There is an opportunity right now to choose again. To become really intentional about what you want your riding to look like and feel like for you and your horse. Because everything has changed, you are at this unique place where you can change your riding. You can decide what is working for you and what is not, and then build out the coming 6 months to reflect this ‘new you’ as a rider.
One of the positives of 2020 is that most people have greater clarity about what they actually want. What is really a priority and what was simply a habit?
You can choose your better. Maybe this is better scores or results. Or it could be a better partnership and conversations with your horse. Whatever your better is, I am urging you today to identify it and then go for it.
Give yourself a 12-week window and make this happen for you and your horse.
Your Upcoming 12 Weeks in Your Riding
All riders who make progress, while really enjoying their time in the saddle have one thing in common; they are consistent in their focus and their actions. They know what they want. It is something tangible and clear to anyone looking or watching from the sidelines.
I want you to choose something and work towards it for the coming 12 weeks.
12 weeks is enough time to see a marked difference in both you and your horse’s way of going, without being so long that you lose focus and intention. If you can really get clear on one goal for your coming 12 weeks and then see each ride as a stepping stone on the path to this goal, it becomes impossible not to make progress towards it.
What Needs to Change?
Where you are in your riding, right this second, is not where you want to go. And yet, we tend to think that doing the same thing over and over is the way to get there… The simple fact is that something has to change. Without the necessary change, you will simply repeat the same thing over and over and over again.
It’s a bit like driving around a specific block in one town, again and again. And then wondering why you never make it into the next town!
Take a good hard look at your riding today. What is overdue an update? Maybe it is the basics. Or it is your groundwork. It could be the boundaries you have laid out that need to be redefined. Or where you are riding and working is what needs to change. Think of it this way; the very first halt you even rode on a horse hopefully looks a lot different to the very last one you rode up to reading this post. You refined your basics. And they always can be refined even more.
Everything in riding must be revisited and updated on a regular basis. Everything. Ignoring or hiding away from this simple truth is what keeps riders stuck.
Change A Belief in the 12 Weeks
Often it is our very beliefs that hold us back and continue to keep us ‘stuck’ as riders. What are you believing about your riding and your horse that is no longer serving you? Maybe it is what you can or cannot do. It could be regarding a certain discipline or training method. And check your ‘reasons’ as well, often they are simply excuses which are tied to long-held beliefs.
When you identify a belief that is no longer serving you, begin looking for evidence to the contrary.
Other riders who are successfully doing this thing, or not doing this thing. Areas of your life where this belief is clearly not true. This is a great one for confidence; where in your life do you feel confident and how does that feel in your body? Horses of a similar build, age, breed, temperament, etc. who are happily doing the thing you believe your horse cannot do…
Every action you take is based on a belief you have. Every single one. Changing the belief changes everything.
Your Opportunity is Here, Right Now
2020 has allowed us the space to see what is working and what’s not. To identify what is important and what is just ‘fluff’. I really think that you have a golden opportunity right now to change your riding for the better. And it all begins with changing yourself.
Your beliefs create your thoughts. And your thoughts create your feelings. Then your feelings dictate your actions. And your actions lead to your results.
The work begins by identifying a belief or two that needs to change and then doing to the work to make that happen.
Mark 12 weeks from now on the calendar. Set the exact date. And then go for it. See what you can change in just 12 weeks; and remember to let me know when you have done it.
Happy Riding
Lorna
Additional Resources for This Topic
-
-
- Plan 1 Month of Riding in 1 Hour Live Workshop
- Out Of Planning and Into Action
- Having Realistic Expectations for Your Riding
- FREE Weeks Riding Plan
- Online community for equestrians working on their mindset & fitness
- Online Community for equestrians focusing on re-schooling horses (and ex-racehorses)
-
