Riding Mind®

Copyright Lisa Stevens 2006

Equestrian Psychology

Lisa Stevens B.A. (Soc Sci), B.Sc. (Honours), MA. App. Psych. (Sport)

How a professional attitude increases your enjoyment and success

A professional attitude helps a rider acquire the tools for better performance regardless of whether you aspire to perform on the ARC, PC, EFA, or international stage. No matter what your skill level a professional attitude refers to having an approach that is efficient, practical and well thought out. It is based on realistic ways of thinking and acting and it increases the likelihood of success. A professional does not expect great results from mediocre or ad hoc efforts. A non-professional approach is one where a person expects things to go well without having done the necessary homework to achieve good outcomes. Punctuality, respect for other people’s time and good time management are hallmarks of a professional approach. Clean, well-maintained equipment, personal attire and horses are also the stamp of a professional way of doing business. So why do such mundane things help performance? Simple, you are leaving less to chance and getting the most out of you, your horse/s, and the people around you. The amount of input from others increases when you act in a serious and dedicated manner. If you behave in a slap dash way others will tend to assume you are not that serious about learning, improving, and achieving. Most professionals (partners and parents) will soon lose interest in working harder than you are to achieve YOUR GOALS! Remember to spend time and effort on YOU means NOT spending time on their stuff or on someone else who is making an effort. It is in your best interest to keep your support team on side. Imagine if every time you are getting ready for a competition there is a lot of tension (and maybe even short tempers). How enjoyable is that for those around you? NOT VERY! If on the other hand you are well organised, chilled, and civilised (good for you and performance) the whole team benefits, everyone is more relaxed (especially your horse/s). As the competitor, it is up to you to set the tone of training and competing, if you allow (or generate) chaos, those around you (including your horse) will be more tense. Tension is contagious so be careful not to invite more into your life than is absolutely necessary! The more times you train and compete without avoidable dramas and conflict, your confidence increases exponentially (regardless of where you place). You become better at objectively assessing your performance and making constructive improvements, thus becoming more consistent and skilled. In addition, you enjoy training and competing more and your relationships with your two- and four-legged partners are better. It is a well researched fact that the more someone enjoys an activity the more they will learn and improve (again, including your horse).

Time is a precious resource, use yours well and respect that of others and training and competing will be more rewarding.