Close the office door

Recently while competing it really occurred to me how focused I need to be. In the past I have envied those who look so relaxed and carefree, and I have tried to embody a more ‘laissez-faire’ sort of attitude, however for me I seem to ride worse and make more silly errors when I do that.

This is not to say that it’s the only way for everyone but I would note that when I watch the warm up for the Grand Prix not many people are laughing and goofing around, most everyone is hyper-focused.

I was contemplating this with Gail Greenough, and she agreed and added you have to “close the office door”, meaning the rest of the world goes away. Everything from what you still need to do that day, to conversations with other people, even as far as niceties. I must ask for what I need, and expect everyone to be focused on our warm up.

I worked on this my last week and noticed a considerable difference in my performance as well as my horse’s focus in turn.