Psychology

equestrian sport psychology, horse rider psychology, annika mcgivern, better horse riding skills, equestrian psychologist, counselling for horse people

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.

lilly ludwig animal intuitive, alexa linton, horse psychology, equestrian psycholgy, connecting with horses

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!

ian millar retires, ian millar's accomplishments, big ben ian millar captain canada, olympic horse rider canada

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.

traditional horsemanship practices, alexa linton, how to lead a horse, how to mount a horse, how to clean horse tack, best horse bits and saddle

Why do we have them? What keeps us practicing them? As I write this article, I find it ironic that I am laid up on the couch with a lower back injury, brought on by the age-old tradition of lifting, hauling, and generally doing way too much when my body wasn’t up to the task. From my recovery position, it seems fitting to attempt to grapple with the rather sticky topic of traditions, and why we often feel so compelled to stick to them. I’ve touched on this a little in my past articles, but today I want to really dig in and unpack why and how traditions become traditions and what keeps us practicing them, sometimes long past their best before date.

lindsay grice, preparing for a horse competition, psychology of riding horses, helping an anxious horse, horse refuses, horse won't cooperate

How to turn mistakes into learning opportunities - If you plan to step into the competition arena, expect the unexpected. Few sports have more variables than riding — a 1,000-pound partner that doesn’t speak or think like a human; judges with preferences; fluctuating footing and weather conditions; various competition venues; required patterns, courses and tests changing with each show.

running a horse barn, barn culture, working in the equestrian industry, how to fit in horse barn, annika mcgivern

You may think your barn community is too small to have something as fancy as its own culture, but it does. Whenever groups of people come together through common goals, interests, and patterns of behaviour, a culture is formed. A culture is a set of shared beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, practices, and behaviours. A strong culture can help all involved reach higher and further than they can alone. However, when a culture isn’t shaped intentionally, it may not serve its full potential. In some cases, a culture can even become harmful to those within it.

alexa linton whole horse, horse misbehaving, difficult horse, best way to train a horse, do horses have feelings?

Is it effective or abusive? I remember the feeling like it was yesterday. I’m about 15 years old, and I’m riding a lesson horse in a ring. We’re jumping, or we’re trying to. It’s not going well. My instructor is screaming at me. Screaming. In hindsight, my horse is terrified. He has refused a jump, more than likely because he’s scared of it. My instructor is screaming at me over and over: “Get it done!” and “Don’t let him get away with it.” Eventually, with much kicking and whipping, my horse carries his terrified self and me over the jump. Our hearts are racing. We are both scared, bordering on traumatized, in a place where we are unable to think or be effective in any way.

jec ballou podcast, best horse practices podcast, are horse shows good for horses? amy skinner, katrin silva

This milestone episode is a Coaches' Corner with Jec Ballou (host), Amy Skinner, and Katrin Silva. They have a lot to say about the state of horse shows.

how to be a good horse rider, psychology horse riding, nervous riding horses, anxious in show ring equine, annika mcgivern, perfectionism horse riding

Most of us see perfectionism as a harmless tendency to hold ourselves to high standards, or a reluctance to accept mediocre results. In fact, many of us consider perfectionism to be a positive trait, a sign that someone cares and is deeply driven to succeed. Unfortunately, this casual acceptance of perfectionism conceals a potential danger because a lack of clarity around what perfectionism is and isn’t opens us up to a fatal error. Unknowingly, we celebrate and endorse a habit that leads to unnecessary pain and suffering, as well as impacts our performance.

riding psychology, april clay, horse psychology, horse riding anxiety, horse show anxiety, scared of horse show

I am not good enough - I don’t have an equitation body - I’m too nervous - I’m such a wimp. Have you ever tried to shame yourself into better riding with discouraging statements like these? Shame goes beyond garden variety negativity. The message you send yourself is: “I am useless” or “I am worthless,” and the implication is that there is something wrong with you as opposed to you having done something wrong.

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