Get a Boost From the Past and Plan Your Move Forward

Sometimes it feels like progress crawls at a snail’s pace. It’s easy to think about all the things you still can’t do very well.

Sometimes it just takes a marker in time to realize how far you really have come.

Where were you in your riding at this same time last year?

Consider the increase in your overall knowledge, the quality of your practice sessions, your improved mental skills, your level of enjoyment, and your showing. Don’t forget to include the joy you felt with your horse and comradery with friends.

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I have a friend, Jenna who is a power house of great energy.

She is one of those people who radiates excitement.

When I asked Jenna how she does it, she told me she chooses to consciously tune into if she is feeling good … or not … throughout the entire day.

If she starts to feel a tilt in the “negative” direction, she consciously thinks a better thought.

She disciplined herself to do this five years ago and has experienced extraordinary results ever since … in her riding and in her life. Best of all, she’s having a blast.

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Well, I take that back. You don’t have to believe!

I do know however, you will achieve your dreams … or at least, move closer in the direction of what you want to accomplish … when you believe.

It’s soooo easy to base all we think will happen on the evidence of what is happening right now.

But belief and faith are the opposites of basing your opinions and hopes solely on what’s happening right now. In fact, that’s why I like this verse so much, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” ~Hebrews 11:1

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A while back I was fortunate to spend time with John Lyons, a horse trainer I so respect.

I asked him, “How can the same cue mean different things to your horse? When I use a seemingly similar foot cue, how does a horse know if I want to accelerate, or move to the right or left, (just as an example)?”

I will never forget what he said.

Although I can’t remember his exact words, here’s the idea.

It is the clarity of the intention in your mind to obtain a specific response that makes it clear for the horse.

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Our horseback riding life is destined to go through peaks and valleys.

We can have success, plenty of funds, and a sound horse one week … and just the opposite the next.

How we deal with what happens is the key … not what happens to us and around us.

How we think about things is a choice.

That choice of perspective became VERY evident to me this summer.

Now maybe it’s just me, but it seems like there have been a lot of potentially disheartening events happening in a lot of places.

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The Power of Calmness

Your heart is racing. Everything’s a blur. That frenzied feeling grows by the moment.

Maybe you don’t trust your horse or the situation. Maybe it’s your own insecurities.

Whatever the reason, anxiety can feel like a stressful, runaway wild ride.

The first step to get back to a place of being engaged and “on it” is to consciously call up a state of internal calmness.

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We’ve all been there. 

One day, you’re on, but your horse is having a bad hair day. The next day, your horse is great, but you feel cranky. Next day, your horse is good and you feel okay, but you can’t quite find your seat.

Sometimes it’s hard to get it all together at the same time!

Because the mind, body and emotions are inseparable, if one is off, it always affects the other two in a negative direction.

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Recently, I saw the movie, “King’s Speech”. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend that you do so.

You might be wondering, “How is this movie relevant to riding my horse?

Here’s what happened. “King’s Speech” inspired me. It embodied three powerful, timeless themes to help us keep thriving. They are:

• Go for your dreams
• Never give up
• Surround yourself with strong, supportive people.

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Eight Empowering Ways To Think About Competition

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t show horses.

My parents had around 400 horses. Showing was a big part of our family business. I, along with my four siblings, exhibited horses to market them. Dad had high expectations for our success in the show arena.

Throughout my lifetime of show ring experience, I have often thought about what competition means to me. I’ve never stopped studying exactly what makes high performers excel above the rest.

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