The Equestrian Journal

I Can't Fight This Feeling

August 2021 I Cat Nihem

You know that feeling you get riding when everything clicks into place and feels right?

It is amazing that point in time when you and your horse overcome a significant obstacle and achieve progress. It is not a fluke - it happens because of your hard work and dedication. And journaling is the easiest way we have found to achieve more breakthroughs and more importantly - recreate them.

There are also other ways to ensure you have more breakthroughs as you progress with your horse.

Tony Robbins wrote several best selling books on personal development, and he has a 3 step process to achieving breakthroughs in any part of your life which easily applies to equestrians:

1) FIND A STRATEGY - Discover a shortcut to get more done in less time. "What is it that gets some people to succeed while others fail who seem to have equal enthusiasm or passion for the tasks at hand? They have insights, distinctions, and strategies that allow them to achieve more quickly." For us that is using the framework of The Equestrian Journal. We have so much information on hand with the internet, you just need to look for the strategies that work for you. So find a strategy, document it in your journal and use it!

2) YOUR STORY - You may have heard us mention limiting beliefs in past posts. "We all have stories — narratives we tell ourselves about why we can or cannot do or achieve something in our lives." Do not get stuck in a story or beliefs that limit you. Empower yourself to write your own success story. Tell yourself YOU CAN, make a plan and use your strategy to get there.

3) YOUR STATE - We all know how our mental state affects the way our horse reacts to us. Did you know your state of being also acts as a filter to how you look at your life and your riding? If you are stressed, change your physiology simply by stopping what you are doing and taking some deep breaths. "Most people only use 20% of their lung capacity taking small short breaths, but 70% of the body’s toxins can actually be released when taking a full breath! By taking the time to fill your lungs and release, you can not only improve your health but also radically decrease the anxiety related to that moment." Box breathing is an amazing technique you can do anywhere, anytime. We find it particularly useful right before entering the ring in competition. Try it now while you are reading this and be ready to apply it when you need it most:

Close your eyes. Breathe in through your nose while counting to four slowly.
Hold your breath inside while counting slowly to four. Try not to clamp your mouth or nose shut. Simply avoid inhaling or exhaling for 4 seconds.
Begin to slowly exhale for 4 seconds.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 at least three times or until you feel calm.

4) "WHERE FOCUS GOES, ENERGY FLOWS" - We often say that focus is one of the keys to being a great rider. Learning to control that focus on your plan for that ride teaches you to stay on cue and be in a high performance state.