AQHA Magazine January / February 2019 Jan_Feb_2019_WEBSITE | Page 38

Heed these 12 tips to change
your thinking before heading to
your next horse show.
By Barbra Schulte in The American Quarter Horse Journal | May 27, 2014
Great coaches in any sport will tell you that getting someone to become mentally stronger is their most
challenging task. Teaching physical skills is much simpler because it’s concrete. For example, your
riding instructor can easily coach you on seat, leg and hand cues to switch leads. It would be much
more difficult and elusive to help you gain the confidence to become an Olympic rider.
Fortunately, Dr. Jim Loehr, of LGE Performance Systems,
has outlined concrete mental skills that apply to your
riding, just as they would to any professional sport. Work
on these 12 steps, just as your technical skills, and you’ll
become a stronger horse-show competitor.
•Change your thinking to change how you feel. Many
people are careless, sloppy, negative thinkers who
do not feel they have control of their thoughts or
emotions. However, you can exercise great control
over both. When you become a disciplined thinker,
you can think in ways that call up positive emotions
that empower your life.
• Practice positive thinking. Practice the tech
niques listed here to remain strong enough to stay
empowered under the stress and frustration of
horse showing. In fact, that’s what this is all about:
staying positive when results go south. But positive
thinking and imagery are acquired skills, and you
have to repeat the exercises every day.
•Recognize and let go of negative thoughts. Negative
thinking takes you nowhere when you practice or
show. Commit yourself to taking charge of negative
thoughts and feelings by first becoming aware when
you feel nervous, discouraged, fearful, etc. Then,
pretend you are an observer who commands you
to “stop.” Each time you do the exercise, you train
yourself to become more disciplined. After the
“stop” cue, replace the former way of thinking with
one of the following ideas.
• If you’re feeling negative, change the picture in
your mind. Images are more powerful to evoke posi
tive emotion than words. When things are not going
in the direction you like, imagine yourself being
successful, having fun, riding well and staying cool.
•Never say or think “Can’t” or “Hate.” These two
words evoke powerful negative feelings that take
your riding in the wrong direction.
• Use humor to break up negative emotions. Fear
and anger cannot coexist with funny, off-the-wall
thoughts.
• Think energetically. High, positive energy will
take your riding where you want to go. Tell yourself
all the time, and especially during difficult times, “I
love this.”
•Stay in the moment. Thinking about the future
brings fear, while thinking about the past can cause
frustration. Think about your job right here, right
now. Focus on a specific target and what’s to be
done at critical moments.
• Visualize success. There are documented, amaz
ing stories of prisoners who played great rounds of
golf immediately after returning home because
they played 18 holes mentally several times a day
while in captivity. You can dramatically strength
en your physical riding skills by seeing and feeling
yourself ride. Rehearse your weaknesses by seeing
yourself ride in your mind with the accuracy you
desire.
Want more horse-showing help? The answer is
easy: subscribe to the award-winning American
Quarter Horse Journal! From the barn right up to
the edge of the show pen, the Journal will give you
the tools you need to succeed with your Quarter
Horse.
• Be clear about why you’re riding. Anyone loves
what they do when the going is good. It’s the true
commitment to press on through excruciating
times that separates riders. When you love the bat
tle, your riding will accelerate to a whole new level.
• Review powerful thoughts and images daily.
Write these thoughts on a piece of paper. Carry it in
your pocket for quick review and/or tape it to your
bath room mirror.
• Become disciplined in the way you process your
mistakes. Many riders fear mistakes so their minds
are consumed with painful “what if” weaknesses.
Whatever you fear will come to pass. Here are sug
gestions to process mistakes:
1. Know that mistakes are necessary to learn. No
mistakes, no learning.
2. Be aggressive in your riding and horse showing,
whatever the consequences, without fear, again
because of the learning involved.
3. After making a mistake, ask yourself: What could
you have done differently? What can you do in the
future?
And then, move on and don’t look back.
These are only a small handful of the horse-showing
tips revealed in the American Quarter Horse
Journal. Subscribe today so you can take the Journal’s
award-winning advice everywhere you show!
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