Is your horse mentally prepared?

Mental training is an important aspect of any athlete’s training program, our horses are no exception! Just like us, they benefit from mental preparation when it comes to performing at their best. We all have ‘off days’ but here’s some ways to help ensure our horses are mentally and physically prepared.

Increase focus and attention.

There are many reasons why we may lose focus when trying to complete a task, and that is no different for our horses! Every horse is an individual and will have varying stimulators for motivation as well as distractions. In most cases though, training does come down to quality over quantity. As the horses training session lengthens, if it is not being stimulated by the work, it is likely the quality will decline and distractions become more prominent. Keeping our training schedule varied and having a plan in place before we saddle up can help keep each session fresh and invigorating for our horse, thus maintaining their focus and concentration.

Increased confidence.

There is nothing better than feeling confident for the performance you are about to produce, and preparation is the best way to get there! To give our horses the best confidence, they need to have had ample preparation. It isn’t fair to bring our horse into work after a break and take them straight to a competition with only a handful of rides. Not only are they unprepared physically, but mentally they are unfit and out of routine. The same is applied in the sense of over facing our horses, they may be of good fitness, but (for example) taking them out to jump a height or perform at a level higher than what you have been training at home, isn’t setting them up for success, and has a huge potential to decrease their confidence.

Communication.

A big part of creating confidence and being able to measure such , is effective communication between horse and rider. The way we ride when we train at home should best emulate the way we ride at a competition- which is easier said than done! However, making sure our communication methods are clear and consistent, and using the same tools to achieve this communication (whether it’s type of bit/noseband/spurs etc) between home and at competition, will assist in increasing confidence and decreasing stress and pressure that can arise from the competition environment.

Reward.

One of the most important aspects of training – REWARD! If our horses are not rewarded, they can not distinguish if what they have done is correct, and this can loose motivation to replicate that outcome. We know that in our own life , negativity and perhaps even a lack of recognition can become very deflating and consuming mentally – same goes for our horses. Rewards and praise should be given regularly and on the immediate instance of performing a desired action. Rewards come in many forms, the best understood for horses is release of pressure, voice commands/sounds, pat/scratch or treat are also commonly used.

Making sure our horses are best prepared for success with primed physical and mental preparation can make a huge difference to our performance potential. Striving to increase our horses concentration and confidence are 2 major components in reaching this goal, but it is not achieved without our own effective planning, communication and of course- provision of rewards!