Strides for Success

Tag: Progress

  • 6 Questions for When You’ve Stopped Improving as a Rider

    6 Questions for When You’ve Stopped Improving as a Rider

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    It is one of the most frustrating experiences as a rider when you notice that you’ve stopped improving. Progress has stalled! You’re doing ‘all the things’ but, seemingly, to no avail whatsoever.

    This is a common place that most riders can find themselves in at some point or another. And the good news is that there are things you can begin doing today that will help you get moving and improving as a rider soon.

    6 Questions For When You’ve Stopped Improving

    1 . How Well Do You Understand What You Think You’re Doing?

    2 . Are you Physically Able to Allow Improvement to Happen?

    3 . Is Horse Riding a Priority In Your Life?

    4 . Are you Being Consistent – With the Right Things?

    5 . Have You And Actual Goal that you’re Working Towards?

    6 . Does Something Need to Change?

    One Tweak Each Week

    I strongly suggest changing one thing each week. When we have stopped improving, we tend to have an all-or-nothing approach to changing. We either do nothing or everything – all at once!

    By taking the ‘one change a week’ approach, you can really pay attention to the outcome each change has.  You will know what works for you or not.  Changing too much too quickly might get you a result… However, you won’t know what has worked in order to keep yourself moving forward.

    Remember, there is a good chance that once you have stopped improving as a rider, it will happen again at some point… Knowing what works for you will help. 

    I have included different ideas for each of the above suggestions in the Daily Strides Podcast episode on this topic. Have a listen and see what it possibly sparks for you and your riding.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Other Bits and Bobs to Help You…

  • 3 Things You Must Work on to Become a Better Rider

    3 Things You Must Work on to Become a Better Rider

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    You know that feeling when you try something new and you get it right. Maybe your trainer or instructor is with you. Or maybe you just prepared. But, for whatever reason, you got it right. You feel like a better rider. Good feeling, hey?  Until the next time you try… Maybe on your own. A couple of days later. Aaaannnnndddd nothing!

    Whatever it was that allowed you to create the perfect circumstances before is now missing and you’re back to square one. And a thirsty square one, because now you have tasted the potential of this new thing!

    Leveling up in riding is a tough one for many riders. And I believe it is because they don’t take the 3 factors necessary to be upgraded into their approach. Emotional, mental, and physical.

    Conversations of a Better Rider…

    I think as riders, we often underestimate the conversations going on in our heads. We don’t take into account the ongoing chatter that our mind creates when we do ‘the thing’. Which can have a serious impact on what is happening in the saddle.

    You can upgrade the skills. Even upgrade the knowledge of what to do with these skills. But if you don’t upgrade what you think about it; nothing will change

    It is a harsh fact and one that holds so many riders back. However, mindset is just one element that can hold you back from becoming a better rider… And, as I said, if all 3 are not being developed together, it creates a ceiling for you and your riding.

    1 . Emotional

    I believe that confidence can be borrowed. This sounds a little strange, however, we see it all the time with schoolmasters (whether the schoolmaster is horse or rider). The more experienced team member can ‘loan’ their confidence in the greener team member’s abilities.

    I can bet that you have experienced having a trainer or instructor in the arena with you and feeling like you’ll ‘give it a go’ purely based on them telling you that you can do it…!

    This is borrowing confidence. This is you not feeling so hot regarding being able to do something, and yet doing it anyway because the other person, whom you trust, makes you feel like you can.  The key with ‘borrowing confidence’ is to find someone that you trust implicitly. “If they think you can do it, they’re probably right” sort of a person!

    Once you have done something a few times, this will allow you to build your own confidence in your own abilities. This is developing emotionally as a rider.

    2 . Mental

    Knowing what to do… It seems pretty obvious that this is important if you want to improve. However, this also needs to be revisited over and over again. New ways of doing things. Learning new things. Upgrading your knowledge. There are three key parts to this.

    1. What do I want to do? 2. Why am I doing this? 3. How do I effectively communicate this to my horse in a way that he will understand?

    If you want to ride the half-halt because your horse is becoming a little unbalanced around corners, it is important to remember the above. It’s not enough to merely know that the half-halt can benefit this. You must also know how to effectively tell your horse that you want him to half halt.

    Your job is not to do the thing. Your job is to ask your horse to do the thing. Then get out of your horse’s way while he is busy doing the thing!

    And as you develop as a rider you will learn more things. You will discover new ways to do things and different methods. And, you will begin to become better at figuring out what to do when for the best result. This is developing mentally as a rider.

    3 . Physical

    Doing the thing… So many riders ‘think’ they are doing the thing – but the reality is so far removed from the picture in the rider’s head! I see this a lot with different aids. The outside leg is a good example of this. So many riders ‘think’ that their outside leg is doing something. However, a quick look at a photo or video will show that it is, in reality, nowhere near that place at all!

    As you learn more and grow confident in your abilities, your body will be asked to ‘do’ more.

    A lack of suppleness or fitness will hold you back from actually putting what you know and what you want to do into practice. This can be frustrating for many riders. However, it is also one of the easiest to begin remedying.

    Spend more time in the saddle. Sit on an exercise ball during the day. Work out. Start a yoga practice. Stretch before you ride. Choose some ‘cross training’ activities and schedule them into your weekly.  Knowing what to do is not enough. You must also be able to effectively use and control your body to make that happen.

    And as your skills grow and you develop as a rider, you will have to also develop your body physically to ‘do the things’ you want it to do.

    A Checklist for Developing your Riding

    So, the next time you find yourself in an arena, struggling to do the thing that you thought you could do, run through this quick checklist…

        • How am I thinking about this?
        • Have I upgraded my beliefs regarding my skills and abilities as a rider so that I can do this?
        • Do I know what I want to do?
        • Why am I doing it – is this the right thing to do?
        • What is the most effective way to communicate this to my horse?
        • Am I physically capable of doing this?
        • Is my body doing what I think it is doing?

    Look for where you need to do a little more work and then focus on upgrading that one area. Then circle back and try again.

    This is an ongoing process to become a better rider. This is ‘the work’. And by taking the time to ensure you are developing in all 3 areas, you will soon begin to see the progress you want in your riding.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Similar Topics & Resources

     

  • What Are You Willing to Do Differently As a Rider?

    What Are You Willing to Do Differently As a Rider?

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    What has changed for you in your riding? If you are not intentionally making a small (or the odd large) tweak here and there, I’m willing to guess that your answer is ‘Not a whole lot’…

    Albert Einstein said it and there’s a reason it is repeated by people who try to help others. “Insanity; doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”. But it seems that there are a lot of riders out there who think this doesn’t apply to them.

    They’re riding the same exercises, the same way.  The same thoughts running the show – and then complain when nothing changes!

    If you want to change something in your riding, you are going to have to do just that… Change something.  Be intentional about doing something differently.

    Choosing 1 Thing to Do Differently

    Now, if you have just had an ah-ha moment, or I’ve hit a bit of a nerve, hold on… Many riders, when they realize that they are the very thing holding themselves back, throw themselves headfirst into change. New saddle, new exercises, new routine, and schedule. New instructor, new yard, or, maybe, new horse!

    Whoa there… If you change everything at once, how will you know what has worked?

    Begin by making one change. One small and simple change. If you are unsure of what that change should be, just have a think back to your past few rides. Was there a common theme showing up? Maybe it was something someone was saying to you? An instructor or another equestrian who was working alongside you? And if you’re still drawing a blank…

    What was the general ‘theme’ of what you have been telling everyone about your riding this past month?

    Remember, sometimes the change doesn’t actually have to be riding related. It can be the amount of time you are riding. The days you are riding. Even the times of day you are making it to your horse. How rushed you are feeling while you ride. Tacking up. Your saddle. Riding in the arena or out of it.

    All little things that you can tweak and change in order to begin playing with getting that different result.

    Setting an Intention is Key

    I would love for you to set yourself a bit of a goal here… This coming week, I want you to do one thing differently. One small tweak. And see how it impacts both you and your horse.

    Track your progress using your riding journal.

    See if that one change has contributed to a change in the trajectory of the progress in your riding.  Becoming intentional about what you change and then tracking your progress is the key to really making a difference in your riding. In your skills and your experiences. And in your day to day interaction with your horse.

    The first thing you do differently might not do a lot.  However, by making one small tweak a week, you will have changed 12 things in 3 months. 12 changes will guarantee that you and your horse are in a different place just 12 short weeks from now.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Links to Help You:-

    What Are You Willing to Do Differently As a Rider?

  • Your Riding Plan – Part 3 – Developing

    Your Riding Plan – Part 3 – Developing

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    Is every 30-minute ride starting to look and feel the same for you? Even the ones that you painstakingly chose exercises to work on? Annoying, isn’t it? Especially because actually ‘moving forward’ in your riding is the reason you are riding!

    If this is the case, firstly, take heart that you’re not alone! Remaining focused throughout the day to day riding can really begin to wear on most well-intentioned riders after a while. And can even cause riding to begin dropping off your list of priorities…!

    This is why I suggest a 3 pronged approach to developing your weekly riding plan in a way that keeps things interesting and moving forward…

    A plan that will take you, clearly, on a path to your goals. Part 1 is to introduce regular intentional Fun to your riding. From there, Part 2 is working on deepening your Partnership with your horse. Which leads us to…

    Part 3 – Developing

    Doing the work. This is part that most riders are good at talking about, planning about, and even trying in the arena. You have probably found yourself on more than one occasion in the arena, exercise all mapped out in your head. And yet realizing, in absolute dismay, that it is just not coming together for you.

    The key is to begin making ‘the work’ actually work for you and your horse!

    Developing is another name for training. I personally believe that both horse and rider need training in order to move forward in their relationship. Often, most horse and rider combinations begin with one team member not being as advanced as the other. In this case, the more advanced or developed team members will help to ‘lift’ the other to their level. The schoolmaster horse or the more experienced rider.

    However, at some point, most horse and rider partnerships will reach a level where they are now matching in their skills and abilities. And this can be where so many begin to plateau.

    Physically, Mentally, and Emotionally

    When we think of ‘working’ our horses or ‘training’ our horses, it can be easy to only focus on the physical. The things we can actually see. Increased flexion. Improved straightness. Maintained rhythm. However, reaching a new level in development actually involves your horse also develop emotionally and mentally.

    Your horse must believe that he can do the things you are asking him to do.

    The same applies to riders. Just focusing on actual physical riding skills will result in a rider plateauing in their training. We all know of the rider (maybe it is even you) who knows what to do and can do it… But just does not have the confidence to do it. Or who cannot consistently establish or maintain what it is that they are doing?

    Both horse and rider must develop both mentally, emotionally, and physically in order to really continue to grow individually and as a team.

    The Power of Simple

    I am a big believer in keeping things simple. Simple exercises that focus on simple outcomes. The basics matter and I believe that spending the majority of your ‘Developing Time’ there, will help you and your horse reach your goals much faster and easier. This is especially true if you have plateaued in your riding…

    Often, if you are not seeing progress (usually because Fun and Partnership are not included in the plan), you instinctively jump to complicated where training is concerned.

    I am going to urge you to rein in the temptation to do that and to really just focus and work on the simple in your training with your horse. It’s not fancy, it’s not fashionable! But it works.

    Choose simple exercises and rather work on them through the filter of what you want to achieve in your riding.

    For example, a serpentine can be used to work on transitions, bending, rhythm, walk, trot, canter, straightness, ground poles, flexion, relaxation, accuracy and so much more. One exercise, that is as basic as they come, and I’ve just given you 11 different ways you can use it in your training.

    Adding Developing To Your Riding Plan

    Just like Fun and Partnership, there are many different ways to incorporate Developing or Training into your riding plan. Here are a few suggestions you can use to get you started…

        • Groundpoles
        • Lunging in an enclosed space
        • Groundwork
        • Long Lining
        • Flatwork (while riding)
        • Gridwork
        • Jumping
        • Clinics
        • Workshops
        • Shows & Competitions
        • Long Lining over poles
        • Lunging in an open space
        • New experiences
        • Trail rides & hacking

    And that is just to get started with… I’m sure you can come up with many more ways and opportunities you can really begin training and developing both you and your horse.

    Again, you will see cross-pollination between the activities on your Fun List, your Partnership List, and your Training List. Remember, it is the intention that counts.

    Finding Exercises

    The final part of putting all of this together is to find actual exercises for you and your horse to work on each day as you ride. 3 exercises can go a long way. 5 and you have more than enough for a month’s worth of riding.

    Choose wisely and, remember, keep it simple!

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Links to Help You:-

  • Plan Your Ride with These Simple Steps

    Plan Your Ride with These Simple Steps

    How often do you dismount and honestly have no clue what you just spent the previous 30 minutes working on? If this is happening more often than you want to admit, you’re not alone. The good news is that planning can help completely change this.

    [fusebox_track_player url=”https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/1157-Plan-Your-Rides-in-3-Simple-Steps.mp3″ title=”Plan Your Ride with These Simple Steps” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”Are all your rides beginning to feel the same? Here’s how to make the most of your 30 minutes in the saddle – and enjoy yourself ;) ” hashtag=”equestrian” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    Plan Out Your Ride with These Simple Steps

    The conversation between you and your horse begins with the conversation already ongoing in your head. Your conversation with yourself. Tapping into that conversation – and maybe guiding it in a different direction – can help you transform your riding.

    Consistently doing this on an ongoing basis for 3 months has the potential to change everything in your riding.

    It all starts with sit-in down and beginning to create ‘the plan’…

    Before You Begin…

    Enthusiasm is great. In fact, it is one of my top values in life. However, sometimes it can backfire on us as riders. You see, often we want to achieve everything in a single day. And, when we are thinking about things from this positive and enthusiastic frame of mind, sure why not do it all in a day?!

    Instead, I think you should start smaller with your ‘1-day goals’, and then set the bar a little higher for your ’12 week goals’.

    Overwhelm is a real thing. And thinking too big in the short term is one of the top ways riders tend to bring this on themselves. Ironically enough, thinking this same way in the long term has the same effect. The whole ‘this is going to take forever’. It really doesn’t have to. Think bigger long term.

    Reverse Engineering Your Goals

    Let’s fast forward here a little. Imagine you have just achieved the thing that you want in your riding. What does it look like? Really get into all the nitty-gritty details. Where are you? what are you wearing? Who is with you? How does it feel? Got it? Okay…

    Now, I want you to get really clear on the differences between that ride (where you achieved the goal) and your very last ride in the saddle.

    What needs to change from your last ride in order to achieve the ‘goal’ ride? List the things out. One by one. What was different? Was it the tack? The level of understanding of the aids? Your physical fitness or suppleness? Maybe your horse’s strength and development? The barn or arena? It could even be the horse…

    When you know what the difference in between ‘here’ and ‘there’, you can go about building a bridge between those two places.

    One Month From Now…

    Now that you have a clearer idea of what you want and why you don’t have it already, you can begin making a plan to create that thing. I want you to think a month from now. Is it possible to achieve that thing in a month? If it is not, don’t panic. Simply take one essential missing element and that will become the thing you are working on for the coming month.

    Often we set our sights too high with how much we can do and achieve. Slow and steady will win the race when it comes to improving your riding and your partnership with your horse.

    Lay the Stepping Stones of Your Plan

    Any journey as being a series of steps, one by one, to get from A to B. Improving your riding is no different. See each ride as a stepping stone and another piece of the journey to reach your goal. When I began Strides for Success, the whole idea was to make every ride great. I still stand by that idea.

    If each ride was a stepping stone, imagine how different your riding would look just 16 rides from now.

    Why 16? Well, 4 days a week and 4 weeks in a month equal 16 rides each month. One month can transform your riding. Multiply that by 3 months and now you have 48 different interactions that you can use to reach your goal.

    Can you now begin to see how much you can actually achieve in 12 weeks if you begin getting intentional about your rides?

    So, What Can You Commit To?

    Now, I am suggesting 4 days a week, however, you need to figure out how many days a week will work for you and your current lifestyle. ‘Current’ is a keyword in that sentence. Don’t begin your plan with how you ‘want’ things to be. Start with how things actually are. Your current life.

    What is ‘do-able’ for you when it comes to working your horse on a weekly basis?

    Once you have this figured out, it is then your job to make each ride count. I am going to suggest that part of your commitment is to take one day each week to review and plan the upcoming week.

    Be Consistent with Your Plan

    Consistency is not exciting. I know… However, it is an absolute essential when working with horses. What I see happen to a lot of riders is they will go all out for 5 or 6 days. There is a feeling of accomplishment when you begin to hit a rhythm regarding being intentional with your rides.

    5 or 6 days is not an accomplishment. It is merely staying on the path of stepping stones you have laid out in order to reach the real accomplishment; your goal.

    This sounds harsh, but it is a common mistake riders make. And this is why I suggest 20 minutes once a week to review and plan the upcoming week in the saddle. Know what you are doing every day in advance. It will help you to stay on track when ‘life’ shows up.

    If you can summon the same feelings you felt in the beginning when you’re in the middle, you will reach the end.

    If you are interested in learning exactly how to plan your rides out, plan your stepping stones, I’m inviting you to join me HERE

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources on This Topic:-

  • Horse Riding through Coronavirus (Covid-19)

    Horse Riding through Coronavirus (Covid-19)

    Horse riding Through the Coronavirus Covid-19

    This is probably the first time in history that all equestrians find themselves grappling with the same thing. Something has changed for just about everyone.  Ironically it has nothing to do with horses and yet it is directly or indirectly impacting almost every rider…

    [smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/1142-Horse-Riding-Through-Coronavirus-Covid19.mp3″ title=”Horse Riding Through the Coronavirus (Covid-19)” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”Stuck at home due to the current global situation? A few ideas to keep moving forward with your riding – even if you’re confined to the house…” hashtag=”horseriding #equestrian ” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    Lockdowns, socially isolating, quarantine and social distancing have become terms that we all not only understand, but most of us have experience of implementing over the past weeks.  

    Today, I want to specifically address riders who, right now, cannot get to visit or ride their horses.  As frustrating and sad as this may be, all is not lost. 

    I believe that there are ways that you can use this time to really invest in your foundations as a rider. And all of this in order to come out the other side an even ‘better version’ of yourself.  Time is something you probably have an abundance of right now, so why not fill it with one of these activities?

    1. Fill in the Gaps in Your Knowledge

    Horse riding is physical. It requires you to take action on what you learn. However, right now, you may be feeling frustrated about not being able to take action. You simply are not allowed to go to the barn. Or maybe lessons have been canceled.  All is not lost…You can learn a lot through watching videos, reading and listening to audios.

    In fact, I personally believe that when a rider understands ‘why’ they are doing what they are doing, it makes ‘doing it’ a lot easier.

    What have you been struggling with in your riding lately? Why not research it more and find out more about it. I am going to stress that, in particular, pay attention to causes versus symptoms. So many riders make the mistake of trying to fix the symptom. Quick fixes and short term results will follow. However, as soon as more pressure is added; you find yourself back to square one. And that is usually the exact time you need for the ‘fix’ to work!

    You have an opportunity to ‘go deep’ with regard to what you learn now. If you are at a loss of where to begin, I suggest THE TRAINING SCALE
    and how it can help you and your riding.

    2. Give Your Tack a Good Old Spring Clean…

    Now, your eyes may have rolled here, however, let me finish… Okay, firstly, have you ever noticed how, when you ‘look good’ you ‘feel good’? This is true in day to day life, non-horse related actives. But it is also true as a rider.

    Having all your tack sparkling and ready to go will inspire you to show up differently when you do ride again. It encourages you to think, act and feel like a ‘better version’ of yourself.

    If you find yourself with time on your hands and equipment at your location, get to work. Spend time giving all the equipment a deep clean. Remove grime. Notice what needs repairs or replacement. Look for general wear and tear and even begin matching that to what is happening when you ride. A stiffness or ‘lopsidedness’ can often correlate to a flocking issue…

    Tack is something that many riders purchase once and then forget about. However, it makes sense that if you and your horse are developing, your needs regarding tack will evolve as well…

    Maybe that bit is no longer the best option for you and your horse? Or perhaps a different noseband is required. It could be the martingale or the numnah. Even the girth can play a part. You and your horse’s needs will change over time.

    As you clean your tack, picture how each individual piece is either adding or taking away from your conversation with your horse.  Then begin researching…

    3. Create or Update Your Goals

    Let’s be honest here, the ones you created just 3 short months ago might just be looking a little far fetched right now! This is why this the perfect time to assess and make adjustments if necessary.  Everyone is being forced to ‘pivot’ in some way or another right now. It is foolish to simply sit tight and hope to ‘ride this out’.

    Change is essential in order to continue to make progress right now in the world.

    One of the benefits of the current global situation is that is has forced us to have a lot more clarity regarding our priorities. What is really important. And in doing so, identify what can actually wait – or be discarded. We all have the potential to fall into habits that no longer serve us.

    Often, it is only when we are actually forced to stop those things, that we notice new and better ways forward.

    See this as an opportunity to ‘pattern interrupt’ your habits. Those that are still serving you will survive. In fact, they might just thrive. And those which are actually holding you back; find new ways or simply replace them with something you actually want.

    4. Condition Your Body for Riding

    Okay, I say it ALL THE TIME that riding is a 50:50 team sport. You and your horse. And yet, as riders, we are often guilty of devoting so much time to our horses 50% while completely ignoring our own. If you are confined to a specific area right now with a lot of time on your hands, why not invest 20 to 30 minutes a day to your own personal ‘condition’.

    Find A SIMPLE WORKOUT PLAN
    you can follow and begin implementing it. Each day devote 15 to 30 minutes to improving the future you and your riding.

    Keep in mind that this is not a time to stress your body. Don’t work yourself to the point of exhaustion or the point of total body soreness! However, light (keyword in this case) exercise repeated regularly will help you to feel physically and mentally more ‘able’.

    And after as short as 3 weeks will allow you to see a huge difference in the saddle as well.

    5. Continue to Look Forward

    It can seem all doom and gloom right now. I am going to suggest limiting yourself to one or two chosen content or news streams, and then switching off the rest. The world has been turned upside down. The confidence has been knocked out of almost everyone I know. Things are different.

    However, I can choose how I respond in this situation. For myself, for my family and friends. And for my horses.

    I am a firm believer that there is always a way forwards. This is why I am using this time to condition myself, mentally and physically, so as when the way appears, I am ready to take it.

    Maybe this will help you to do the same…

    Keep safe and well
    Lorna

    Additional Resources:-