12/09/2023
How to become a more positive rider----Some thoughts----
I got an email from a rider---“I wish I had more courage. Sometimes I feel like such a chicken, and I hate it. Do you have any suggestions for getting braver?”
Well, Jack LeGoff’s advice to the rescue. Jack had a saying about boldness, which is just another word for bravery or courage. It went like this, and though it pertains to training horses, it equally applies to people---
“Boldness comes from confidence. Confidence comes from success. So it becomes the job of the trainer to create as many situations that as much as possible guarantee success.”
If we KNOW we can do something, because we have already done it many times without a hitch, we are likely to be confident about it, courageous enough to do it again. Take driving a car. Or swimming in a pool. Or speaking in front of a group. Or skiing down a bunny slope. Or anything that is at least mildly risky, or, as in the case of public speaking, possibly nerve wracking.
So, for a rider to get more gutsy----START WITH A CALM HORSE. That is rule number one. If you are nervous about riding, be POSITIVE that it is not because of your choice of horse. If it IS the horse, even if partly so, get a quieter one to help you build confidence. If you stubbornly refuse to do this, I don’t think anyone has a good way to help you.
OK, so now you have a quiet horse. Next, do relatively easy things that, as LeGoff said “guarantee , success.” Get lots of success at that level, to the point that you are not afraid to do it.
So what’s next? Make it a TINY bit harder. Go through the same process as before. Then add just a hint of greater difficulty. Hey, at some point even Atilla The Hun would start to feel overwhelmed, so go until you are pretty darn sure you have reached a point that is good for you.
Do what you can do, and be happy there. There will ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS be some others who can do more. Goodie for them---.
