Flutterings

We’re T minus 12 days until we make our trek to Kentucky and once again tackle a Training level course.  I had a laundry list of things I wanted to accomplish with Nutmeg between now and then, but… 

Nutmeg lost a shoe last week.  The only thing I’m accomplishing is laundry and its giving me butterflies.

Life’s funny that way.  It lures you into a false sense of ease.  Things go along just how they are supposed to, and then a random stranger puts it in reverse and smashes into your front bumper.  Hoping to avoid digressing into a pity party, I’m turning to Daniel Stewart, Sports Psychology Buff, for some tips on how top riders or any of us normal people can overcome the challenges everyday life throws our way.

Tip #1: Abundance vs. Scarcity Mindset

Or as I think of it, Look for the window!  Stewart writes, “Instead of telling yourself what you don’t have or what you’re not good at, tell yourself what you do have and what you’re good at.”  So I’m out of time to prepare.  Well, I have a horse that lives on pasture most of the time and does a fairly good job of staying fit.  We won’t worry about coming in on time.  We can canter and jump for five and a half minutes.

Nutmeg may be missing a shoe, but I have an Easyboot.  That helped us eek out one more ride.  Sadly her foot is in no shape to work now even with the Easyboot.  I can’t ride Nutmeg, but I can use my time wisely.  I can pack, pull manes, clean the house (oh the horror!), mow the grass, etc.  So when the doors start slamming, look for the window.

Tip #2: Present vs. Past/Future Mindsets

Or as I think of it, Don’t look where you don’t want to go!  Stewart says, “…instead of focusing on past failures or the pressure of future outcomes, keep your mind locked in the present.”  For me at least, it’s pretty easy to stay focused when we’re galloping down to a big jump, but the same keenness of focus is much harder to find in my daily routine.  The what-ifs and past experiences plague me. 

We are really struggling with our canter departs right now.  Nutmeg absolutely rockets out from under me.  For our dressage test, we pick up the canter and within four strides make a fifteen meter circle.  Lately, I’d be lucky if I could make a forty-five meter circle.  Add to that our nasty history of jumping out of the arena in the canter.  My brain wants to go there.  If I’m thinking of jumping out of the arena, I can be sure I’ll look out, Nutmeg’s shoulders will follow my eyes and out we go.  Our canter isn’t going to improve until I focus on what it should be, not what I’m anticipating it will be.  I need to get back on Admiral and rediscover that feel.  He has such nice quiet, round canter departs.   Perhaps I can channel that feeling.

Recently the Eventing World lost a rider on cross country.  It’s easy for all of us to gulp and wonder how close we’ve been or wonder if the next time we ride out of the start box, it will be us.  All those thoughts do absolutely no good.  They distract us from our present job, to ride the best we can every step of the way.  We must stay focused in the now.  Don’t let your mind go where you don’t want to follow.  Just don’t.  Worrying never helped anything.  Prepare and put all your thoughts and actions into preparing the best you can, then ride each step the way you prepared.

Tip #3: Belief vs. Fear Driven Mindsets

Or as I say, Ride what you brought.  Stewart suggests, “Instead of focusing on what you’re afraid of, teach yourself to focus on what you believe you can make happen.”  There are days I ride a fire breathing dragon.  Don’t laugh.  I truly believe fire comes out both ends and my horse grows a story taller with a long scaly neck and a complete disregard for anyone’s safety.  It happens.  On those days, I believe I we can end better than we started.  I believe I can find my horse again and that’s about it.  At that point, there is no point in being afraid of the humiliation I’m going to face in the ring.  Any chance at pride fled when the dragon emerged from the trailer.  Really, have you ever know anyone to look dignified sitting atop a giant lizard?  If things are truly horrible and I don’t believe I can’t ride safely, then I don’t.  I get off.  I do something different.  I’m not afraid of falling, I just don’t believe riding is safe and if I’m at that point, it isn’t.

That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but that doesn’t make it any less true.  My stomach keeps trying to leap into my throat at the thought of running Training in Kentucky without much prep time.  With the recent rider fatality, it’s easy to start down the fear road.  When I do, I remind myself that we wouldn’t have entered Training if I (we) didn’t believe it was within our ability.  I remind myself that we’ve done it before.  I remind myself of all the exercises we’ve done to prepare and I remind myself that the only pressure is the pressure I put on myself.  If we arrive at the park and discover a question I don’t believe we’re ready to answer, I don’t need to fear it; I need to find a way to believe we can do it.  If we trot, will that make the question answerable?  If we take the first jump, can we circle and then do the next?  What would I do if we were presenting this question in a schooling setting?  If there is no way for me to believe we can do it, we won’t.  Fear need never enter into it.  We’re afraid when we are over faced.  If we are over faced, we need to back off.  Ride what you brought and bring what you need.  Don’t wish you brought an elephant, when all you have is a mouse and don’t take a knife to a gun fight.

Well, that’s the very long way to say life isn’t going to get any easier by thinking about it.  Plans will change.  Horses will lose shoes or get hurt.  Random acts will upset your wonderful routine.  Life will go on.  Find the window, look out it, then ride that dang elephant right through!  Hopefully you found a little humor and a Fresh Perspective on the fluttering of nerves that plagues us all at some point in time.  If you want to read Daniel Stewart's original article, Click Here.