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Thursday, June 02 2016 / Published in General

Put Positive Thinking Into Practice

Margie Sugarman Photo by Lauri Foster

Margie Sugarman
Photo by Lauri Foster

By Margie Sugarman

Margie Sugarman is a leading board certified psychotherapist and sports consultant based in New York. Margie’s desire is to enhance performance through the connection between the mind and body, and her current client list includes Olympic, professional and amateur athletes across the country. Her experience employing various therapeutic modalities has helped equestrians win classics, junior medals and Grand Prix. Do you have a question you want Margie to answer? Send questions to editor@sidelinesnews.com.

I recently had a bout of vertigo. It made me start to question myself on my horse. It has messed with my confidence. When you can’t trust what you’re seeing because things are moving, it makes walking — let alone riding — more difficult. Once it cleared up, I thought I’d be fine in the show ring. It turns out I’m now not trusting my eye. How would you recommend I work on this?
— Ali, 33-year-old amateur

Foremost, make sure you have medical clearance before getting in the saddle. Vertigo is a very serious condition since it causes a sensation of spinning while stationary. These symptoms can last a few minutes to a few hours or more and may come and go. Sudden body movements can play havoc with the equilibrium (inner ear) and ultimately physical balance. Balance in riding is essential, so make sure all is well before getting on your horse.

Sometimes our “mind” can be the culprit that challenges the mind/body connection, which is essential in any athletic endeavor. A rider doesn’t forget how to ride — muscle memory is always there to help. It’s our internal struggle that challenges our mind.

Anxiety is a natural human response that serves a purpose. The goal shouldn’t be to dismiss it entirely, just make it a healthy, manageable part of our lives. If the rider becomes anxious in a situation they’ve experienced numerous times before, this could be related to them having a fear of the consequences that might arise in that situation. Flashbacks to the memories that haunt them trigger their anxiety to kick in. We must constantly reinforce our minds using techniques that strengthen and imprint positive thoughts and behaviors.

Affirmations can help us imprint positive thoughts that override our negative perceptions. With this form of imprinting, a statement said with confidence about a desired truth helps many people make significant changes in their lives. These positive statements, when used in the proper way, result in great success in overcoming the negative thoughts. An affirmation has the ability to program your mind into believing the stated concept. If an unwholesome belief is deeply rooted in our unconscious mind, then it has the ability to override a positive thought even if we aren’t aware of it. This is why, for many people, affirmations need to be personal and powerful.

The individual’s outlook and using affirmations help to reduce stress levels, boost self-esteem and improve health. Constant reinforcement of positive energy to the mind and body helps the individual enjoy life by having a healthy outlook and attitude when life’s adversities come their way. Another positive and reinforcing technique is watching past videos of classes that the rider has excelled in. Having the rider visualize the course — re-ride it in their mind — will impact and help to reinforce self-confidence.

A simple acronym I give my clients that helps to address the mind and body connection to overcome fears is:

Face
Each
Activity with
Reasonable
Security

When it comes to positive thinking, practice really does make perfect. The more you reinforce positive thinking, the more likely you’ll be able to continue this line of thinking.

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Marie Meyers has been around the world because of Marie Meyers has been around the world because of dressage, but it’s her farm in Moorpark, California, that has captured her heart. The farm and the business that thrives there represent Marie’s lifelong journey—a journey made up of good friends, spectacular horses and relationships made to last.

Marie was raised in Southern California, and spent her childhood playing just about every sport under the sun, but she didn’t discover riding until she was 14 years old. “I loved animals so much, so I started taking lessons. I did jumping at first, but I was very bad at that, for sure!” Marie laughed.

After some time, Marie moved on to take lessons at Foxfield Riding Academy and began riding dressage. “I fell into dressage by accident,” Marie said, “At the beginning, I thought it was extremely boring, but then I got hooked. By the time I graduated from high school, I had plans to travel to England to work for Franz Rochowansky, a former head of the Spanish Riding School.”

In 1988, Marie’s hard work paid off, and the pair was selected as alternates for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. “They didn’t take the alternates that year, so we didn’t go to Seoul, but the experience, the training and the European Tour afterwards set me up for the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden,” Marie said.

In addition to having success representing her country, Marie was busy with her life—marriage, a business, teaching lessons and clinics. 

Learn more about Marie in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine. Click the link in our bio for more 🦄

📸Photos by Lindsey Long Equine Photography, www.lindseylong.com

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We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on o We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on our socials where we share some of the lovely stallions, and their breeders featured in each month's magazine. Our first feature on this #STUDSunday is...

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Contact Cheryl Maye at (703) 431-9096 for more information
https://www.mayeshowponies.com/more-info/stallions

You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

📸  SAS Equestrian
‼️ROB JACOBS COLUMN‼️ The purpose of this ‼️ROB JACOBS COLUMN‼️

The purpose of this month’s column is to help the young equestrians of our sport develop and maintain healthy friendships within the industry. Cultivating healthy relationships with other members within the industry is not as easy as one may think. As a young equestrian, it may be difficult navigating friendships at the barn and at horse shows. Typically, kids have friendships within the barn they ride at but also friendships with others from different barns in their area. 

Initially, it may seem as though making other friends in the sport would be easy and ideal; after all, there is the common interest of horses. However, because of the natural therapeutic benefits of horses, the sport has a history of attracting all types of people, with a wide range of personalities. This can be both an advantage and a drawback. We are now in an era that acknowledges the growing need to discuss and manage one’s mental health. 

One thing I have learned is that we are likely to notice mental health challenges at an age younger than most people may think. Some of the friendship dynamics I have observed over the years have caused me to pause and really think about the future of our sport. Without looking for a source to blame for the cause of this, i.e. social media, parents, school, teachers, etc., I think if all adults involved worked to encourage, affirm, love, and respect our youth, the likelihood of them developing authentic friendships with their peers may increase.

Both humans and horses were designed to have connected relationships. These relationships allow a greater sense of security when one experiences challenges in life. Cultivating the quality and authenticity of these relationships requires intentional work. 

Thank you Rob for providing your helpful insight on developing healthy relationships. Check out his tips in his column you can find in the link in our bio.
Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine🦄 

Photo by Blenheim Equisports

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #hunterjumper #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #sidelinesmagzine
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