Are you finding yourself in a vicious circle of not feeling good enough, feeling burned out, lost, like you don’t belong?

Are these things stopping you from reaching your riding goals?

I hope by sharing my personal situations and some ways I have resolved my problems that you can start to change your mindset in riding or the equestrian world around you into a more positive and confident mindset!

Life balance.

I am a 16 year old student trying to balance study, competing and producing horses/ponies. I have burned out! I Felt tired, stressed and unmotivated. These feelings are stemming back to life balance. Life balance is the key to a healthy mindset!

What to do about it?

In order to create life balance, you need to eliminate unwanted added stresses by setting out a plan, steps you can follow to get to the end goal. Be realistic in what you can handle. Don’t overload all at once. My way of handling this is by setting out structure in my life. This helps me to get the essentials done when I need them done, leaving me with time for rest. These steps and planning will help you slowly reach your goals in maintaining life balance and getting closer to those small or big goals in your equestrian journey!

Show warm-ups, simplified.

We all know how hectic a show warm up can be! But how are you as a rider dealing with this atmosphere? Often feelings I have felt in a warm up are …

Am I even good enough to be here?

Why doesn’t my horse look like that?

Why can’t I just ride like that one rider?

Why can’t my horse ride like their horse?

If you feel these things at a show environment this is totally normal!

I have definitely let myself get frustrated, and often start comparing myself and my equine to others… My first step is to stand back and realise everything is a work in progress, you are slowly but surely getting there! Don’t stress over small things, don’t think you’re the only one in that arena feeling this way because someone else could be looking up at you thinking the same as you! Be aware of how far you have come and focus on how your horse is feeling!

Work with what you have got under you in that moment in time, bit by bit, and do the best you possibly can on that day so that you know you have given it your full attention and you are progressing! When you break things down and understand the process you begin to develop a strong healthy mindset!

If you feel these things at a show environment this is totally normal!

Within these examples, I hope you can take away a few key points of information on how to become more aware of your emotions, and how to maintain and resolve your inner thoughts you are faced with through this tough equestrian journey.

I hope by being able to relate to a few examples and learning the solutions that you can then progress on your equestrian journey to reach your small or big goals. No matter who you are, what age you are, business or no business, we all feel some of these emotions!

We are all on our own journeys.