Being an avid Equestrian, I am always seeking ways to improve my training techniques for my horses and myself. I was a BHS Instructor, showjumping on the side when I first came across the benefits of Chiropractic for my horse. The results astounded me, so much so, that I trained as a Chiropractor for both Humans and Horses.
I realised a long time ago that we learn until the day we die, or until the day we think we know too much!
However, I am always looking to those who have achieved in Equestrian Sport to find out what works for them, and perhaps find something that will help me in my quest for improvement in both my riding and training of horses.
I am also a mum to a very competitive little swimmer, who is always striving to improve and it was this that lead me to read a fantastic article by Olivier Poirier-Leroy on the Champion Swimmer Alexander Popov.
The article was sensational to say the least, and you may think what has a swimming article got to do with training or riding horses? Well here is my take on it; the methods that you use to train yourself or your horse, must emulate competition as much as possible.
The swimming article talks about training the way your race, being as focused in practice as you are on Race Day. Therefore, when you go to a competition, there is less stress, because you are well prepared. A lot can be said for training like this in any sport, especially horses. As Benjamin Franklin said “ By Failing to Prepare, You are Preparing to Fail.”
I am sure you heard the old saying “Practice Makes Perfect”, however, I believe this statement is fundamentally flawed.
Why you may ask? Well for starters what if in practice you are doing it wrong?? How is that going to get you to perfection? For example, let’s say a rider is riding their horse in a hollow outline, day in and day out. How with all that incorrect practice is the horse going to develop the correct muscles to carry his rider and himself correctly? The Simple Answer here is, HE IS NOT!
In order for you or I to achieve even close to perfection, we will have to aim for perfection each and every time we ride, or train our horse. Therefore, ”Perfect Practice, Makes Perfect.”
If we strive everyday to train our horses and ourselves with excellence in mind, with a clear picture of what we want to achieve that day, toward a our end goal, then each day will bring us closer to our desired outcome.
You may think that, no one can be that focused all the time. Well, you may be right, but with a daily, weekly and a monthly plan, huge changes can be made.
If you find you are having an off day, no worries, perhaps have a training plan worked out for a day like that; such as go for a brisk energetic hack, do some pole work, focus on simple transitions. There is always something with horses no matter how small, which can be improved upon, to produce excellence. As Aristotle said, “ We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a Habit.”
Let’s say you are training your young event horse, who is not so keen on water? To improve the situation you could take them schooling through as many water fences as is possible. Along with that, you could also find someone to go schooling with, who has an older, more experienced horse to give you a lead.
If you are training a young showjumper, aim to complete lots of steady, easy, rhythmical, schooling rounds at a lower height, over coloured fences. This will allow your young horse to gain confidence, before you go to your first show.
Equally if you are having trouble seeing a stride to your fences, put poles on the ground at various distances around the arena. Then work over the poles in canter, counting your strides, this simple exercise will help you to develop your eye.
There is always a way for us to improve, sometimes it can be as simple as changing our focus from the “Why Can’t I!” mentality, to ask ourselves a better question such as “How Can I?” You never know, you may be surprised at how many answers your brain will come up with to help you achieve your goal!
So the next time you ride your horse or train your horse, do so with “Perfect Practice in Mind.” Aim to make this your New Habit, and come back and fill us in on how you get on.
This Article was originally published in the April 2019 Issue of Irish Sport Horse Magazine.