The Perfect Rider
Looks can be deceiving! As horse riders, we often consume a lot of our time and thoughts comparing ourselves to that of other riders. It is fair to say that we have all at some point come across what we would determine in our heads as the ‘perfect rider’. Maybe it’s...
6 exercises to help keep your heels down when riding
Maintaining a good lower leg position with the heels a little lower than your toes, is important for so many reasons: To be able to apply leg aids effectively and correctly To help you stay on board and secure if the horse is excitable To help build a balanced,...
How far have you come?
How often do you actually look back and see how far you have come? It’s really easy to get lost in the noise and lose perspective on your journey towards confidence. Start keeping a log/diary/journal of your achievements, so that you can reflect on all the hard work,...
Celebrate your wins
How often do you celebrate your riding achievements? I mean, really celebrate and acknowledge what you have done? I know many riders that will, when congratulated, reply with “Thank you, but {insert horse’s name] was brilliant today” or “Thank you, but it was...
Consistency is key
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Perception is Projection
What do you say to your yard buddies? Do you support them, reassure them, boost them up? I’m sure you do! There is an NLP theme which is ‘perception is projection’, and what this means is that you can’t make a judgement about somebody, if that characteristic isn’t...
Be the rider who takes action
You can read all the books, watch all the YouTube videos, go to as many lecture/demos as you can, do all the online courses, talk for hours about what you’re going to do. But unless you actually take action, and take that first step on your journey, nothing will...
Rider as an Athlete
I know you do everything you can to keep your horse happy, healthy and sane. I know that you do All. The. Things. I know your horse has a carefully managed routine. He has the best feed you can afford. He has regular farrier and dentist appointments. He has his...
15 ways to improve your hands when riding a horse
Here we’ll look at 15 different ways to improve your hands when riding, to help you achieve an even, elastic, consistent, receiving contact down the rein. Close your thumb down over the top of the rein, to help stop the reins from sliding through your hand. Use...
Riding ‘as if’ you are confident
One of my favourite confidence-building techniques is to ride ‘as if’ you are a fully competent, confident rider. Pick a professional/elite rider that you admire, and step into their shoes. What do they see, hear and feel when they ride? What thoughts do they have...
Focus on your riding mindset
Focus is one of my favourite things! It offers motivation, removes distractions and increases awareness in any given moment. Many riders who lack confidence have their focus trained on the wrong things, often external factors that simply can’t be controlled! When...
Limiting beliefs about riding
We all have things that we 100% believe to be true about ourselves, but how many are actually helpful to us? Limiting beliefs are those which constrain us in some way. Just by believing them, we do not think, do or say the things that they inhibit, and in doing so we...