I went on a ride recently that didn’t go as planned. It was supposed to be a fun ride around the farm with my sisters and friend. The ride was fun and we all had a good time, no one got hurt, things just seemed not to go right, from the other horses getting out to having trouble tacking up. What this ride reminded me of was that every ride teaches a lesson, about me or my horse. This ride taught me *more like reminded me* that I can’t let stress overcome my ride. I began to think of how this ride was different from my other rides. And I realized I didn’t do three things I normally do during every ride. These three things work well to keep me relaxed and focused, hopefully they can be helpful to you to!
Horseback riding can be stressful, and stress only makes your ride more difficult. So if you find yourself stressed out during a ride, give these three things a try!
Point of Focus
It’s so easy to get distracted or overwhelmed by your end goal that you forget to work on the small stuff. I ride for pleasure, yet every time before I begin my ride I try to pick one or two things to work on. It can be anything between heels down to using more thigh in my posting trot. I want every ride to improve my skill, yet I don’t want to be stressed out about meeting my goal.
Picking something small to practice and focus on during each ride will pinpoint your focus and help you not sweat the big stuff. You just say to yourself, “If my horse doesn’t take this barrel tight enough that’s okay cause I am just working on keeping my heels down.” And even if you’re practicing to compete, don’t get overwhelmed by the end goal, improve the small stuff first. So no matter why you’re in the saddle, picking something small you can work on for every ride will help you to stay focused and less stressed.
Pay Attention to the Beauty Around You
During your ride it’s imperative to be aware of your surroundings. Let’s just face it, things are scary to your horse, and whether you’re riding in the same arena you always do or out on the trail, you never know when a plastic bag will fly by. But don’t get stressed out about being aware of your environment or you’ll miss the beauty all around you. Another reason we tend to miss the sun peaking through the clouds or the wind rustling the grass is because we are so focused *or stressed about* having the correct position or nailing a jump that we forget to look up and observe the nature around us. It might be the backyard you’ve ridden in for like ever, but you need to get your head up and look at the beauty all around you. This will not only brighten your day, but being outside has a way of lowering your stress and calming you down.
Enjoy the Ride
I think that we get so caught up in doing things right we forget to just enjoy the ride. Relaxing in the saddle has huge benefits for you and your horse. Relaxing doesn’t mean to sit back, do nothing, and completely ignore your form. It means to take a deep breath and loosen up. Stress isn’t good for you or your horse, so take a deep breath and just relax. It’s good to have an end goal, but don’t forget to just hit pause and have fun just being with your horse.
Your ride might not always go as planned and that’s stressful & disappointing, but doing these three things will help to lower stress during your ride. Sometimes we get so stressed we forget about being grateful for our horsey companions and just enjoy their company. So next time you’re in the saddle, try these three things and remember to be thankful for your horse!!
Tails & trails,
Reese
Love this:”Picking something small to practice and focus on during each ride will pinpoint your focus and help you not sweat the big stuff.”
So true that many small steps contribute to the bigger goal and indeed it takes your mind off of the overwhelm that can happen.
Hey Sandra! So glad to see ya stopped by the blog! Thanks, focusing on one small step at a time has defiantly helped me to get to the bigger goal in mind less stress fully!