Head in The Game

No brain, no rider.

I had a really good lesson on Indy yesterday.

Miss Priss

Yes, I realize that opening line sounds like another boring dressage lesson recap of the basics covered when riding a green horse. Rhythm, connection, behavior, excercises ...blah, blah, blah. Bear with me because this isn't that type of recap and it wasn't THAT type of a good lesson. My horse wasn't perfect. It wasn't a repeat of our last lesson where little Miss Priss was so good from the very beginning that I spent the rest of the day in complete awe of her sudden awesomeness.

No, it definitely wasn't that type of a good lesson.

Pics of the horses because I don't have any riding ones.

Indy was distracted, resistant, and at times pretty pissy. J, my trainer, said that Indy was having a mare day. I would have to agree. As far as visually, the lesson probably wouldn't have been the most impressive one a person has seen. It certainly wasn't full of those harmonious moments between human and horse that all of us equestrians strive so hard to obtain.

Looking like she's up to no good.

You're probably wondering how the hell I would come to the conclusion that any of this was good.

We worked through it. Today I learned that I can handle whatever mood Indy decides to throw at me. Not only can I handle it, but I can do so with patience, empathy, and understanding. I corrected her, but not out of anger. I was fair, but also not a push-over. I was aiming for the correct responses, but didn't take it personally when Indy didn't give them to me. The reason that this lesson was so good was because I was in a good place mentally before getting on and due to that (plus a large amount of patience from J), Indy and I were able to finish it on a much better note than we started on.

A couple of the other ladies at the barn came out to watch part of our lesson. In the past I would have been embarrassed by my horse being less than stellar, worried about looking like an idiot. It doesn't bother me anymore. Throwing a fit and fighting my horse would have been a lot more embarrassing than her being a challenge. My pride doesn't matter when I'm happy and I was able to take pride in how I handled myself instead of dwelling on the bad parts. I was still proud of Indy even if she wasn't as good as I wanted her to be. 

What I'm getting at here is how our mental state affects our rides along with what we learn from them. Had I been in a bad mood before the lesson, Indy's behavior would have gotten worse because I would not have had the patience to deal with her. She never would have relaxed because I wouldn't have been able to. I wouldn't have learned nearly as much either. The lesson would have become a disaster, a complete waste of a ride. Not to mention money.

She's lucky that she's cute.

I live a busy and hectic life for the most part. It can be stressful and overwhelming. The mornings at the track can be very rushed. We get into a hurried rhythm. The mental part is even more difficult. It's hard to stop thinking about which horse needs what, what rider would fit them, why they are doing this or that, how do we fix this or that, etc. This is a job where you do well or you starve (unless you're just independently wealthy). Period. Knowing that makes it hard to not frequently think about how to do better. The physical labor is easy, it's the constant thinking/worrying that is truly tiring. By the end of the morning, I'm either still in "run around like a crackhead" mode or crashing hard.

It's taken years of working at the track and trying to ride dressage for me to learn how to get on my dressage horses with a clear head, to be relaxed and focused on nothing but their training. There are still times that I fail miserably (almost everyday that I was in Hellbuquerque), the stress of the job and life still wracking at my brain. I'm starting to figure out what I need to be relaxed for my ride even if I can't always do it.

I'd like to say that she was acting like this because she is young and fresh. However, she's being a spaz because she hates lungeing and especially lungeing in side reins. It pretty much just pisses her off.

I try to make sure to get some down time before I ride, either going home to relax first or showing up at the barn and just spending time with Indy and Winn until I'm only focused on them. I'll turn them out and sit there thinking about what I want to accomplish with them that day. I watch them move and look for any stiffness, unevenness, or any lameness. Sitting there watching my horses reminds me how lucky I am to have the beasts and to be able to participate in the sport that I love. Feeling grateful and fortunate puts me in a much better state of mind no matter how bad the rest of the day has been. I'm sure that I probably look like a weirdo just hanging out staring at my horses, but I don't care. It works. Once I'm in a good place mentally, I take my time tacking up. My whole goal is to stay relaxed and calm, enjoying the process of getting them tacked almost as much as the actual riding. 

Getting on happy and focused enables me to take whatever my horses are going to give me that day. I think clearer and act quicker. The good parts are much more appreciated and the bad parts aren't as big of a deal. Not only that, I ride with more patience and even maintain a sense of humor. The horses are usually better because I'm not tense or distracted.

I'm not saying that this works every time or that I can always forget about everything else. Knowing that I need to has been a huge step in the right direction though.

As equestrians, we usually focus a lot on our physical health. Even if we don't do much extra for it, we are at least aware of where we are at in that category. Our mental state of mind is just as important. Recognizing how we feel before riding is the first step to being able to control our moods. Being in control of our moods puts us more in tune with our horses, making us not only better riders, but better horsemen. It's not something that should be overlooked.

Does anyone else ever think about this? What do you do to get yourself in the right state of mind before riding?