Typically, horse and rider teams experience the negative effects of stress and pressure on their weakest areas first. However, once a weak link breaks it often creates a domino effect into other areas making it difficult for riders to identify exactly what came first.  For instance - A rider, who lacks physical fitness -- can become distracted by their body's distress and  have trouble mentally focusing on a task. This can then domino into a lack of confidence, which then affects a rider's intensity making them unable to access their skill set.  Accurately identifying their weak links and strengthening them can save a rider a lot of unnecessary disappointment and heartache.

When one thinks of becoming stronger physically, they think about going to the gym, jogging, lifting weights, and a myriad of other fitness techniques. But how do you build mental strengths like "focus", or emotional strengths like "confidence"? Every powerful thought, emotion and skill is built the same way you would build a powerful muscle -- you repeatedly subject it to adaptive stress.  For example - as you repeatedly practice "focusing" through distractions you will build the neurotransmitters that enable you to "focus" faster and stronger.  As you repeatedly use imagery or other techniques that stimulate the emotion of "confidence", you build stronger neuro-chemical paths which enable you to experience the emotion more easily.

By singling out weak links and strengthening them, you can significantly impact your riding success. Any rider can build strength in any area by strategically targeting and practicing the strengths they want to build in the correct way. Checking and measuring your strengths allows you to isolate which strengths would benefit you the most to build.

Energy

Energy is something riders don't think too much about until they are out of it!  Learning how to effectively manage your energy is essential to consistently riding and performing your best. It is one of the biggest factors that will ultimately determine your success as a rider and in life.  

All too often, riders enter competition physically, mentally and/or emotionally fatigued. Horse shows have a significant "hurry up & wait" factor that can wear a rider's energy down. The stress of long hours of preparation, time in the saddle and the pressure of competition can significantly challenge a rider's energy reserves.  Riders who know how to manage their energy well will always have a distinct advantage over riders who lack the skills or resources to enter into competition fully charged.

Your energy is continually being expended and renewed physically, emotionally and mentally. Here are a few tips to help you manage your Energy.

1.       Make wise choices about how, when, who and what you will expend your energy on.  Learn to identify "energy wasters" and destructive thought patterns.

2. Train yourself to become "fitter" physically, mentally, and emotionally so that you "Expend" energy more efficiently.

3. Become highly skilled in your ability to "Renew" your energy

Clearly each the above tips just scratch the surface and there are many valuable strategies and techniques you can apply in each area.

Performing

One skill that is often over looked but absolutely essential to competing and riding your best is the Art of Performing. Competitions test more than your' riding skills -- they test your skill and comfort as a performer. Being good at Performing is actually a very different skill than being a good rider or trainer. Good performers are good actors -- they know what emotional state they need to be in to compete well and they are able to "trigger" these emotions on command.  Poor performers simply compete in what ever state they happen to be in that day and their performance success can lie in the hands of ever changing emotions and circumstances.

Good performers able to narrow their focus to include only what's important to competing and riding their best.  They "block" destructive thoughts and emotions and concentrate solely on riding and performing their best.  Good performers are able to successfully navigate through the distractions of circumstances with their focus intact.

The Art of Performing is a skill that can be learned, built and improved on. The best thing about riding is that unlike various acting roles in the movies -- the part you need to play remains virtually the same, only the conditions vary. So once you learn the part it becomes a matter of learning to play it well in a variety of conditions -- high pressure -- low pressure, good weather - bad weather, lots of competition or light competition.

The more you practice the "part" the easier it will become to "play".

Conclusion

The ability to consistently access the top of your talent, skills, and abilities is within your reach! 

 -The Keys to Riding and Competing Your Best Are:

1. Setting your Intensity for optimal physical and mental performance

2. Building your Strengths and fortifying any weak links

3. Managing your Energy for maximum availability

4. Mastering the art of Performing