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Ah, self-doubt. That niggly little earworm that takes up too much space in too many people’s brains. We know it’s not helpful, but how do we politely tell it to skedaddle?
Self-doubt chips away at our confidence, undermining our true abilities and preventing us from achieving our potential. At worst, a lack of confidence can even be dangerous when it comes to riding and being around horses.
We all know that our horses are tuned in to our emotions and react accordingly. Any negativity we’re feeling is translated directly to our horse, through our body language, our aids and perhaps even in the energy we’re projecting.
Your Horse Magazine has shared a practical way to rationalize those thoughts of not being good enough by getting hands on with actual evidence, rather than the distorted viewpoint which self-doubt is often initiated from.
For example, that one time we fell off when tackling a trakehner doesn’t mean we’re more likely to fall off every time there’s one on course, no matter how loudly that doubting little earworm tries to tell us it does.
If we believe that self-doubt though, becoming tense on the approach, shortening our reins too much because we’re scared, flapping our hands around because we’re not thinking straight, then it probably is more likely that we’ll make the same mistake again.
Check out how to keep that self-doubt in check here.
U.S. Weekend Preview
Full Gallop Farm Mid February H.T. (Aiken, SC) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Pine Top Advance H.T. (Thomson, GA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Three Lakes Winter II H.T. at Caudle Ranch (Groveland, FL) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Wednesday News and Reading
Since devouring the Silver Brumby books as a kid, I’ve been fascinated by wild horses — and this historic herd in the Tehachapi Mountains of Central California really is a sight to behold. The origins of the 100-strong herd of Oak Creek Horses isn’t known, although it’s believed that they are descendants of western working Morgan horses used on cattle ranches in the late 1800s. In this article, herd manager, Diana Palmer, explains how she and her husband are working towards a sustainable future for the wild herd. [Behold the Beauty of the Wild]
As we all know, animals don’t speak human; if they’re in pain, they don’t say, “hey there, that hurts”. And so it’s up to us to learn animal speak, AKA non-verbal signaling that something may be wrong. Here are six signs to look out for that may indicate that your equine friend needs a little TLC. [Horse Speak for Ouch]
Irish dressage rider, Abi Lyle, talks competition nerves and how not to get overawed by the situation. Abi’s debut international indoor competition happened at The London International Horse Show in December, and rather than letting the excitement get to her, she focused on her mindset. [A Good State of Mind]
The critically endangered Suffolk Punch has had a recent welcome addition to the breed with this delightful little foal, Florrie. Dating as far back as the early 16th Century, the Suffolk Punch was originally developed for farm work. With the advent of mechanized farms, the breed’s numbers declined, and is now listed as critical, which is why Florrie is one special little lady. [Just Look at Those Fluffy Ears!]
Is zebra print the way to go to deter those pesky horse flies? Scientists have known for a while that flies don’t like to land on striped surfaces, but new research has furthered this by using various rugs in a range of patterns to see what the flies thought of different fashion statements. [Can I Have That in Zebra Print?]
Dreaming of channeling your horsey passion into a profitable business? When your business is an extension of your passion, it’s all too easy to forget that the point of a business is to make money. Here are eight tips to make sure that your heart business is also good for your bank balance. [Putting the Emphasis on Profit]
Sponsor Corner
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Have you sent your Carolina International entry yet? Entries close on February 28, but it makes your event organizer much happier to send yours in earlier. View the omnibus listing here.
Video Break
This is how I’ll be slurping my margarita later in honor of National Margarita Day…
