By: April Clay

Question:

I returned to the show ring last summer after more than a 20-year break! I had a couple of good shows, but there was one where my young and inexperienced horse threw something unexpected at me and stopped dead in a class and refused to move.

We got through the competition without being eliminated, but I was really rattled and was aware for the rest of the show that I was not a) riding as well as I could; b) being a good leader for my horse; or c) focusing on the task at hand when in the ring.

We muddled through, but muddle is really the key word - I just couldn’t get it back together! Our performance (mine and the horse’s) really showed it, too.

Next season, I don’t want to act like a rookie if something doesn’t go right. What can I do, other than school to the best of my ability, to prepare?
continue reading "Dealing with the Unexpected"

Are you ready to take your riding to a different level? Then arm yourself with the mental skills to maximize your innate potential. Riding Out of Your Mind is the essential book on Equestrian Sport Psychology for riders of all horse disciplines.

Learn how to boost your riding pleasure and success by training your mind as well as your body.

This book contains practical exercises for incorporating mental skills training into your daily routine. You will also find examples of how real riders used these skills to solve common problems, and tips for honing your competitive skills.

April Clay writes in a friendly, honest manner, and her examples are ones that every rider can relate to. Her suggestions can help everyone achieve their riding goals!

Author: April Clay, M.Ed., Chartered Psychologist, and Horses All columnist!
Publisher: The Writing Room
ISBN: 0-9685822-1-4
Price: $35.00 CAD + $5.00 shipping & handling
Soft cover / 153 pages / drawings, tables, and case studies
To order: Send your cheque or money order to April Clay, 220 1982 Kensington Road NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 3R5

by: April Clay

Question:

I seem to have trouble getting my mind to calm down. I find there are just so many things to think about when I ride. I worry about something going wrong and lose my focus, or I concentrate on one thing and then something else goes wrong.
I can’t seem to get my mind under control, help!
continue reading "How to Keep Focused"

by:April Clay

What are mental traps? They are those little mental glitches you fall into again and again. They rob you of your learning, pleasure, performance and, let’s face it, sometimes what feels like your sanity.

There are likely as many mental traps out there as there are riders. As a start, here are some traps that are common and can lead you off your game.
continue reading "Avoiding mental traps"

By: April Clay

Question:

How do I become the best horse show mom I can be? I really want to be there for my daughter, but not interfere with her training. Can you give me some tips?

Answer:

You are very wise to be considering how not to interfere with your daughter’s riding, as it is a trap many sport parents enter. Here are some core principles to becoming a winning sport parent that will get you on your way.

The first important rule for all parents of young athletes to remember is: don’t act as a coach. Your child already has one of these and should be directed to them if they have a riding question. As a parent, you are part of their team, their support system.
continue reading "Horse-show Parenting"

By: April Clay

Question:

I am a coach and interested in developing my student’s minds as well as their physical riding. Can you tell me what mental training is and how I could start to incorporate it into my lessons?

Thank you!

Answer:

Mental skills training is an aspect of sport psychology. It is about the development of basic mental skills (goal setting, visualization, focus control, energy management, and self talk) that have been shown to assist athletes in their sport and their life.
continue reading "Mental Training for Coaches"

By: April Clay

Competition can be simply defined as striving for a certain objective that others may be after as well. However, the consequences of not meeting that objective are different in each situation.

The loss of a competition for food sources among wild animals carries a life or death consequence. A “whatever-it-takes” attitude is easily adopted in this case because of the severity of the potential outcome, with the animals becoming aggressive or even killing one another.

But, is winning a sports competition a matter of life or death? Certainly not, but this doesn’t stop some athletes from adopting the “whatever-it-takes” attitude. So why does this happen?
continue reading "Defining Competitiveness"