through the country? Succeeding in a hard exercise during a lesson? Watching a rider you admire look elegant mastering a difficult course at a horse show? Finding the moments and experiences that inspire you to ride and compete is an important and on-going process. It’s what gets you revved up, excited to try again when times are tough, and gives you hope that you are progressing down the road toward becoming the best rider you can be.

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by Tonya Johnston, MA
Appeared in The Plaid Horse, March 2010

It’s a dark night outside, and you are bundled into your hotel. Tomorrow you have to be at the show grounds at ____ (early!!). Your most important class goes first, and you are hoping you feel prepared and ready to go when you enter the ring. Your horse has been schooling well at home, your trainer is happy, and you are riding effectively and confidently. So why is it that you are sitting in your hotel room biting your nails, feeling tired and slightly queasy? And, more importantly, what could you be doing instead?
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by Tonya Johnston, MA
appeared Eventing USA,  July/August 2008

OK, let’s not pretend. Famous or not, international or local - it has happened to all of us. You know it, I know it, your friends, family and trainers know it. (Heck, it has even happened to many of those same trainers at some point in their riding careers!) What are we referring to? The dreaded competition moment, “Oh dear, not now - is this really happening? I absolutely, positively have no fathomable idea where to go next.”

At this point most of us have either pulled up, jumped something at random that looked inviting, or circled until a jolt of inspiration hit us like a meteor from outer space. In addition, feelings of shock, mortification, sadness and the-floor-just-dropped-out-beneath-you often ensued. Is this normal? Yes. But if it happens to you more than once in a (very) blue moon, then the strategies and tips provided here will assist you in making it a thing of the past once and for all. (Frankly, even a fear of losing your way can inhibit your riding skills. Better safe than sorry, right? Read on.)

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by Tonya Johnston, MA
appeared in The Plaid Horse, September 2009

You jump the last fence in your course and make your closing circle. As the applause dies down (yes, there was lots of whooping and clapping) you exit the ring giving your horse a pat on the neck. What happens next? Obviously the five minutes after you come out of the ring are very much driven by your trainer, but, like many things in riding, there are a lot of opportunities to support, encourage and teach yourself as well.

As your trainer debriefs the course with you, you are also reviewing your effort. If you have another round right away this process will of course differ slightly than if you do not. Either way, there are strategies you can employ to cement the good things and lock in the lessons that you would like to embrace in the future. We discussed your pre-ride routine for the back gate in Part 1; now we will look at some ideas that can be a consistent part of your post-ride routine in Part 2.

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by Tonya Johnston, MA
Appeared in Eventing USA September/October 2009

People’s knowledge about the field of sport psychology and specific performance enhancement techniques can vary quite a bit. This breadth of information can range from the basics (”What is positive self talk?”), to the more subtle benefits (”Can breathing techniques energize me?”). In the interest of promoting education about sport psychology, my column for this issue will be a small quiz. To play along: take a folded piece paper to help you read each question slowly, decide if you think it is a true or false statement, check yourself and then read the explanation. How do you think you will do? There is no need to keep score - this game (as with many things in life) is about the process, not the outcome.

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by Tonya Johnston, MA
appeared in Eventing USA Magazine, July/August 2009

What do you think you can accomplish on a horse? Do you believe you can be calm and focused in your stadium round next week? Are you going to get strong enough to sit your horse’s trot for more than three laps of the arena? Do you think you will be successful at the next level?

What you believe about yourself, your abilities, your horses and the world at large play a large part in creating your experiences. Although these beliefs exist at a deep level, and are thus sometimes hard to identify and adjust, it is important to take stock periodically to ensure they are 100% helpful to you.

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by Tonya Johnston, MA
appeared in The Plaid Horse, August 2009

In the ideal world you are always confident, focused and positive right before you go in the ring. However, most of us live a world with a bit more variety. Some days are terrific, some not-so-good. How about you? Have you ever found yourself at the back-gate wondering when the butterflies in your stomach would stop doing jumping jacks? Preoccupied with worry about being in the top four so you could be champion? Or perhaps you have been busy noticing who was on the rail to watch your trip? If any of these sound familiar (or if you could write your own list of similar off-track concerns) you may be interested in some suggestions on how to effectively and consistently utilize those last moments before you walk into the ring.

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by Tonya Johnston, MA
appeared in Eventing USA Magazine, July/August 2009

My last article on communication focused on the way you communicate with yourself. The goal was to help explore your core beliefs, your self talk, the use of affirmations, and changing negative messages into positive and productive ones. So, have you paid more attention to your self talk in last couple of months? Have you observed your self talk influencing your behavior and performance? Awareness is the key; the more aware you are of the messages you are sending yourself, the more productive you will be at keeping your mindset on track.

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by Tonya Johnston, MA
appeared in Eventing Magazine September/October 2008

Think back to the best clinics you have ever attended. (If you have never gone to a clinic, try to recall terrific lessons from your past.) What memories stand out from those experiences? Why did you have such a good time? As you reflect, notice what skills you utilized in order to do so well. I’ll wager that your best outings happened not only when you were with a great clinician, but your attitude and focus were both on point as well.

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by Tonya Johnston, MA
Appeared in Showbiz Magazine, May/June 2009

It’s safe to say that getting a junior rider to the ring is a team effort that includes a lot of parental support. Whether it is emotional support, organization, time management, transportation, financial backing - or a big mix of all of these factors, most juniors owe a big debt of gratitude to their parents for making their competitive lives workable and successful. Now, does that mean that the team cohesion between parent and child is perfect and the team runs like a Swiss watch? Perhaps, but it is also possible that the parent-child relationship as it relates to horse shows could benefit from a small tune-up now and then.

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