There is a saying that best sums up getting ready for the competitive arena, “if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. Preparation doesn’t just mean training your skills. Yes, you have to replicate what you learned to do at home, but there is more. A performance situation places different demands on the rider.

Raiders who have never invested in their own mental training will cope as well as the next person. They possess “ordinary” skills that will assist them in coping to a certain level. On the other hand, those who train specifically to develop their toughness skills can become “extraordinary” in this area; it is very much a learned skill.

You need that dream picture, that vision in your mind to fuel your training. It inspires you to stretch yourself that much further, to grind through those days when you would much rather be anywhere else than the training ring.

Registered Psychologist - One core thing all mentally resilient riders share is a very particular perspective on adversity. They are more likely to think of difficult circumstances in terms of opportunity. If the same error keeps reoccurring in training, this kind of rider might think: “I love puzzles, and once I figure this out I’m going to be that much further ahead.”