What I learned in the last two weeks

So I’ve been MIA on the blog scene, mostly because we have been showing at the fabulous Tbird… and also because I was amidst some learning and therefore didn’t have finished thoughts to share… I do now!

Preface: I went into the show knowing that I was under some pressure to sell one or both of my horses, and also that my practice leading into the show had been rocky. This left me feeling a lot of pressure to do well and also a lot of doubt in my ability to succeed.

I decided a few things going in that set the stage for a fantastic show: 1) I would go day by day, not getting ahead of myself trying to figure things out. Listening to my gut each day, I would go with what I felt was right even if I couldn’t nail down why; 2) I would only let myself think positive thoughts – when I woke up on Sunday morning at 3am worried I would mess everything up, I would only let myself think about how well I would ride and how easy it would be for the horses… backed up with this recurring thought. “You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to try”; 3) I would ask for help when I needed it and let it in when it came.

I also did two more things that made a huge difference. I went to bed early EVERY night making sure I was rested enough for the long show days. And I let the days be long, as in I didn’t stress to rush through things, just kept ticking things off the list.

With these small tactics both of my horses were amazing and I rode some of my best rounds yet!