Top Tips for Rider Confidence

#EverythingHorse

You may have heard the saying ‘confidence comes from within’ but it truly does, and it’s especially true for horse riders. Here, former event rider and confidence coach Anna Morris of First Focus Consultants, gives her top tips for success this competition season….

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Understand your emotions. Being able to understand and name your feelings and what triggers them will give you back control when you are emotionally flooded.

Focus on yourself not your horse. Concentrate on your breathing, relax your body, focus on the course/test ahead and take your time. Smile.

Think about your triggers and practise responding positively. Own your feelings. You have the power to react to emotions and situations in a controlled way.

Practise coping with pressure at home. Set yourself personal goals, practise in training, film yourself doing a course/test. Try to focus on yourself and your reactions to different pressures so you are more prepared. Become competition ready, just like your horse.

Use visualisation. Picture the course/arena, the smells, the sounds. Picture yourself on your horse going down to the start, riding over every fence or through each dressage move, breathing, kicking. Take time to go through it by yourself, then put yourself back into the ‘zone’ before you start your round. Focus on yourself and think positively!

With thanks to First Consultants firstfocusconsultants.com