The Power of Positive Thinking When Riding - I Think I Can But Can I?

Many riders grapple with the challenges inherent with working with a 1500 lb animal, who does not always act in accordance with their expectations. As much as you can educate yourself by working with a great trainer, reading books and watching DVDs and auditing clinics, it really is the 'doing' of it yourself especially when working alone that can be difficult.

The power of positive thinking is truly a good thing to focus your energies on. What you expect your horse to do, he usually will actually do. You can head off your own nerves by fixing on positive words (NLP), and training yourself on a daily basis to overcome any fears or reservations you may be experiencing. There are plenty of books and DVDs out there that can help you with learning these powers, and they are easy to assimilate. Jane Savoie is one of the leaders in the equestrian world on this topic. Horses are unpredictable, and they are good multi-taskers. Surprisingly many riders channel negative energy to their horse just by their own inattention to their equine partner of the moment.

As a rider you need to be assertive but never aggressive, aware of the surroundings but not fixed on them with a hard eye, dutiful about safety and careful not to let sloppy habits creep in that could get you or your horse injured. So many accidents happen because of bad horsemanship, so avidly address your own habits around and on your horse.

John Lyons once commented something to the effect, "Whenever you are around your horse you are teaching him something," and advocated always making your horse 'do' something whenever you are around him, e.g. when in his stall make him step back, or move over, then turn and leave the space. While this is obviously about making it clear to your horse you are above him in the pecking order of a herd - it is true that if we are busy chatting with friends ( or worse on a cell phone, my pet peeve), or in general just walking around your horse rather than him stepping back out of your space, you are teaching him negative behavior.

One time while I was riding with the great Herbert Rehbein, he asked me to take my canter into a pirouette.

"Yikes, I thought. Here I am on this big warmblood and there is no way that I can make this happen on a horse I barely know." So naturally the horse bumbled through movement, falling over his shoulder and describing an enormous big dinner plate with no proper hop with his inside hind and faltered into a bad halt. Mr. Rehbein walked over and shook his head, and he asked me whether I thought I could do it.

I nervously asked, " Can the horse do it?" He smiled kindly at me and said, " It is not about the horse, it is about you."

I took a big breath and said, " Yes, I can do it," and set off once again in the canter. I ran through the aids in my head, collected the horse's haunches to the inside in a diminishing circle, sat square with the horse and asked him to step around. He did it. It was a wonderful feeling and I'm sure I was grinning madly.

" Gut. Gut!" he said pleased, " This you will remember." And he was right, I have.

If you'd like to visit Grunwoldhof and see some super dressage riding/horses see this one!

With regard to horsemanship as with everything else in life, if you follow the same behavior everyday, you will get the same results. If you want to change the result, then obviously you must change your behavior.

By endorsing a positive attitude and answering the question,  " I think I can but can I?" with an emphatic big fat "YES!", you will be able to overcome many obstacles in life.

Thinking it first is crucial to a successful outcome. Try it! You'll be surprised.

Competing Your Horse - It's Not About What Happens at a Show - It's About How You Handle It. Keep Calm and Carry On.

I sometimes think more things go wrong at shows than go right. But then that's the competitor in me talking and I'm not channeling Jane Savoie's In Your Minds Eye,  - positive thinking in a nutshell. It's not just about the ribbons is it. Jane knows.

As a dressage rider I've messed up many tests despite my horse's best efforts to correct me. Going off course, wrong movement at wrong time. I've actually had instances where my horse offers an extension and I'm saying no and holding him back because I'm thinking medium. I am wrong, he knows the test better than I do.

I've inadvertently and on purpose left the ring during a test. Once to escape a dog barking ferociously and snapping at my poor mount's hind legs, once because my horse simply would not stay on the right side of the chain despite my every effort, and other times just because my steering was not right. Being consistently told my by present coach Greta Kemmer to 'use the corners ' and 'ride to the letter exactly' sometimes my horse seems to spin out on the way around or understeer - a bit like Jeremy Clark's Top Gear brigade - every horse rides like a different car. You have to know just how much gas, bumping leg and seat aids to give it and precisely when.

There have been other fun instances. For example, tack mishaps like a rein that simply fell off the bit. Which of course happens when you switch bits after the warm up and are not fully focused. I was left holding the horse with one rein and he promptly took advantage and took off at a smart canter. Lucky for me the ring steward was paying attention and caught us. There was the time I was being driven home and was checking my test sheets and found all the names are correct on the top and front but all the scores pertain to a different rider. I knew it wasn't me when I scored an eight for a piaffe, because my horse shuffled in passage and never quite sat down and stayed on the spot the entire day. To this day they never figured out what the mess up was - and I didn't get credited the score. A shame because it was higher than I think I actually attained. There rears that annoying honesty thing again.

Then of course there's the lame horse. The disappearing and re-appearing lameness ( obviously appears just as you enter at A), the head shaking imaginary bugs that also appear only in the confines of the ring, the noisy spectators, the flapping umbrellas and rustling of papers, loose dogs and children, billowing tents at C - well, you get the picture. And let's not forget the wardrobe mishaps. The bouncing boobs because you forgot the right bra and they don't sell undergarments at the show! The stock tie that just won't tie properly backwards. Which wouldn't be necessary if you hadn't got hot sauce all over it after the classes yesterday when you just had to eat that high calorie fried showground food. The white breeches that quite simply, aren't. They were when you put them in the case. A bit like the missing sock mystery and the laundry. Note to self, always bring more than two pairs of breeches!

But I show because it is fun. Seriously. Once you get over the nerves it truly is enjoyable. I learn more about my training from the judges than I ever could at a clinic or symposium. I also learn important life skills like not letting other people get under your skin.  Subtle intimidation techniques
 ( I'm being sarcastic) like the rider cantering their massive horse toward your smaller one with purpose when the entire warm up ring is empty. The ring steward who insists that the horse be bit checked three times because she wasn't there for the first two and who grabs at the reins like they are a life line on a sinking ship causing your horse to rear uncontrollably for two very long minutes.

I've learned to multitask - fixing your hair while holding your whip in your newly bonded teeth ( my dentist loved that), and at the same time talking to your help, ( frankly no-one present can understand you, pity the dentist isn't there to translate). I've improved my language skills during my travels. You will soon learn to read basic directions and facility names like bathroom, medic, technical delegate and of course all types of food and beverages. Plus you'll learn to understand a myriad of call out phrases during the warm up or risk being knocked off your horse. You'll learn that Gasolino in Portuguese is diesel fuel and not gas. Whoops. ( Thankfully it was a rental car and not a towing vehicle and Hertz were very understanding though I did miss my first class).  I've also improved my driving skills. Italy is particularly challenging but I've learned to yell out the window like the rest of them. More language and sign language skills.

I have also improved many of my equestrian skills. I can now hum and talk in a whisper during any transition without moving my lips. A true ventriloquist. Of course my horse's ears give me away a bit and I get a few stern looks from the judges occasionally. But I must make each transition count. Greta will berate me otherwise.

I can pretty much fudge through any freestyle error and make a correction elsewhere. But then Greta knows me well and we've built those in.

Somehow when you put your tails on you do sit better and assume a better level of horsemanship - think it's the 'dress up for the stage' and 'act well' part of of the play. I can recover a halt most amazingly well if I do say so myself. My knee wriggle is most useful in all my pirouette works and collected walks.

What I thought was an 8 extension wasn't. What I thought was enough half halting, wasn't. What I thought was a reasonable 10 meter circle, wasn't.  On the other hand, what I thought was a medium canter above the bit wasn't. What I thought felt like too much forward movement in piaffe wasn't. What I thought was a spinning pirouette, wasn't. So - all those experienced eyes on the ground and the video playback afterward educated me, even where I thought I knew better. Another note to self - nothing improves your riding quicker than a video of your performance.

My ultra basic ( read British) politeness is under better control. I ask for what I want and if someone cuts me off when riding or passes too close to my horse in the aisle-way I have no problem pointing it out.  If I lose something important tack, clothing or equipment wise during the show I have no qualms about asking a fellow competitor or vendor to help me out, even if they are a superstar name that I happen to be stabling near. People can be so competitive in the ring but outside of it can be amazingly kind and almost human, even dressage people. Who knew.

So if you can afford it get out there. Smile at those you meet. Share with those you come into contact with - pretend your an eventer for the day, they are exceedingly generous and friendly.  And when things go wrong, and they will, get all British on it and " Keep Calm and Carry On."