Riding requisites

MIND OVER MATTER

‘DO ONE THING EVERY DAY THAT SCARES YOU,’ WE WERE TOLD IN A

CHART-TOPPING SONG ABOUT WEARING SUNSCREEN. STEPPING OUT OF YOUR

COMFORT ZONE MAY FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT FACING YOUR FEARS IN A

DIFFERENT AND CHALLENGING ACTIVITY COULD BRING A SURPRISING BOOST TO YOUR DRESSAGE PERFORMANCE, SAYS ANDREA OAKES.

According to experts, athletes Michael points out that the idea is to test who have settled into a steady, – not necessarily to terrify – yourself. But stress-free state in their pushing past personal boundaries can help chosen s ort can benefit rom you reach an o timal level o an iety, broadening their horizons. which is shown to enhance productivity, hose who suffer com etition nerves or sel im rove er ormance and ma e dealing with doubt also stand to gain. change easier. I you try something different to what “Trying an activity you’re not you re used to, and master it, the intrinsic com ortable with really gives you internal motivation is remar able,” e lains a eeling that you can achieve,” s ort sychologist ichael Caulfield agrees Tori Peter, a freelance www. ustcaulfield.com . hether we coach and rider whose journey develo greater fitness or a ly ourselves to into the world of triathlon in another s ort, this can leave us thin ing I her mid orties has roduced can con uer most things ositive s in offs in her e then become less reliant on what we dressage career. “I would can already do uite well,” he adds. e encourage everyone can always return to our own strengths, but to have a go at there s no harm in develo ing new ones.” something different.”

Tori’s breakthrough came while she was on a bit nervous on the way to a competition, I the British Dressage National Development just think ‘what am I so scared about?’ At the Programme for Coaching Excellence, with et lan ualifiers in cotland last year, it was Professor Tony Ghaye. the first time I really rode my horse without

“I knew that I could train riders to be brilliant worrying about what other people thought. in my own school, but in competition they “Now, I’m addicted to anything that makes would go to pieces,” says Tori. “I me mentally tough,” adds Tori, wondered how I could make who hopes to complete the them braver. When I cancelled cross-Channel realised it was all about relay swim she trained mental toughness, IF YOU TRY for last year. “But I I decided I should SOMETHING have to keep working challenge myself.” on it. I was almost

Though she DIFFERENT TO WHAT too afraid to get possessed neither YOU’RE USED TO, AND out of the car a bike or a wetsuit, or my first o en and couldn’t yet MASTER IT, THE INTRINSIC water swim after swim front crawl, INTERNAL MOTIVATION the COVID-19 ori entered her first loc down I d started triathlon with just four IS REMARKABLE to become a bit wimpy. weeks to train. Whether it’s parallel

“I daren’t look down in the parking my car in front of swimming la e as I was terrified onlookers or walking into a bar o fish,” she says. I also had the same alone to meet friends, I make myself ear o ailure that I suffered in dressage I step out of my comfort zone every day.” thought I would Dressage rider and trainer Katie Edwards come last. When has also tested the mind over matter approach I finished ourth, by completing a series of gruelling half I was inspired to Ironman com etitions. ast year she finished carry on. I’m now her first ull event, in Austria a . m swim ran ed fi th in ollowed by a m bi e ride and a m run. the UK for my “I love a challenge and I wanted to see age group and how far I could push myself,” she says. “It I ve ualified or has proved to me that anything is possible, if next year’s sprint you’re prepared to work for it. triathlon world “In any sport there are tough days when championships.” you want to give up,” adds Katie. “I used Tori stresses that to get quite upset if a horse didn’t go well, her horses come first, but this training helps me keep the dressage however, as she is on in perspective. the brink of inter “I’ve had a few events where things have II with I-Jewel’s gone terribly wrong, such as when I set off Indigo. too fast and ended up in extreme pain with “Triathlon a stitch. That taught me to relax on the start helps my line and run my own race. The crossover with riding and dressage competition is that I try not to worry I m finding about what everyone else is doing, but focus dressage instead on my own horse.” a lot more As an added bonus, atie s riding benefits enjoyable rom her greater athletic stamina and e ibility. as a result,” “I’m so much more balanced and can help she says. “If the horse out,” she e lains. he fitter I get, I start to get the better I feel.”

RICHARD DUNWOODY

ABOVE: HANNAH BICKET BRAVING THE GAUCHO DERBY, A 10-DAY, 500KM MULTI-HORSE ADVENTURE RACE.

TRY SOMETHING NEW

If branching out into a new sport seems a step too far, you can still reap performance benefits by shaking up your riding routine. This could be as simple as hacking over different terrain or boxing up the horses for a beach ride.

Former three-day event rider Hannah Bicket took the idea to its extreme in March by embarking on the Gaucho Derby, a 10day, 500km multi-horse adventure race in the wilds of Patagonia, South America.

“Being out of my comfort zone helped me realise what I was capable of,” says Hannah, one of 23 riders to complete the route on local Arabians and native Criollo ponies. “None of us could believe what we were meant to put our horses through, crossing mountain ranges, raging rivers and steep, boulder-strewn paths. But rather than over-riding the horses, we had to trust their capabilities and let them make decisions.

“It was eye-opening to see how quickly this helped build our relationships with them,” adds Hannah, who plans to race in next year’s Mongol Derby. “Learning to put that trust in a horse is something that could be taken into any equestrian arena.”