#1

Here we are, the opening of my new website and the first blog to go with it. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have started writing, rewritten, scrapped it and started again - nothing was quite cutting it when it came to creating the ‘perfect’ blog entry. It needed to be witty, relatable, funny, emotional, profound, educational… There were a lot of boxes to try and tick. It was only when I found myself thinking about it at 4am last night that I realised, this is daft. Why am I trying to do everything in one blog?

And isn’t the same true when we ride? Aren’t we all guilty of trying to do too much in one session, or one week, or before the next competition? I have come across many riders who believe themselves to be having a confidence crisis when, actually, they’ve just been gradually piling the pressure on until the point of collapse. And when one pillar collapses, they all start to go, dramatically crumbling away and crashing to the ground, and before they know it, the rider has forgotten how to even ride a simple canter transition.

I often find myself telling riders to take the pressure off, give themselves a break, and remember that riding is a hobby, and a hobby should be enjoyed as often as possible. We’ll spend a session or two talking through the pressures that society, peers, work, shows and social media put on us, and why we shouldn’t be adding to those pressures. Once the rider is consciously aware of this, they usually breathe a huge sigh of relief, start to enjoy their riding again, and their previous abilities and skills under saddle quickly start to return. Hallelujah!

It’s important to have a coach who is “in your corner”

As horse riders we all understand the concept of ‘pressure and release’ when it comes to riding. For example, we put pressure onto the horse’s sides using our leg to encourage them to travel forward, and we lessen the pressure when the horse responds as we intended. Easy.

But what about pressure and release for the rider? Whose responsibility is it to control the pressure they are experiencing when they ride?

Riders take on a lot of responsibility as it is. We are in control of half a tonne of animal with a mind of its own, and we do silly things like point them at whopping great big solid fences and pray that we don’t die. The rider is fully aware of the potential dangers and consequences (after all, isn’t that why we do it?) and so take responsibility for their own actions.

But to take responsibility for the pressure we put on ourselves to achieve our goals is another matter. Social media has a lot to answer for, as so many people post the good rides or the super fails, but no one talks about the ‘meh’ days. Those ‘meh’ days are what make us question our ability in the saddle, and what can cause us to lose our confidence, as we put so much pressure on ourselves to figure out why that was a ‘meh’ ride, and what can we do next time to make it better. And a lot of the time, the rider ends up going around in ever decreasing circles, getting harder and more critical towards themselves, until those pillars start to collapse.

This is where your coach comes in. He or she should be able to identify the issue, help to restore it, and set you on the right path to your next goal. By taking away some of the responsibility your coach will also take away some of the pressure.

However - we are also very good at putting the pressure on when you need it! I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve told riders to ‘put your brave pants on’, because I KNOW my rider is capable of doing the task I have set, but they are apprehensive about getting it right.

But here’s the trick - you don’t need to get it right. We don’t expect you to get it right immediately. If you did, your coach might as well go home and leave you to it. There will always be creases to iron out, new problems arising, new skills to learn. And that’s why horse riding is such an enjoyable sport, because the learning never stops and there’s always something new to try.

So the next time you find yourself putting too much pressure on yourself to ride perfectly, just ask yourself - am I expecting too much? Do I need to do this right now? Or can you simplify things, give yourself a break, and make your ride more enjoyable?

After all, us coaches enjoy putting a bit of pressure on you, we don’t want you taking the fun away from us!