Make Practice Count
It is competition season and some of us will have to face the dilemma of should I “play it safe” and ride safely, if I am now in the lead?
What happens to you if you have been in the lead position at an event? How do you ride from that moment on? Leg on or back off? Clear head or nerves and worry? Focused thoughts on the task at hand or no clue which fence is next?
Many riders play it safe because they become quickly distracted by mental worries about a last second mistake, a sudden fall. Such fear of trying to avoid mistakes and ruin things is a trap that many riders fall into.
Fear creates anxiety which reduces trust in your own skills, creates doubt and often leads to making the mistakes you are seeking to avoid in the first place! Suddenly you drop from red rosette to blue or worse!
In fact, your horse (and other competitors) can sense that you are playing it safe and riding below par and it gives them confidence to kick on! Put simply, other competitors gain momentum.
Don’t play it safe
Being able to chose whether or not to play it safe and still win is an important mental skill to be able to manage. Managing it means being present and conscious every stride. Learn what you did to get into the lead and how you pulled it off. If you built up a lead by “going for it”, by riding forwards with purpose and confidence why would you change this mindset later in the competition? Keep doing what works and it usually does work right to the end!
The lesson is to maintain the same style of riding that helped you get a lead.
The key is to not focus on the red rosette yet but to continue to ride one fence, or one transition at a time at a time.
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