Following on from my blog back in February I've managed to get in touch with Jo Davies (BSc, MSc, MBPsS), a sport psychology practitioner with extensive professional experience within equestrian disciplines. A rider herself, Jo loves working with equestrians of all ages and levels, from grassroots to professional. Jo trained with the British Psychological Society, and regularly runs workshops for equestrian organisations, is an active PhD researcher and university lecturer, and contributes to equestrian publications such as Horse & Rider magazine. You can find out more about her work here.
Hi Jo, thanks for agreeing to answer a few questions today. You say you’ve read my most recent blog regarding positivity and how we can use our minds to adapt our riding. What can you add to this from your experience?
I really enjoyed your blog, particularly the story about your pupil who used imagery to improve her lower leg position; a brilliant case-in-point about the power of the mind. The story makes sense, given that research suggests that imagery can fast-track skill acquisition. Our brains can actually tell little difference between vivid images and real-life scenarios. For example, very similar neural and muscle activity would be activated if we imagined executing rising trot with a secure lower leg, and if we physically executed it. In a nutshell, it seems that using imagery can strengthen brain-body associations. During my masters degree, I undertook some research with riders; all amateur competitors in eventing or dressage. The key take-home message was that across 12 schooling sessions, imagining riding chosen dressage movements before physically riding them helped the riders to perform these movements better (as rated by the riders and by independent trainers). That is, they were better able to plan how they would ride the movement by mentally rehearsing it first; apparently producing clearer aids and more positive, assured riding.
Not only this, but we can change or strengthen our psychological reactions, such as confidence or commitment, to certain scenarios by using imagery. Take the scenario of approaching a trakehner fence on a cross-country course. You might imagine the senses involved in this scenario, such as: seeing the fence ahead of you; hearing the fence judge’s whistle; feeling your horse’s canter stride. The more vivid we can make an image – using different senses – the better. Consider your reactions (your focus and emotions, riding actions, and the outcome) to this scene? If you are someone who anticipates worst-case-scenarios, you might imagine: thinking how big the ditch looks; feeling self-doubt; experiencing jelly legs; and seeing your horse ground to a halt. However, a more positive rider might imagine: looking up and over the fence; feeling committed; keeping their legs on; and sailing over the fence. Both riders will have created a ‘mental blueprint’ that becomes a template for how they react in real-life; yet the second rider’s blueprint is far more helpful to them than the first rider! Consider how each rider thinks about jumping a trakehner now… By practising our ideal reactions (mental and physical) to an imagined scenario, we can make these reactions a more secure ‘go-to’ in real-life.
I really enjoyed your blog, particularly the story about your pupil who used imagery to improve her lower leg position; a brilliant case-in-point about the power of the mind. The story makes sense, given that research suggests that imagery can fast-track skill acquisition. Our brains can actually tell little difference between vivid images and real-life scenarios. For example, very similar neural and muscle activity would be activated if we imagined executing rising trot with a secure lower leg, and if we physically executed it. In a nutshell, it seems that using imagery can strengthen brain-body associations. During my masters degree, I undertook some research with riders; all amateur competitors in eventing or dressage. The key take-home message was that across 12 schooling sessions, imagining riding chosen dressage movements before physically riding them helped the riders to perform these movements better (as rated by the riders and by independent trainers). That is, they were better able to plan how they would ride the movement by mentally rehearsing it first; apparently producing clearer aids and more positive, assured riding.
Not only this, but we can change or strengthen our psychological reactions, such as confidence or commitment, to certain scenarios by using imagery. Take the scenario of approaching a trakehner fence on a cross-country course. You might imagine the senses involved in this scenario, such as: seeing the fence ahead of you; hearing the fence judge’s whistle; feeling your horse’s canter stride. The more vivid we can make an image – using different senses – the better. Consider your reactions (your focus and emotions, riding actions, and the outcome) to this scene? If you are someone who anticipates worst-case-scenarios, you might imagine: thinking how big the ditch looks; feeling self-doubt; experiencing jelly legs; and seeing your horse ground to a halt. However, a more positive rider might imagine: looking up and over the fence; feeling committed; keeping their legs on; and sailing over the fence. Both riders will have created a ‘mental blueprint’ that becomes a template for how they react in real-life; yet the second rider’s blueprint is far more helpful to them than the first rider! Consider how each rider thinks about jumping a trakehner now… By practising our ideal reactions (mental and physical) to an imagined scenario, we can make these reactions a more secure ‘go-to’ in real-life.
How powerful can the mind be when we’re either on board or at home? How best can we use it as a tool?
The mind can have a huge influence on how we feel about riding - whether we look forward to it or dread it - and indeed how we ride. Of course I would say this – I’m a psychologist! When I’m working with riders, I’m always keen to explore their ‘head chatter’: The thoughts, focus, images, and beliefs that a rider holds about themselves and their ability to deal with and succeed in different environments. This head chatter can have massive effects on how a rider feels – emotionally and physically – in that environment, and therefore how they ride; what the horse picks up on; and the outcome.
The mind can have a huge influence on how we feel about riding - whether we look forward to it or dread it - and indeed how we ride. Of course I would say this – I’m a psychologist! When I’m working with riders, I’m always keen to explore their ‘head chatter’: The thoughts, focus, images, and beliefs that a rider holds about themselves and their ability to deal with and succeed in different environments. This head chatter can have massive effects on how a rider feels – emotionally and physically – in that environment, and therefore how they ride; what the horse picks up on; and the outcome.
There are so many examples of ‘unhelpful head chatter’, from “What if…” thoughts (“What if he stops; I fall off; I make an idiot of myself…”) or mind-reading (assuming you know what everyone else is thinking about you); to catastrophising (“I can’t even get my studs on, how am I ever going to jump a course of fences!”), piling on pressure with ‘must’s (“I MUST go double clear now I’ve got a good dressage score), or picturing dramatic worst-case-scenarios. Unhelpful head chatter will often lead to unhelpful emotions and physiology, be that worry, fear, tension, nausea… an unlikely recipe for success given that horses are sensitive to our body language, heart rate, tone of voice, muscle tension and so accuracy of aids, and so on. Your head chatter about situations and about yourself as rider is therefore often a good place to start in using the mind as a tool. Granted, automatic head chatter won’t always be helpful (we can’t be naturally 100% positive all of the time – we’re human after all!). The skill is in recognising when your riding is being hi-jacked by unhelpful head chatter, and re-directing focus to a more helpful thought, instruction, or image – which is easier when we have a healthy self-concept, i.e., helpful, realistic beliefs about ourselves and our capabilities. |
I find that a lot of riders focus on negative experiences, even if that experience was 1 out of 100 positive ones. Why do we do this?
Good question! I see this a lot too; for example the rider who leaves the show-jumping ring beating themselves up over the one pole down, when nine stayed up. There’s no sole reason why we do this (individual differences!), but two good questions to ask yourself are: (1) Did I set unrealistic, uncontrollable goals (if so, perhaps nothing you did was ever going to be quite good enough)? – and: (2) Am I making a balanced review of my performance?
Concerning goals: It’s good to have a mix! So, whilst an ‘outcome’ goal of winning or placing, or completing a hack calmly might guide what you want to achieve; it’s more useful to focus on the ‘process’ goals that place us in the best position to achieve that outcome. Process goals are akin to your ‘ingredients for success’, and – this is the crucial part – they usually fall under our personal control. For instance, maintaining “a forward, rhythmic canter”, “soft arms” and “looking up” might be three process goals that can be practised and improved from session to session; are within a rider’s personal control; and direct focus to the here-and-now of riding. They also provide an excellent basis to appraise your performance. For example, whilst a clear-round may not have been achieved, that rider may have improved consistency in their process goals– which can aid positivity, motivation, and place them in a better position to achieve the desired outcome next time.
Good question! I see this a lot too; for example the rider who leaves the show-jumping ring beating themselves up over the one pole down, when nine stayed up. There’s no sole reason why we do this (individual differences!), but two good questions to ask yourself are: (1) Did I set unrealistic, uncontrollable goals (if so, perhaps nothing you did was ever going to be quite good enough)? – and: (2) Am I making a balanced review of my performance?
Concerning goals: It’s good to have a mix! So, whilst an ‘outcome’ goal of winning or placing, or completing a hack calmly might guide what you want to achieve; it’s more useful to focus on the ‘process’ goals that place us in the best position to achieve that outcome. Process goals are akin to your ‘ingredients for success’, and – this is the crucial part – they usually fall under our personal control. For instance, maintaining “a forward, rhythmic canter”, “soft arms” and “looking up” might be three process goals that can be practised and improved from session to session; are within a rider’s personal control; and direct focus to the here-and-now of riding. They also provide an excellent basis to appraise your performance. For example, whilst a clear-round may not have been achieved, that rider may have improved consistency in their process goals– which can aid positivity, motivation, and place them in a better position to achieve the desired outcome next time.
This links to a balanced review… Consider what you tend to focus on after riding/competing. Can you identify: What went well (however big or small), and why it went well; e.g., used breathing to relax my shoulders; used verbal encouragement to get to cross-country fence 1. Equally, can you identify: What could be improved, and how you will work on it (what’s your action plan?). By identifying ‘what works’, you are far more likely to plan and play to your strengths next time. Equally, this is balanced with a plan of what to work on, which stops us from dwelling on mistakes, and instead helps us to look forwards. |
I’m sure this is a frequent problem - rider frighteners! As a coach I can see how riders change the way they ride due to nervousness, creating problems at their ‘scary points’ and exaggerating the issue. How can riders overcome these bugbears?
Often a ‘rider frightener’ will prompt worst-case-scenario thoughts or images; the ‘unhelpful head chatter’ I mentioned earlier. When the ‘emotional’ part of our brain – the limbic system – picks up on a ‘threat’ (be that a corner of the school where the horse spooked last time; or a ditch that the rider is fearful of), the so-called ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response can be triggered. Riders can go into ‘survival mode’ and – as you say – their riding can significantly change. This is because our limbic system overwhelms the rational and clear-thinking part of our brain; the pre-frontal cortex. As riders, we might go into ‘fight’ mode (e.g., become very ‘busy’ and fluster the horse, or become snappy with the people around us); ‘flight’ mode (e.g., avoid the challenge, talk ourselves out of doing it), or; ‘freeze’ mode (e.g., become a passenger and simply ‘survive’ rather than ‘ride’ and react to the situation/our horse – the ‘rabbit in the headlights’ look!). |
Deep breathing is a very simple yet effective tool to get oxygen around the brain; which is very much needed to get the pre-frontal cortex/clear-thinking centre working! Often, when we’re in ‘panic mode’ we take short, shallow breaths. Think about breathing in slowly from the bottom of your stomach; in through the nose for 5 counts, pause, and out through the mouth for 5 counts. Deep breathing has the added bonus of releasing muscle tension, slowing your heart rate, and it also shifts attention onto a controllable action – into the here-and-now. This present focus is important, as is focusing on how you do what to ride, right now – rather than what you don’t want to happen in the near or distant future. Consider where your focus goes if you think: “Don’t spook”, “Don’t fall off!”, or “Don’t mess this up!”? It’s common that your brain will ignore the ‘don’t’, and instead focus on spooking, falling, or messing up – which is likely to cause us to feel worried, tense, and so on… ironic! Instead, choose to focus on one or two helpful instructions. Essentially, what can you do that will help you and your horse to negotiate the challenge ahead, e.g., “Shoulder-fore in the corner” or “Sit up and commit”. Again, these are examples of helpful head chatter, which drives how we feel about the task and how we ride.
How do you think negative riders can affect their coach? How can a coach encourage riders to feel more positive about their riding?
I think what’s really important is honesty in coach-rider communication; both ways! It’s helpful for riders be open with their coaches about what feels within their ‘comfort zone’ and what feels like a ‘stretch’, or even a ‘stress’. Equally, it’s useful for riders to hear from their coaches honest appraisals of where they’re at in relation to what they are aiming for. Appropriate goals can then be set together, and challenges set in a staged way that gradually stretch the horse and rider; such that they are taken outside of their comfort zone yet not over-faced.
A coach can certainly help a pupil to recognise their personal ‘resources’, which can sometimes be difficult for a rider to pin down. For example, what things is this rider particularly good at? What has this rider improved on in the last 3, 6, 12 months? What attributes have helped this rider to: overcome challenges; to step up a level; to accomplish goals? This isn’t about sugar-coating things – but it can be really useful to discuss what’s going well and what a rider is improving on, as well as their areas for improvement. This could be done perhaps in tandem with reviewing videos of the rider. Confident riders set appropriate goals and perceive that they have the resources to accomplish these goals.
I think what’s really important is honesty in coach-rider communication; both ways! It’s helpful for riders be open with their coaches about what feels within their ‘comfort zone’ and what feels like a ‘stretch’, or even a ‘stress’. Equally, it’s useful for riders to hear from their coaches honest appraisals of where they’re at in relation to what they are aiming for. Appropriate goals can then be set together, and challenges set in a staged way that gradually stretch the horse and rider; such that they are taken outside of their comfort zone yet not over-faced.
A coach can certainly help a pupil to recognise their personal ‘resources’, which can sometimes be difficult for a rider to pin down. For example, what things is this rider particularly good at? What has this rider improved on in the last 3, 6, 12 months? What attributes have helped this rider to: overcome challenges; to step up a level; to accomplish goals? This isn’t about sugar-coating things – but it can be really useful to discuss what’s going well and what a rider is improving on, as well as their areas for improvement. This could be done perhaps in tandem with reviewing videos of the rider. Confident riders set appropriate goals and perceive that they have the resources to accomplish these goals.
Riders who suffer with crippling nerves - how can they overcome their fears without being in the saddle everyday?
The imagery that you mentioned in your blog can be a brilliant mental tool to use in the absence of (or alongside) physical training. As mentioned earlier, by imagining our ideal response to our feared environment; a mental blueprint is created to refer to in real-life. It can be helpful to develop imagery in a staged way, by first imagining our ideal environment (e.g., bright sunshine, riding in a secure arena) and our ideal response (e.g., Relaxed, breathing, confident, sitting up with legs on). Gradually, we might build in imperfect environmental factors into the imagery, for instance: rain; a horse cantering in a nearby field; an arena with no fence; and so on. The crucial part is to continue to imagine your ideal response, such that neural pathways are reinforced in a helpful way. Let’s face it, our environment will never be perfect, but if we can mentally practice dealing with challenges calmly and successfully through imagery, we will feel more confident about dealing with the unexpected in real life.
Finally, what is your ultimate top tip for staying positive?
Hopefully there are some tips above – but, you raised the question in your blog: Where does confidence come from? I think it would be beneficial for any rider to take some time to mull over this question.
Hopefully there are some tips above – but, you raised the question in your blog: Where does confidence come from? I think it would be beneficial for any rider to take some time to mull over this question.
Think of an upcoming task, and consider what is it that helps/would help you to feel confident about executing it? There are likely to be a variety of ‘confidence sources’, that will certainly be different for every rider; from training, to using imagery, walking the course with a trusted friend, planning your warm-up, watching past videos or recalling previous experiences, and so on… this self-awareness is crucial! It sounds so simple, but how can you expect to be positive if you haven’t identified what helps you to feel confident? |
What’s more, once identified, consider how can you plan these confidence sources into your riding/preparation for the upcoming task? I sometimes see riders talk about confidence as though it is this ‘magical, elusive thing’. Yet, confidence can be grown and maintained if we identify, take ownership of, and incorporate our personal confidence sources into our riding.