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58 SIDELINES JUNE 2011 FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE S P O R T P S Y C H O L O G Y

Becoming the Best Rider You Can Be

Ann S. Reilly, Ph. D.

Just about every rider I have worked with has had a burning passion for horses, riding, and competition. But at times, these riders lose sight of what they truly love to do. The desire to compete is still in their hearts, yet their negative thoughts make them disconnect with their goals.

Becoming the best rider you can be involves clearing the negativity from your mind, no matter what situation you are in, and replacing it with positive thoughts and goals. Start with your dreams and allow yourself to visualize the kind of rider you would like to be in the future. There are no limits to the success you can create, except those that you impose on yourself, or allow others to impose on you.

Allow Your Potential to Flourish

Have you become fearful, depressed and accepting mediocrity? Are you anxious when you ride? Focusing on your dreams and goals provides inspiration and motivation. You might think it is a waste of time to dream, but if you become bogged down in the now , instead of focusing on the rider you want to be, achieving your goals is harder. When motivation is waning, think about your goals, sit down and visualize riding the way you want to. Many riders think that they have to be able to perform a skill to be confdent. Practice it in your mind! You can do it before you even try! This includes winning. Practice riding winning rounds in your mind and then you will be ready to win in reality!

Are you sure you will never compete in the grand prix ring? So what? Stretch yourself and your thinking, and decide in your mind that you are going to become the very best “average” rider there ever has been. Keep working on developing your horses’ potential also, making them the very best “average” horse they can be. Become the best of the middle of the pack, and what you may fnd is one, that you become very happy and fulflled, your passion returns, and the results may surprise you. You may actually create your dreams and fulfll your goals. Focus on what you can do well when riding and competing. By focusing on your positive, you will ride more confdently. You will have more good jumps, score goals, go faster, or perform dressage movements well. When that critical voice inside you starts talking, just plain tell it to be quiet, shut up, and talk back to it, refusing to listen to the self criticism. Tell yourself that there is no longer room in your life for self-criticism, and send it off somewhere else, throw it in the trash, or write a letter, say good bye, and burn the letter.

Push Yourself and Take Chances

Take the risk and push past your current comfort level. This takes some work and courage on your part. Make it a daily habit. Set some short and intermediate goals for yourself and get busy working on them. “When the

student is ready, the teacher appears” is an old saying that is very true. Out of the blue you may fnd a new trainer who can help you, or the horse that you have always wanted appears and is affordable. You may get new clients in the form of students or horses who can allow you to teach and ride at your true potential level. These kinds of small miracles occur when you clear out the emotional and mental clutter and allow what you want to happen to enter your life. Without the emotional baggage, you are creating room in your mind for positive thoughts to become your dominant mode of thinking and growth to occur.

Constructive Criticism is Also Key

Do listen to helpful criticism. Technical instruction can help you become a stronger rider. Learn to identify the difference between destructive and constructive criticism. Constructive criticism usually comes from people who do have your best interests at heart. You may fnd, especially in competitive environments, that it is a very small number of people who are truly supportive of you and your growth as a rider. Maybe there is only one, so rely on that one person for sound advice, or rely on yourself when there are not supportive people around you. Focus on the fact that you are lucky to have a clear vision of how you want to ride. After all, when you are in the ring, you are the one performing. It is more fulflling to create the positive experiences in your life, the ones in which you stretched, grew, and tried, whether or not you obtained the ultimate goal. It is the process that is the most fulflling, that teaches the most lessons about life, and creates confdence, joy, and peace within ourselves. Make a deal with yourself to follow your passion each and every day of your life.

Ann S. Reilly, Ph.D. is a sport psychologist and author of “A Sport Psychology Workbook for Riders,” available from amazon. com. Questions for Ms. Reilly’s column can be addressed to areilly627@aol.com. Photo by Ina Bachman