Equestrians are fiercely tenacious and also fiercely traditional. One thing I love about it is the tradition. The presentation in competitions, the respect given to the judges, all these things really make our sport different from the rest. 

But could this attachment to tradition be holding us back? 

It’s hard to argue that Equestrians are adverse to change. There is an “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it mentality” when it comes to embracing new ways to improve the sport. 

Many yards don’t even have a website or if they do, it’s a basic page with a phone number and email address. 

The same can be said for when it comes to training. The sole focus is on training in the saddle, with a large focus on how the horse is moving but we often neglect the rider (unless it comes to their position)

There are so many exercises to do with building up the horse but why is it not there for the rider? Surely this should be as big a focus.

This is something we need to change, but only if you are willing to embrace change and try something new.

The fact that other sports from football all the way to golf have adopted this kind of training alongside their usual skills training is no coincidence.  

It’s time for equestrian sports to catch up!!!!

Take a minute to think about this and ask yourself these 3 Questions: If this is something that you have been thinking about but putting on the back burner.

1. What has been stopping you? 
2. Don’t you want to be part of the change? 
3. Or would you rather hang on to the old ways and just hope for the best?

You don’t need to wait until January to start working on next year’s goals, so why not be ahead of the curve when it comes to this? 

“Only about 16 percent of people are able to follow their resolutions, according to research. The majority give up within one to six weeks of starting, and many of these resolutions are repeated year after year”.

I’ve seen this every year in the gym, people come in January and by Valentine’s day the numbers have more than halved, in fact, the gyms are banking on that happening or they wouldn’t be able to sell so many gym memberships.

Albert Einstein once said, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. 

So what are you going to do? It’s time to invest in YOU. IT’S TIME TO WORK ON YOU!!! Can you afford 30 mins a few times a week to work on yourself? Or more importantly, can not afford to give that time and still expect to succeed? Commit, follow through, and invest in YOU.

We often think that in order to make a big change that we need, there needs to be a mammoth effort but neglect to look at all the little things we do along the way that push us towards it. A few small changes done well and consistently could make a world of difference to your fitness, your horse and your quality of life in general. Are you not worth it?