I put so much pressure on myself when it comes to riding my own horse. I think it comes down to caring so much... maybe too much? For example, I rode that chestnut horse I posted some pictures of last time we tried to go XC schooling. I had a blast and did the most I've ever done on cross country, actually tackling some technical questions and having a great time. I didn't sweat the small stuff. So we got an awkward distance or that fence didn't ride super well... I was able to either redo it and make it better or move on and put it behind us.
Something is different with Tim. I take everything so much more seriously and find myself not even wanting to try because I'm afraid it won't go well. I need to get as far away from this attitude as I possibly can, because how are we ever going to compete successfully if I think like that? We're not. This is a hard question/issue to tackle and something I have struggled with for a long time. If any of you have advice/suggestions or have dealt with similar feelings (which I'm sure you have), I would love to hear it!
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| Timmy and his BFF, Chief |
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| Early morning for XC |
I'm sorry to read of your struggles K, sadly I have no advice as I've always been more of a "have-at-it-to-see-what-we're-working-with" attitude.
ReplyDeleteCan you maybe visit a sports psychologist? Or talk to a trainer who could help you break down the mental barriers & take such things into account when lessoning
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ReplyDeleteIgnore above... my OCD got the best of me... there was a typo :-/
ReplyDeleteI know I'm late to this post, but this is something I struggle with too. It probably comes from being the child of a trainer and expecting perfection of myself (sadly I am far from perfect!). The only advice I can give you is to make small goals and try to live in the moment as best you can. Think about the time you couldn't ride Tim (and how badly you wanted to do so) and that might put things into perspective. Remember this is supposed to be fun! Good Luck :-)