12 SIDELINES NOVEMBER 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
e
Sports Psychology
By Ann S. Reilly, Ph. D.
For many riders, trainers, parents and signifcant others big
competitions cause the competitive stress monitor to go off the charts.
Last month the topic of this column was “Preparing for”... This month’s
column is focused on how to handle the competitive stress during big
competitions.
There are three types of competitive stress. The frst type is the
stress felt before the competition starts - pre-competitive stress.
The second type is the competitive stress felt while performing and
the third type is the stress felt after competing referred to as post-
competitive stress.
Most big equestrian competitions involve qualifying rounds or
games and then rounds/games leading to the fnal round or game.
For some riders the qualifers can cause more competitive stress
than the competition after the initial qualifer. Master planning your
competitive strategy for these kinds of big competitions can help
reduce competitive stress.
The ultimate goal is obviously to ride in the fnal competition. What
separates very experienced competitors in big contests from novices
is the knowledge and ability to perform well enough in qualifying to
advance to the next so that they are
able to “peak” in the fnal round. So, in
essence, building the foundation with
your horse/team to improve in each
round and have enough energy left
for the fnals.
Energy and nerve management
is crucial to survival to the fnal
round/game. Often, riders become
so nervous before the frst qualifer
that their energy becomes depleted.
To remedy this problem, my frst
suggestion is to forget about your
result prior to and during the qualifer and focus on the basics.
“Thinking youMUST” qualify causes horrifc nerves because thinking
literally puts you in a straight jacket. In this “straight jacket” you are
expecting a perfect performance. This type of demand for perfection
shuts competitors down from riding, causes a disconnection in feeling
the horse under you and blocks riders’ ability to warm up effectively
and correct mistakes while performing in the qualifer. So, to reduce
pre-competitive stress, stay loose, prepare your strategy for the
qualifer, and let go of thoughts or
feelings which cause your mental
focus to only be on making it into
the next round.
After the frst qualifer focus on
what you did correctly and come
up with effective strategies to
correct any mistakes you made.
Write them down and let go of
them for a while. After doing
this; hydration, nourishment and
relaxation are essential. Take
yourself out of the competitive
situation.
Before riding in the second
round/game, follow the same
steps and strategies used for
preparing for the frst round/
game and include your mistake
correction strategy. Ride for this
qualifer only and repeat the steps
above.
When riding in a competition
where participants are called back
to the arena for a “work off,” focus
your attention on riding the work
off rather than the order in which
you are called back. Instead,
focus on your riding strategy for
the course. Being able to focus
your attention on riding the work
off for which you were called
separates the champions from the
also-rans. This is when disciplined
mental training really pays off.
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