Psychology

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Vibrant Life Beyond 20 - Recently, I spent time with a horse named Sparky who is estimated to be over 40 years old. Understandably, you may be visualizing a tottering shell of a being, held together by medication and hay cubes, but this could not be further from the truth. Sparky is a sound, vital, cheeky, engaged fellow and the leader of the pack, although his teeth no longer work well for chewing hay. Out of curiosity, I studied his lifestyle, diet, way of being, and exercise routine with hopes of gleaning some insight to help me support my more “mature” equine clients as well as my own mare Diva, who turned 22 years old this past May.

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How Teamwork Makes the Dream Work - High performance riders often attribute their success to a team of committed supporters and professionals who help them achieve their best while keeping their horse’s best interest at heart. But successful teams aren’t simply a collection of farriers, grooms, owners, saddle fitters, sponsors, sports psychologists, and veterinarians. According to three top-level Canadian riders — amateur jumper rider Stephanie Valdes, 2020 Paralympian dressage rider Winona Hartvikson, and veteran three-day eventing Olympian Kyle Carter — there’s a lot more to it.

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Analysis does have a dark side: it can lead to the “thinking too much” syndrome. Most riders have experienced this trap. Why does this happen? What can be done about it?

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In this wide ranging conversation, Lockie Phillips of Emotional Horsemanship shares about his unique path to horses by way of a life of movement, as a dancer, how he believes sensitivity is a superpower, and the role of emotion as a helper in our horsemanship.

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Rider fear can be all-consuming, and riding is as risky as it is fun and rewarding. In this episode, Jec Ballou, Amy Skinner, and Maddy Butcher share their thoughts and experiences on rider fear.

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The mammalian nervous system is an incredible thing, with its complex functionality, and all the ways it regulates our systems, adapts to change, restores itself, and even mirrors the nervous systems of those around us. If any year was going to introduce us to the limits and resourcefulness of our unique nervous system, 2020 would be it. In this one year, every one of us has found out exactly how we cope with global uncertainty, massive change, potential scarcity of resources, and possible threats to the health of ourselves and our family and friends. Our nervous system is an integral part of how we cope with stress and change, working behind the scenes to recalibrate, reorganize and bring us into new ways of being in a healthy or not-so-healthy state.

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The risk of injury is severely under-appreciated say US researchers.- A recent study has found that the risk of an injury requiring hospital admission is higher for horse riding than for other potentially risky sporting activities such as football, motor racing, or skiing.

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Integrating sport psychology training into our daily lives - Ten years ago, I was moving up a level in three-day eventing and fell off during cross-country at my first two events. They were simple falls and luckily neither I nor my horse were injured, yet something still felt seriously wrong. After my second fall, I struggled to see a distance to even the simplest cross-pole. My confidence plummeted and my horse started stopping. I felt as if I had forgotten how to ride overnight and the frustration and embarrassment were completely overwhelming. I am forever grateful that it occurred to me to reach out to a sport psychology coach for help because, after several sessions I finally understood what was happening and felt equipped to solve the problem. It was an “aha” moment for me because it opened my eyes to a whole new side of competitive sport that I had not been considering: the mental game.

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This chat with Animal Intuitive Lilly Ludwig was about as refreshing as they come, and her take on animal communication and busting down myths in the horse world is my cup of tea! In this episode, we discuss how to support our animals through transitions with the help of clear communication, how it doesn’t take any sort of gift to do it, what her mare Athena has to say about, well, everything, and the many ways our horses will surprise us if we let them. Enjoy!

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As Captain Canada announces a partial step-down from international competition, his love for the horse and the sport remains stronger than ever, and he looks forward to sharing his knowledge and passion with the next generation.

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