As a rider have you got the mindset balance right yet?

The thirst for knowledge of a rider is often related to equine health and wellbeing or to developing the ability to ride more in harmony and in tune with their horse. They know that acknowledging the partnership is key to riding success. I’m always impressed by how much research and study riders will do for their horses and their riding.

 

Equestrians must also be quite unusual sports people as they will lavish their equine partner with everything the horses may or may not need, spending the minimum on themselves! Whereas the horse owner will often forego buying a new winter coat or pair of riding boots with a functional zip, their horses are to be found wearing the latest styles and colours of rugs, saddle cloths, boots, bridles, saddles, ear bonnets and that’s only the half of it! Horses will relax to massage, have a diet to make Jamie Oliver proud and enjoy a fluffy, spirit-levelled bed (to be thoroughly dishevelled by morning).

 

Which is just about the point where I come in. As a Trainer and Master Coach of mindset techniques such as NLP, Hypnosis and Time Line Therapy®, I train and coach riders in gaining confidence, expelling emotional issues, (such as anxiety or depression) doubts and limiting beliefs. I know that winning the mind game influences the physicality of riding no end. Even as a simple example, relaxing your mind allows you to relax your shoulders, expand out of the foetal position and use your seat bones more effectively. And that has a huge impact on your horse’s way of going, as well as their attitude and behaviour.

 

When you realise that even conservative estimates put riding enjoyment and success as being 80% mindset, could you, as an equestrian say that 80% of your ‘horsey extras’ money goes to getting your mindset in order?!

 

Let’s say that after paying for your stable, bedding, feed and basic horse needs, do you spend 80% on your own mind?!

 

Do you put aside money to get your mindset tweaked and overcome whatever holds you back?!

 

Many riders will repeat virtually the same patterns of behaviour over and over, practising the same thing (in mental terms), but rapidly getting nowhere.

 

Some riders will spend a very small minimum amount on themselves and their mind. The best riders will consider a ‘mind lesson’ as important as a ridden lesson and plan to be coached in a way that integrates both.

 

I often hear excuses such as

• I don’t have the money
  • I need to have riding lessons (I have options that are about the cost of a single riding lesson or sessions that are about 3 lesson’s worth)
  • I want to buy a new black saddle, as my new bridle is black
  • I want to buy some xxx (expensive) stirrups
• I don’t have time for mindset coaching (if you don’t have the time, you really do need mindset lessons, to free up your wasted time!)
• I’d love to have some mindset coaching sessions, but I want to compete(!)

 

You can see how the arguments are counterproductive and it means that it takes far longer to get where you want to be!

 

Let me give you some counterarguments!

 

• My rider mindset sessions begin at £29 for my weekly webinar series – that’s £29 for 5 webinars. Ride Confident – 2020

 

• Mindset sessions can be done with a friend to reduce costs! Why not email me to see how we can do this

 

• Rider mindset sessions can be done as one stand-alone session or as regular coaching, it doesn’t have to be longer term – schedule a free strategy call https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=17991647&appointmentType=10738056

 

• I can produce a personalised rider hypnosis recording for you at £75 – which you can listen to over and over again. Even if you listen only 5 times, that’s £15 per session! Equestrian hypnotherapy

 

• You can self-coach using my online course, designed for any rider – 5 hours for £147, that’s less than £30 per hour. Confident to the Core – Course Overview

 

Do riders really acknowledge that riding is 80% mindset? Do they ignore this set of tools that may be key to their enjoyment and or success? I think so many are losing out and that’s a great shame.

 

Mindset coaching does not have to expensive, time-consuming or difficult. It’s easy to choose an option that you can fit into your schedule and feel the benefits. Not to mention your horse feeling the benefits too – how many horses are only ever ridden by nervous riders? Now that’s got to be worth so much more than a matchy-matchy set!

 

P.S.

I added the old picture of me and my horse Lottie to show you not that we’d won a rosette, but that I’m only smiling because it’s over. In the picture, I’m now worrying about the canter around the ring and whether I’ll get bucked off or worse! After this, I used mindset techniques by training as an NLP Practitioner and couldn’t believe that riding/competing could be enjoyable – what a revelation!