Watching Olympians Beezie Madden or Steffen Peters as they put their horses through their paces, it’s tempting to imagine that they were simply born great. These riders work hard, to be sure, but through some happy accident the must have been blessed with the raw talent to launch themselves into the stratosphere of the sport.

Tonya Johnston rejects this view. A San Francisco-area sport psychology consultant, she has discovered that top competitors have one thing in common: Resiliency. “They feel good about themselves no matter what,” she says. “Even if they have a bad day, it doesn’t change the confidence and faith they have in themselves and their process. Elite athletes display a mental strength so that even if something goes wrong, it doesn’t damage their self-concept.”

Johnston, who works with athletes from a variety of sports, believes that this ability to stay focused on the long term is something that can be learned and perfected. A lifelong equestrian, she works closely with riders of all disciplines to help them overcome fear, come back from injuries, develop confidence or just polish what they’re already doing well. Many riders come to her because some difficulty in the ring has affected not only their confidence but their motivation. “They come to me saying they know they can be better, that they ride better at home than they do at shows, and that they’re not supporting themselves mentally,” she explains. “We talk about things like preparation, attitude, focus, energy management and communication as well as how they’re handling their down time. It’s not about how many strides to the jump - I leave that to the trainers.”

Equestrians, Johnston emphasizes, are faced with an inherently unique challenge. “You have a teammate with whom you communicate nonverbally,” she says. “A horse is a truth detector - they can tell if you’re nervous or feeling pressure.”

As a teenager, she remembers struggling at the beginning of every horse show she entered. “I’d do great in the last class on Sunday,” she says with a laugh. “I thought, Why can’t I ride like that on Friday morning?” So began a journey of understanding that athletic success was about “being able to focus and be in the moment,” she says. “You can be the best rider on the planet, but if you’re allowing worry, anxiety or self-doubt to affect you, it’s like tying one arm behind your back.”

Dressage rider Michele Cooper, who currently trains with Shannon Peters in San Diego, swears by Johnston’s approach. “I would never do a show without calling Tonya the night before to fine tune my strategies,” she says. Cooper first sought out Johnston when she was returning to competition with her talented but volatile Hanoverian, Lucky Girl BC, on whom she’d suffered several injuries. A badly broken arm kept Cooper out of the show ring for more than a year, during which time Steffen Peters showed the mare. Cooper says her fear wasn’t about getting hurt again, “it was about failing,” she recalls. “I kept thinking, I can’t do as well as my Olympic trainer. But Tonya helped me focus on what I could control, what I could do.”

In a series of phone consultations, Johnston asked Cooper to examine what made her successful in the past and had her create an intensive pre-show routine that involved everything from getting her own tack room where whe can “cocoon” herself before a competition to visualizing the show grounds and playing what she calls “happy music” for herself.

The system worked. At the Dressage Affaire in Del Mar this spring, Cooper and Lucky Girl came in third out of a very competitive field of 18 (including Steffen Peters) at Fourth Level, Test 1. “At this level, a lot of dressage is mental,” Cooper says. “The difference between being an amateur and being a professional is that competitive edge. Being able to slow things down in my mind to become more of a thinking rider in the moment has been my most valuable lesson from Tonya.”

Hunter trainer Beverly Jovais of Chestnut Hill in Northern California often kicks off the show season with a clinic in which her entire barn participates in mounted and unmounted sessions with Johnston. But she’s also called on Johnston’s services in an emergency, such as when a rider’s confidence is shaken or if they’re preparing for a major competition. “We have a vet, a farrier, an acupuncturist and a sport psychologist,” says Jovais. “If Tonya weren’t a rider herself, she couldn’t relate. But she can work with the ten-year-old who forgets her course and the older student who is afraid because her horse just runs over the jumps, and she’s helped my riders get over some really bad falls.” If a student is having a problem with negative or catastrophic thinking, Johnston will give them an index card with a stop sign on it or a mantra to repeat. Notes Jovais, “You always leave a session with a concrete tool.”

Johnston crafts individual plans that are unique to her client’s needs and goals. “All I need is someone who is interested in improving,” she says. “But until you build your awareness -  understanding what went right and what went wrong every time you ride - there’s no way you can do anything differently.” Homework is part of the process. “I’ll have clients write things down and refect on them. Habits of thought are just as difficult to break and change as are physical habits.”

Hope Glynn, who has 49 horses in training at her Sonoma Valley Stables, says working side by side with Johnston has taught her to be a better coach. “The biggest stress of my clients revolves around competitions or when they’re transitioning to a new horse or new level. Whether she’s giving students cues to work through anxiety or helping them stay focused in a difficult situation, Tonya teaches them new ways of thinking that carry over to other aspects of their lives.”

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.

Sometimes inspiration comes to you out of the blue, and sometimes you need to sharpen your awareness, look around, and gather it up. Either way, the start of a new show season is a great time to identify ways to keep it present in your day-to-day experiences and routines. Everyone needs a lift from time-to-time; what can be hard to figure out is how to get one. Here are a few ideas for some places to look.

Watch Riders you Admire

When you know how to ride, at any level, you understand how hard it is to ride effectively, elegantly and consistently. Appreciating the difficulty involved allows you to be inspired by excellence that you see around you. Some of you are lucky enough to ride at facilities where there are riders you admire and can watch regularly. For others that is not the case, and you must create opportunities to observe the very best. Being able to be a spectator at the bigger horse shows is one way to watch high-level riders not only perform in the show ring, but warm up and relate to their horses before they perform. Using video can be another way to view a level of riding that is inspirational to you.

Use observation to fuel your imagination of what you can achieve in your own riding. Let’s say you have a performance goal of keeping your eye up and focused through each corner. You would want to then watch someone you admire and look specifically at where their eyes focus on course. Notice their habits of directing their gaze and let it motivate you to strive for the same level of accuracy.

“The best and fastest way to learn a sport is to watch and imitate a champion.”
- Jean-Claude Killy, 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist

Revisit the Best Rides of your Life

Remembering your greatest rides is a wonderful way to generate positive emotions and excitement. Ideally you have a method of tracking your rides, so that you can visit the specifics of the experience with ease by reading back through your notes. However, with or without a log of your rides, you can use visualization to remember back to that specific time and place (whether it was a lesson, hack, or a round at a show). Allow yourself to relive, enjoy and experience the ride fully with all of your senses as you walk yourself through it. When you remind yourself of the best you have been - the most in tune, the most focused, the most in the moment - you bring those skills to life and remind yourself that you are capable of creating them in your riding.

Use Music

You can influence your mood, attitude and inspire yourself to greatness with just the right song. Music is a simple way to impact your motivation effectively and immediately, at just the times you may need it most. The music you listen to may be useful on many levels: it may be tied to successful memories from your past; have lyrics that get you going or help you persevere through tough times; or contain a tempo/rhythm/pace that is energy producing.  Creating playlists and mixes has never been easier, and it is worth learning how to create them if you don’t already know. (Any 12 year old can help you out if you get stuck!) By sorting, mixing, freshening, and being creative with your music you can generate inspiration anytime you push ‘Play’.

Appreciate the Simple Things

Rushing to the barn for a quick lesson after school or work, cramming in homework in-between classes at a show, commuting long distances to ride, getting up early to compete without enough sleep - all are examples of the ways that you can get tired and worn down. Once you are in that state it can be difficult to feel ‘inspired’ at all! In fact, you may start to feel like riding is part obligation, part enjoyment. In order to find your inspiration it can be helpful to look to the small pleasures to get you back in the groove.

Can you remember the last time you gave your horse a hug? Or took him out to graze and sprinkled carrot pieces in the grass? Or gave your trainer a big smile and thank you at the end of your lesson and quickly told him/her what you felt the most proud of? Finding joy in the small acts can help you bring joy and inspiration back into your daily riding routine. Everyone on your team, including you, will be the better for it.

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?

‘Rest’: You Need it, How to Get it

It is safe to assume that the night before a long horse show day you need to take it easy; but what truly counts as rest? Is resting staring at the ceiling for three hours worrying and hoping that you lay down the winning trip? Is it resting if you stay up late eating pretzels and talking about horse show gossip with your friend? How about those two hours from 2 - 4 am when you lie there in the dark? Do those count as ‘rest’?

Rest can be defined in a variety of ways (leisure, sleep, physical relaxation, etc.) but we will define it here as time you are not thinking about riding or physically exerting effort (or holding tension in your body in any way). So how can you rest when you need it most? Experiment with the following to find the best combinations for you.

Physical Rest and Relaxation

There are various ways to help your body feel that it is in a state of relaxation. (Do any of them involve pacing your hotel room or running up and down the hallway at the hotel being silly with your friends? Ah, no.) Good ideas do include: Gentle stretching, yoga, a hot shower or bath, lying down with your feet elevated, slowly doing range of motion exercises, etc.

Mental Rest

Taking a true break from thinking about the show, your horse, or riding in general is very important. You can plan to occupy some of your down time with fun TV, movies, magazines, music, books, games - anything that is enjoyable and low stress that will hold your attention away from horses will be useful. Plan ahead to have these kinds of things on hand! (Notice how homework and work were not on the list, those may be required of course, but do your best to also have some true time off if possible.)

Relaxation Techniques

So you want to relax but you just can’t seem to do it. Now what? These can help: long, slow breaths with a focus on exhaling for longer than you inhaled; tensing and then completely releasing all of your major muscle groups, particularly areas where you tend to be tight; or creating mental and physical relaxation by imagining you are on a beach in Hawaii (or some place you associate with resting, relaxing and being at peace).

Preparatory Visualization

Realistically, you are going to spend some time thinking about the horse show. It’s best if you can harness that time and make it truly productive. When you vividly imagine yourself riding successfully in the show ring, you are in effect teaching your body how to respond to the challenges you will face in competition.

By drawing out some courses for yourself the night before the show you can visit the environment you will be riding in the next day. Keep this brief, ten to fifteen minutes at the most. It is ideal if you have shown at the venue before, or if you have at least been at the show grounds and know the ring you will be in so that you can create a specific and accurate image. If you are at a multi-day show, use some time at night to revisit the best parts of your rides that day to strengthen the aspects of your performance that you want to repeat. (Be disciplined about focusing on your successes and imagining solutions to the things you would have liked to do differently.)

Nutrition/Hydration

People have slightly different approaches to what they think is ‘good’ nutrition. Suffice to say that you may have an idea of the importance of eating a balance of protein, carbohydrates, fresh fruit and vegetables, etc. especially the day before exerting yourself in competition  - go with that knowledge! What follows are a few suggestions about nutrition management the night before the show and perhaps while you are on the road for a few days.

1. Plan ahead: Be realistic about your timing for dinner (yes, be sure to eat dinner!), eating at a reasonable hour can greatly impact your ability to fall asleep and to get going in the morning.
2. Bring healthy snacks from home: Have things on hand that you can use to fill in that last pang of hunger before you go to bed (a candy bar from the vending machine is less than ideal!).
3. Drink water: Staying away from caffeine and sugared beverages at night is hopefully something that has already become of your regular routine before you show. If not, consider changing your habits as you will see a real difference your capacity to settle, calm your mind and get your body into a relaxed state.

Going to a horse show is a time to focus on having fun and feeling confident in your ability to accomplish the goals you have set for yourself - use the above suggestions to help you prepare the night before!

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.)

Why do we go off course?

How do we get lost in the first place? We learn the course (if that is difficult for you, fear not, we will address that as well), we can recite it to anyone around us, we practice in our minds, we ride the dressage tests at home, we walk the cross country three times, we visualize the show jumping course, etc. etc. etc. So where and how does it go out the window in the moment(s) we need it most?

“Right now I’m having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before.”  - Steven Wright

• Nerves/tension: Excess energy that comes up in competition can be a distraction for our minds and bodies. For example, we may find ourselves internally focused and therefore not able to react, think and ride effectively (e.g. noticing a pit-in-the-stomach feeling, shortness of breath, racing heart).

• Distractions: These may come from a variety of sources such as external factors (crowds, other riders, etc.), internal factors (rapid and unfocused self talk), or our horse (for example, unexpected spookiness). These distractions take us out of the moment and prevent us from riding our course plan the way we intended.

• Lack of preparation: A lack of sufficient preparation before entering the ring or going on course can easily leave us feeling rushed and scattered; therefore vulnerable to memory lapses and many types of distractions.

• Incomplete learning: If your method for learning the course and making your course plan is faulty to begin with, you are setting yourself up for trouble when you get in the ring.

• Thinking behind ourselves: Allowing the past (a rail on the first jump or a missed transisiton) to consume our focus, making us ill-equipped to respond to what is in front of us.

• Thinking ahead of ourselves: Worry or fear about a particular part of the course may cause us to take the more ‘basic’ components for granted, or create a complete lack of focus that makes staying on target impossible.

• Faulty belief system: If you have a deep-seated belief that you are a person who goes off course a lot - guess what?

• Complete system failure: This is self-explanatory - the “blue moon phenomenon” - but it can be prevented!

Identify Your Learning Style (and stick with it!)

Do you know your learning style? Are you a kinesthetic learner - best on foot, taking extra time walking and looking at the track you will ride while getting to know the unfamiliar surroundings at an event? Or will visual representation help to cement your course plan - by writing it down and then using visualization to help process the information? How about listening to the course plan described in detail by your trainer or talking it through and describing it to someone else?

Knowing your learning style (kinesthetic, visual or auditory) will help you choose methods and strategies that will be particularly effective for you. Learning and remembering are two different things, but make no mistake - they are also intimately intertwined! You can discover your style by thinking about what has worked best for you in the past, or you can find learning style assessment instruments online (Find a nice review of learning style assessment instruments at: adulted.about.com/od/learningstyles.) Although learning style is only a piece of the puzzle, it can help you immensely in building your competition routine.

Methods to stay on course

Many people do not take the time to recognize that mental mistakes that happen in competition have roots in the practices they employ every day in training. You may find yourself wondering how strategies for riding at home can help you remember competition courses you haven’t even seen yet. Or you may find yourself saying, “But I always stay on course at home!” Please try these strategies anyway - you will be surprised at the difference these ideas make when you work them into your practice rides and lessons.

At home strategies:

1. Practice with pressure: Create competition situations in your mind and then give yourself one opportunity to ride the exercise, test or course successfully. (See my article in the July/August 2007 issue.)
2. Practice warming-up and riding your test or course in two different rings.
3. Visualize specific to the show grounds: In the weeks before your event imagine yourself riding in those arenas or out on that particular cross-country course. Create vivid images that so you build your comfort level and confidence specific to the venue.
4. Practice walking courses at home: Both in actual rings and simulated arenas you create for yourself. Make a detailed course plan that integrates your goals as you walk and vividly imagine yourself riding the plan successfully.
5. Practice strategies for dealing with distractions, such as: a) Create cue words that are tied in with your performance goals to get yourself back on track should you become distracted on course. b) Choose places to incorporate a brief exhale on course, and use exhalation when you find yourself taken out of the moment to regain your focus and composure.

Remembering courses and tests in competition is a skill, no question. As with most skills it will improve with experience, but there are also a vast array of strategies you can employ to make the process easier. Below we explore a few of the best methods for staying on track at the event. (Be sure to bring the applicable strategies from the ‘at home’ list as well!)

At the event strategies

1. Find and note focal points for each ring or course on foot.
2. Write the course or test out on your own pad of paper.
3. Visualize your course specific to the competition ring - if certain courses do not make intuitive sense, or you find yourself making mistakes keep at it with your eyes closed until it is locked in (people sometimes give up too early on their preparation). Be sure to visualize the specifics of what you want to have happen in the corners of the show jumping ring or during the ‘breathers’ on the cross country course. Ride the course or test in ‘real time’ (for example, a show jumping round should take longer than 38 seconds to visualize!)
4. Integrate performance goals into your course plan.
5. Jump warm-up jumps imagining that they are particular jumps on course: Integrate turns before and after the jump to mimic turns you will face in competition. In this way you will practice the thought process you will use once on course to remember certain portions of the track.
6. Have a plan to deal with extra energy/nerves (breathing techniques, progressive realization tools, etc.).
7. Have one word cues to regroup from internal and external distractions on course. (For example, “Eyes” or “Forward” - cues that activate your focus and keep you mindful of your goals.)

The Optimal Idea

“Learn from the past. Prepare for the future. Perform in the present.” This quote by Gary Mack encapsulates how we need to view those days and times we have lost our way on course. Learning from past mistakes, take care to prepare mindfully, then trust your efforts will keep you on the right track.

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.

Find the Gems First

Whether your ride was fantastic and full of ‘Wow’ moments, or not so great and full of ‘Oops’ experiences, there are virtually always pieces that you can be proud of. When you come out of the ring, take a deep breath to gather yourself and allow a brief period of reflection. Find the gems first by identifying the best moments of your course - along with why they occurred. For example, what performance goals did you accomplish? The benefits of this process are two-fold. First, a post-ride routine that includes looking for the great moments creates a positive expectation before you begin. In effect you will have ‘primed the pump’ - which means you will have done something to ensure your success. Second, by examining what went right first you are strengthening the habits that led to those moments, thus improving the chance that they will happen again.

Craft Solutions Where Necessary

If there were some mistakes on course, allow disappointment to have a time and place, but keep moving through the experience. It is unrealistic to think a “Drat!!” or “Argh” won’t flash through your mind after a particularly unfortunate error. So, acknowledge your disappointment, then go quickly into ‘problem-solver’ mode (your trainer will be a big part of this process).

Instead of focusing on the mistake itself (”We stopped at the single oxer again!”) try to look at why it happened (”I looked down and tipped my upper body.”) then craft the solution (”I will keep my eye up on the middle of the front rail and open my chest at the single oxer next time.”). As a result of this process you will have found a succinct and realistic solution that you can focus on. Then, instead of replaying the mistake, replay how the solution will feel the next time you jump a single oxer with finesse and flair.

Visualize Successes Immediately

After coming out of the ring, have you ever noticed yourself replaying your mistakes over and over again in your head? Do you know what kind of effect that has on your mind and body? What you are doing is strengthening the likelihood of more mistakes, wasting your energy and a solidifying a gloomy attitude. Focus instead on those truly magical moments on course where you felt completely focused, smooth and in sync with your horse.

It is true that dedication, determination and perseverance may be required to help you visualize the best memories once you complete a round that also contained mistakes.
Why work so hard? Recreating the great parts of your ride strengthens the muscle memories that led to those successes - making it more likely you will repeat your finest moments. As you run through them again, also try to recapture the positive emotions in order to ’stamp’ them as helpful and encouraging experiences and those aspects of your riding will be further reinforced. The effort required will be well worth it with not only successful habits being built, but significant deposits being made into your bank of confidence.

Take Post-Ride Notes

Once you are back at the barn (not technically at the back gate anymore - but this is a valuable debriefing strategy worth mentioning) tracking your rides and courses can be a great way to reinforce the good, and learn from the not-so-good. Create a regular template for: writing down your course, remembering your preparation, specifying the goals you accomplished, and the things to improve (and how to improve them) and you are sure to make your horse show experiences work for you. Ideally you will take five minutes sometime after your ride to jot down these details, no matter how briefly, so that you can remember the keys to your success (and/or future success!). The act of writing them is also valuable as they will also create an encyclopedia of your skills and achievements to reflect back on in the future.

As you strive to be the best rider you can be, remember that your effort and progress need to be rewarded and acknowledged by someone very important - you! Never ignore an opportunity to give yourself a pat on the back when you come out of the ring, and recognize the constant development of your talents.

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.

1. Positive self talk just means saying “I can” instead of “I can’t.”
   
   False
   Using positive self talk to turn negatives into positives can feel weak and untrue to many people who don’t fully understand the technique. It is crucial to include the how in the response to the negative thought. For example, to counter the little voice in your head that says “I never feel confident before my stadium round” you want to shift gears and focus on what you can do or think (the how) that will help you feel confident. Instead of saying “I am confident before stadium” (which we know you don’t truly believe), you would say “I breathe and focus on my course plan before stadium”. The second statement is positive because it is realistic, in your control, and leads you to confidence - which is clearly what you felt you were lacking in the initial negative statement.
2. Goal setting can negatively impact your motivation and performance.
   
   True
   Goal setting can be dangerous if it isn’t properly balanced and crafted. To make sure goal setting enhances your motivation you must equalize outcome goals (winning, accolades, team selection, etc.) with performance goals (improvements in your own performance over time). This ensures that you are always able to track progress, even when results may be disappointing. You also need to phrase your goals positively (”Keep my eye up to every jump” vs. “Don’t look down”) to ensure that you are sending your body appropriate messages about what to do to be successful.

1. You have to have to be a nervous rider to benefit from sport psychology.False
   Many, many riders who have never been nervous or anxious have benefited from adding mental techniques to their mental toolbox. Instead of focusing on any one ‘problem’ the field of sport psychology offers many strategies to help athletes achieve consistent high-level performances. Since riding at every level requires both mental and physical skills, you must be excellent at both to truly excel. Many people now cross-train physically to be sure they are physically strong and fit; sport psychology can be looked at as a way to cross-train your mental skills.

1. Visualization is only effective once you are at a show and you know the course.
   
   False
   Visualizing before you get to the venue can be a terrific way to build your focus, confidence, and improve your performance. In the weeks before an event you can imagine your rides (specific to the arenas and terrain of your next show) several times a week to train your mind and body how you want to ride once you get there. Obviously this is facilitated by past experience at the show-grounds, but research on the internet for pictures and video can assist you in building positive expectations and life-like visualizations.

1. It is OK to make mistakes in your visualizations.True
   You can, and will, make mistakes in your visualizations and it is important to understand why that can be useful. There you are cantering to the last oxer in your stadium round and you feel yourself pull and pull again, adding two strides and dropping a rail in your pre-ride visualization. This is a moment that is based on habit and muscle-memory - but the fact that it happened in your visualization gives you an added opportunity to fix the habit. Re-wind the tape and focus on one or two things that are keys to maintaining your forward rhythm on the way to that jump. It’s OK to make the mistake, but you want to be sure to finish with a visualization of yourself riding the solution.

1. Mental techniques are only for competition.
   
   False
   Like any muscle you use to succeed physically in your riding, the more you practice, the better you get. You may occasionally use the techniques for different reasons in your schools at home, but you still need to practice in order to build strength of mind and focus. For example, in your lessons at home you may use your breathing techniques to bring your energy up; whereas at an event you may need to breathe effectively to relax and let go of extra energy before a ride.

1. With practice, you can control every aspect of your rides.
   
   False
   Somewhat of a trick question here, right? In riding there are many things that are out of your control. The weather, your horse’s mood, the course, etc. What you can learn to control 100% of the time - with practice and mental techniques - is your response and reactions. For example, your horse has more energy than you would have liked as you enter the dressage arena. Instead of being negative and frustrated, which can easily escalate the problem; you make a choice to respond proactively. By making a mental note to find additional places to exhale during the test, and concentrating on lowering your own arousal level, you take conscious control of your reaction and response to something that you have to cope with in the moment. By having awareness, presence of mind, and recognizing that every thought and behavior represents a choice, you can learn to react optimally in every situation.

1. Understanding your motivation to ride can greatly improve your performance.
   
   True
   When your goals are in line with your motivation, you ensure that your efforts will have a direct impact on your performance. Having a crystal-clear understanding of why you compete helps you make choices that bring you enjoyment, fulfillment and happiness. A happy rider is a resilient rider who will bring their talents to every situation.

1. World class riders don’t use sport psychology consultants.False
   Here’s hoping you got this one correct! Of course many of the world’s best have used sport psychology to get to the top and once there continue to use sport psychology. Your riding skill or level of competition does not determine the potential usefulness of these mental techniques. From beginner novice riders struggling to remember their courses, to Olympians looking for an extra edge, great riders embrace that there is always more to learn, and ways they can improve.

1. It is best not to bring your goals with you into the ring.False
   While bringing outcome goals (”I want to score xyz…” or “I am excited to go make my trainer proud”) can be detrimental to your focus because they are ultimately out of your control, performance goals can truly enhance your focus.  Take a personal, performance goal such as “Stretch and lengthen my body with each half-halt” and shorten it to a cue-word like “Stretch”. Then insert that cue into your ride plan, and you have brought one of your goals into the ring to strengthen your ability to focus in the moment. It is a simple way to unite your goal with your focus and physical awareness during a ride. It is proactive, positive and links a psychological pursuit - goal setting - with a physical accomplishment on your horse.

So, how did you do? It is a useful process to test your assumptions and challenge your knowledge about a given subject, just as we did with this quiz. In addition, Alice Rollins says, “The test of a good teacher is not how many questions can she ask her pupils that they will answer readily, but how many questions she inspires them to ask that she finds it hard to answer.” After reading this article you hopefully learned some new things about sport psychology and ways that it can help you ride your best, let me know if you have any questions.

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.

The goal of this article is to help you investigate the role your beliefs have in your day-to-day riding life. How to assess them, evaluate their usefulness and fine-tune them as necessary. This work is a true ‘inside job’ – others can give you advice, encouragement, or instruction, but only you can be sure the faith you have in yourself is helpful and true.

The Belief Pyramid

Do you believe it was random luck when your horse bulged left, spooked at a shadow to the right, and ended up staying on the direct track to the chevron? Or were you balanced and secure (to correct the drift), prepared for anything (including the spook), with your eye locked on your focal point to make sure your horse knew where you were going? Can you see the difference between those two perceptions and thus the beliefs that will ensue? (“I am a lucky rider.” vs. “I am a prepared and tenacious rider.”)

Beliefs you hold true are the basis for your expectations, self talk and actions. In the field of psychology, a term called self-efficacy describes the belief you have in your ability to be successful. When you believe that you will be successful, does that mean you will be every time? Maybe, maybe not - but you are much more likely to have positive expectations, tell yourself you can do it, and utilize your best skills and abilities.

What do you believe?

Try this: write a list of the beliefs you have about your riding abilities. Fist, focus on the positive by listing specific mental and physical skills that contribute to your success in the saddle. Give yourself 15 minutes to think, brainstorm and write only affirmative things. Next, write down things that are negative or limiting. Now compare the two. Are the negative beliefs fun, helpful or entertaining? (Trust me, the answer is no!) Hopefully the positive beliefs outnumber the negative ones, but if not don’t worry - there are ways to modify and erase those pesky negative beliefs.

The first and best thing to do to get rid of limiting beliefs is to determine if they are rational or irrational. It is the irrational ones (that hold us back unnecessarily) that we are pursuing here. (Such as, “I will never be confident jumping a down bank into water.”) These irrational and negative beliefs are suspect - they don’t help you succeed, and yet they linger in the deepest recesses of your mind.

Common Irrational Beliefs

Irrational beliefs are generated by many different thought patterns. It is not out of the ordinary to experience them, most everyone does. The problem occurs when you as a rider accept, preserve and endorse these self-defeating beliefs as universal truths. You have then severely limited your potential and your performance.

The following are examples of athletes’ commonly held irrational beliefs and distorted thinking:

Perfection is essential: “I must be perfect to be respected as a good rider.”

Catastrophizing: “I know that look in my horse’s eye means I will _____ (get run away with, trample my ground person, get eliminated for jumping out of the start box, etc.).”

One-trial generalizations: “I always forget my stadium course.”

Personalization: “Those people watching on the rail are all laughing at me.”

Polarized thinking: “I am not a true event rider if I can’t be in the top five this year, and I will quit if it doesn’t happen.”

Worth depends on achievement: “Thank goodness I won last weekend, now I finally know how to ride.”

Assess your Beliefs

Put your negative beliefs to the test and assess if they are rational or irrational, productive or unproductive by using the questions below. For example, let’s investigate the following belief: “I always ride terribly in my stadium round.”

1. Is the belief based on objective reality? Would observers see the event the way you perceived it, or do you exaggerate the situation?
2. Is it useful in some way?
3. Does the belief help you reach your goals, or get in the way?
4. Does the belief create emotions that help you feel empowered and capable while reducing your stress level?

It should be evident that when put to this test, the above belief is irrational. It may feel true to you but it is not based in objective reality (you stay on course, your horse leaves many jumps up and you have sections of every course where your trainer tells you that you rode well); it is not useful in any way; it prevents you from achieving your goals by creating a constant negative expectation; and it makes you feel tense and anxious.

Adjust Your Beliefs

In order to get a handle on your irrational beliefs and adjust them appropriately use a method, developed by psychologist Albert Ellis, called “ABC Cognitive Restructuring”. To use this method take an irrational belief you have identified and work through it using the following strategy:

Irrational Belief Example: “I can’t stay focused when my horse is bad.”

A: Activating Event

First, describe a typical event that leads to the belief, feelings and behavior.

My horse spooked five times on the way to the warm-up area.

B: Beliefs or Interpretations

Second, record the negative self-talk and beliefs.

“This dressage test is going to be awful.”

“I can’t stay focused when he is bad.”

C: Consequences

Third, identify the bodily reactions, feelings, and behavior that resulted.

Worry; my legs are not down and around my horse; my shoulders, jaw and neck are tense; my elbow is locked.

D: Dispute

Fourth, write rational and adaptive responses to use in the same situation.

“This is a challenge, but one I can solve. I know some good flatwork exercises to get his mind back on me.”

“I am in control of my body and my energy. When I remain calm, centered and keep my goals realistic I can make the best of any situation.”

You can see the negative impact the belief has on your behavior. Your expectations are negative, your self talk is unhelpful, your body is tense and locked – how do you think the dressage test would go if the belief is left unchecked? By taking the time to realistically and actively dispute the negative belief you mobilize your skills and talents. The “Dispute” section is crucial to this process. The next time you are faced with a similar situation you will remember that you have choices about your mental and physical responses. The experience of your horse repeatedly spooking does not have to equal a horrible test – so you can leave that belief behind and remember that there are many productive things you can do to create a solid performance.

The Optimal Idea

Wouldn’t it be silly if all that was standing between you and your best event ever were the old beliefs that your horse ‘doesn’t like new places’ and ‘I am really too old to be doing this’? Wilma Rudolph, the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field, and a childhood polio survivor, said, “My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces.” To develop from a child who couldn’t walk to an Olympic champion, her beliefs in her abilities surely grew and developed as her skills increased - be sure yours do the same.

]]> http://tonyajohnston.com/2009/12/believe-in-yourself/feed/ http://tonyajohnston.com/2009/12/what-are-you-thinking-at-the-back-gate-part-1-before-your-round/ http://tonyajohnston.com/2009/12/what-are-you-thinking-at-the-back-gate-part-1-before-your-round/#comments Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:37:43 +0000 tonya http://tonyajohnston.com/?p=472 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.

Setting the Stage

You have finished your warm-up and you have a moment to yourself - no one is talking to you, and the starter is about to send you into the ring. These few moments right before your round can get you focused and on-task– or they can create feelings of anxiety and doubt that can sabotage even the most prepared and well-mounted rider. Once your trainer finishes his or her final words of wisdom, you often have from 30 - 90 seconds on your own to gather yourself before you walk into the ring. So, how can you best use that time?

Keep it Smart and Simple

Use a preparation routine to create confidence for the ring.

Preparation is your key to confidence at the back gate. It is something that can’t be faked. By creating a preparation routine that is based on things in your control, it allows you to recognize when you have finished getting ready – just like checking off items on a list. When you are at the gate, you will know absolutely that your preparation is complete. Your preparation routine may include several things such as: visualization, taking time alone to rest and focus before you get on, eating a ‘power’ snack, writing the course down with specific cues for your course plan, listening to music – the list is personal and endless!

Experiment with different ideas and keep track of the ones that work. Create a plan that can remain the same no matter where you are showing. You will then be able to arrive at the back gate knowing you have done everything you need to do to have a great round. Completing a regular routine for each class at a show will improve your confidence at the back gate, and therefore your consistency in the ring.

Adjust your energy level.

You may need to bring your energy either up or down as you walk into the ring. Are you nervous or anxious? Or do you feel flat and ‘blah’? Either way, your awareness is essential. When you acknowledge how you feel, you can then take action to create your optimal energy level. An organized breath in through your nose and out your mouth can do the trick.

To relax, focus on an extra slow, gentle exhale through your mouth. Imagine all of your tense muscles relaxing and letting go as if you were blowing out a small candle in front of you. To increase your energy, lift your chin, open your chest and focus on a strong breath in through your nose; picture yourself breathing in strength and power to store for later use on course.

Use a mental or physical cue to transition from analysis and planning, to being fully ‘in the moment’.

You know the course and have your plan in place. It is time to transition out of your mind (and your assessment and analysis of the course) and into simply riding and reacting in the moment to your horse. The plan stays in your psyche, but only as a foundation for your focus. Now is the time to shift gears and make sure your mind and body are in sync, aware and on task in the present moment.

Having a simple cue to facilitate this transition can be helpful. You can use one of your goals for the course and shorten it down to a motivating word or phrase. For example, if an overall goal is to keep your horse in front of your leg, “Forward” or “Create” can be used as a final thought that sums up your plan and explains it succinctly to your body. You an also use a physical cue such as stepping into two-point, or rolling your shoulders back. The cue should help you lock into the moment through a sense of heightened physical awareness.

Entering the show ring is a time to acknowledge and own your readiness, then let go and enjoy the ride. Pick and choose from these ideas and ones that have worked for you in the past to create a consistent back-gate routine. You will then have some ‘quick keys’ to use before you walk into the ring to help you ride your best in every class, every day, at every show!

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.

In this article we will widen our focus to look at communication with those around you. More than simply working with individual athletes, sport psychology consultants devote a great deal of effort to helping teams improve their communication and cohesion. The more a team works as a unit, the better the results for all involved. This article will give you some ideas about how you can improve your communication with your riding team: your trainer, clinician(s), support team (family, friends, etc.), and of course – your horse.

How We Communicate

Communication involves giving, receiving and interpreting information. You are communicating when you are the one speaking, or the one listening. In fact, you are communicating all of the time (whether you intend to or not) as you process information on two levels – verbal and non-verbal.

Can you think of people in your life that are fantastic communicators? Why do you think they are so good? How about you? Which of the following qualities do you use to communicate effectively?

Qualities of good communicators:

• Empathy
• Honesty
• Sincerity
• Directness
• Positive attitude

Hopefully you feel that you possess these qualities and utilize them to the fullest when you communicate. Of course everyone has a unique experience in the world that colors how they process information, but using those qualities in your communication is a way to start from the best possible vantage point in all of your interactions.

Specific Communication Tools for Specific People

1. Your Trainer

When and where are you most likely to be communicating with your trainer? Whether it is in a lesson, at an event, at a meeting, or in a social setting the following tools will aid you in getting your message across successfully.

Be clear and specific. There are many ways that our messages can get damaged, so trying to be objective, unemotional and direct from the beginning gives you the best chance of being understood.

Maintain a can-do attitude. This will foster your trainer’s belief in you. Students rise to the expectations of their teachers - never forget that you contribute to your trainer’s expectations by framing your riding challenges positively.

Identify proper times to ask questions and talk to your trainer. You can do this by asking them “May I ask a question?” or “When could we talk?” Picking the right time to talk is essential because it ensures that you are both open and motivated to communicate effectively.

Phrase questions in a positive manner. Always ask questions in a positive way. Example: “How can I prepare better for down banks?” Not, “When will he stop being such a chicken?!”

“Attitudes are the real figures of speech.”

2. Your Clinician(s)

Be willing to listen. Listening openly and with a genuine desire to understand appears to go hand-in-hand with paying a clinician for their time. However, it is wise to check in with yourself periodically to be sure you aren’t so stuck in your training routine that you feel the need to rationalize, argue, or justify your approach. Your attitude and body language will show your degree of openness to new ideas and will directly affect the quality of interaction with your clinician.

Be succinct when giving information and have your priorities in order. Depending on your relationship with your clinician you may talk a lot about yourself and your horse’s training, or very little. Either way, be mindful to choose the most important and current items to share.

I.D. your best ‘take-aways’. At the end of a clinic, let your clinician know the top two or three things that you are taking away with you. (While they may be highly skilled teachers, their mind-reading skills may fluctuate rather widely.) They can then build on your interests next time and follow up with what you found important.

“The Importance of Effective Communication

We hear half of what is said                   50%

We listen to half of that                          25%

We understand half of that                     12.5%

We believe half of that                           6.25%

And we remember half of that               3.125%”

3. Your Support Team

Who are the other (often unpaid) people on your support team? Your husband/wife, mom/dad, friends, and barn-mates – the list can be long. Training and competing in the sport of eventing takes a lot of effort and commitment; wise riders understand how their team contributes to their successes.

Support your supporters. Keep your appreciation for the hard work and effort that your team puts into your competing front and center in your communication with them. Your support team will be better able to handle the ups and downs of competition if they are reminded often how much you value their efforts.

Let everyone know how to help. Giving everyone on the team a defined role (videographer) or task (rolling bandages) will go a long way to smoothing the lines of communication. Rather than having people guessing how to help (even the best intentioned will sometimes get it wrong) having conversations about roles and tasks before and during the competition will help you get what you need, and create a team that is happy to help.

Keep humor in the mix. A good way to maintain a healthy perspective in any situation, no matter how tough, is to identify and share the humor. A small comic observation or smile can lower tension levels and remind everyone, yourself included, that you will be alright no matter what the current challenge.

4. Your Horse

Ideally there is never any doubt in your horse’s mind about what you are asking of her. She was listening yesterday as you aimed and kicked at the trakehner, letting her know of your desire to get to the other side. Things got very confusing however, when you abruptly pulled on the reins and took your leg off one stride away from the jump. How can you ensure that you are giving your horse clear messages the majority of the time?

Clear the deck. Before you ask your horse to perform a task, or an entire test or course, be sure your mind and body are free of any unwanted emotions (fear, doubt, ambivalence, tension). Use down time in a lesson or during a warm-up at an event to take a breath and do a quick body scan to get rid of unwanted tension.

Commit to a plan. Your clarity and level of commitment to the task will be felt by your horse. By making a specific plan for your ride or test you can convey not just the what (e.g. which oxer to jump) but the how (bouncy, engaged canter). Create a plan, decide which strategies will help accomplish the plan e.g. short rein, hand up, leg on, etc.), and focus on it as you ride to ensure that you are going to communicate appropriate messages to your horse that will help you both be successful.

Regroup as needed. Sometimes even the best intentioned plans and requests get mixed up and muddled. When misunderstandings happen (and many trainers will reinforce that point, your horse is not ‘being bad’ he just doesn’t understand what you are asking of him) it is a good idea to stop, release any negative emotions that have cropped up, assess the situation, brainstorm a solution, and then begin again with a fresh approach.

The Optimal Idea

It has been said that the way we communicate with others is a big factor in determining the quality of our lives and how successful we are at achieving our goals. What do you think? Is there room for improvement in the way you communicate with yourself or those around you? Being open to learning new things that can lead to increased confidence and consistency are the hallmarks of champions. Hopefully the ideas we have discussed in these articles have motivated you to refine your communication skills - now is a great time to talk.

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.

Having attended and taught many clinics, I have observed that the riders who get the most out of their sessions are prepared and on the ball, in much the same way as they would be at an event. Here are some strategies designed to help you create a fantastic experience for yourself at the next clinic you attend.

Introduce Yourself

Meeting a new clinician is an exciting, and sometimes intimidating, experience. This person wants to learn about you and your horse, help you ride well, give you confidence, and have a little fun along the way, but they don’t need to hear your horse’s life story, cute anecdotes about what he does with his tongue while waiting for his dinner, or the last time he had his sheath cleaned. (OK – those are just examples!). Instead, plan ahead and choose valuable and specific information to share in your introduction.

Keep things current when talking to your clinician for the first time. For example, say you had a horse you almost took preliminary in 2006, but he would not walk in the dressage arena, so you sold him for less than you wanted to, to a person you don’t really like, who won her first event on him, and it left you with a lot of baggage. While that is important for your trainer (and perhaps your sport psychologist) to know, a clinician only has time to deal with what presents itself right now in your riding. If they need or want more information, they will ask you. Remember that they are being paid to be insightful and observant - you can trust them to figure a lot of things out on their own!

A short list of information you may want to include when introducing yourself:

• You and your horse’s age and level.
• A recent training goal you accomplished with your horse.
• One or two current competition goals and a brief outline of your upcoming schedule.
• Particular challenges you have with your horse where you feel a new approach would be useful.

Keep a Foundation for your Focus

Going to a clinic with a new instructor can sometimes create what I call “The Blank Canvas” effect. In an effort to be responsive to new information, riders sometimes go overboard by forgetting to prepare and focus; they in effect “go blank”. Although it is very important to be open to new ideas it is also wise to ride the whole clinic within the context of you and your horse’s skills and goals. For instance, if your focus has been on keeping your lower leg anchored by thinking about landing with weight in your heel over every jump, keep that awareness during the clinic sessions. A clinician will have their own ideas and priorities to teach, but you need to be mindful of the small specifics that help you feel confident and secure.

Be Aware of Communication Styles

Before you go, remember that all instructors have different communication styles. This is also something to take into account when choosing your next clinic. It is helpful to do research about a given instructor to be sure your styles will be in sync and they are well-qualified for your level. The USEA Directory of Certified Instructors is a great resource in this process, it can be found on the USEA website (http://www.useventing.com/).

Be mindful that you are always in control of how you communicate, regardless of what else may be going on. Speak up if you need to. Asking questions from a positively-oriented perspective will keep your clinician squarely on your side. Instead of, “My horse won’t do that” try, “What can help me get that right the first time?”

By monitoring what you say to yourself and what you communicate to your clinician you will be able to make the most of any experience. If you spend the afternoon focused on what doesn’t work about their approach or communication style, or complaining about how you rode, you will miss out on valuable information.

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that’s important.” – Jimmy Williams

Prepare Effectively

1. Be early.
2. Manage your energy: Do you expect to be a little nervous? If so, you will want to keep a positive attitude about how this situation is good practice for your next horse trials or event. Keep yourself calm and in control using breathing techniques, cue words, and preparation routines.
3. Plan time at the end of each day to review and take notes on lessons learned.
4. Keep and display a positive attitude at all times.
5. Bring (and eat) healthy snacks before and after you ride to maintain your energy level and to be sure you manage your strength and brainpower over a multi-day experience.
6. Dress the part. Attention to detail and a sharp, neat appearance will not only affect your mood, it will demonstrate to your clinician that you have come ready to work hard and do your best.

Regroup if Necessary

It may turn out to be an off day for you, your horse, or (heaven forbid) both of you. What can you do to get things back on track and salvage the clinic experience?

• Breathe: Let go of the mistake and reset your focus and intention by breathing slowly in through your nose, pause, and exhale gently out your mouth. Be aware of bringing your breath all the way down through the bottom of your lungs and into your belly so that you are relaxing your muscles and centering your body as you breathe.

• Ask for a quick time-out in order to review the situation, brainstorm what has helped in the past and integrate what the clinician is saying to you. Prioritize 1 or 2 things to focus on. Many times you are hearing a lot of wonderful and new ideas within a short amount of time in a clinic. Select a few things to work on especially when things go awry.

• Use a brief ‘mini-visualization’: During a brief break, or waiting for your turn to do the exercise again, imagine yourself successfully doing the exercise that has you flummoxed.

“Natural talent… can’t make up for a lack of basic knowledge and skills – but solid basics, combined with real desire and commitment, can make any rider a good rider.”  – Anne Kursinski

Integrate New Ideas Safely

It is best to work on new ideas at home, on the flat and in schools before using them in competition. Just as you would not set off to your first ever one-star in a new-fangled bit you rode in once, experiment with new techniques in comfortable situations to get used to them.

You may also want to simply experiment with new exercises at home – to build your awareness or give you insights about your horse. You will not radically adjust your approach without test-driving the adjustments in brief increments. Adopt changes (such as warm-ups that include a lot of collection work, shortened stirrups, or a new martingale) by reviewing clinic sessions, getting input from your regular trainer, analyzing video from the clinic, discussing ideas with friends who were there, and any other ways you can think of to weigh and measure your new tools.

The Optimal Idea

Taking a clinic can be an invaluable opportunity to build new skills. Not only can you learn from a new instructor, but the clinic format (such as riding in a new place, being watched by new people with expert opinions, and wanting to perform at your best) can mimic some of the demands of competition in very useful ways. Treat the experience as both physical practice and a mental skills run-through for an event, and you will benefit on many levels.