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...
Stop beating yourself up!
That voice inside your head, yes the one that tells you that you’re not good enough? It’s lying to you. That voice that asks you ‘why can’t you just do it?’. It’s lying to you. That voice that watches other riders and says ‘You’ll never be able to ride like that’....
Watch your language
How often do you say “I should ride” or “I should have done X, Y, Z”? In my opinion, ‘should’ is one of the most tricky words we can use. By saying ‘should’ we instantly make ourselves feel inadequate, less that good enough and guilty. By using ‘should’ we basically...
How to stop thinking ‘what if’ when riding your horse
Do you ever think ‘what if' when you're riding or about to get on board? What normally follows ‘what if? Well, depending on your perspective, common phrases include: ‘What if I fall off?’ ‘What if he bucks?’ ‘What if he takes off with me?’ ‘What if I look like a...
The Role of Fear for Riders
The root of the majority of rider confidence issues is fear. Fear of failure Fear of being judged Fear of letting people down (or your horse!) Fear of not being good enough Fear of getting hurt Fear of an unknown outcome Fear of the worst case scenario It has...