Sport Psychology: Eight Rules to Win Your Dressage Test

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Sport Psychology for Dressage Riders

Rule #1

Believe in yourself. I know, it sounds cliché, but it really is important. Even if you do not win today you must believe that it is possible to win in the future, especially with the right horse and the right training.

Watch your best competitors, and let them inspire you to achieve new heights. Study what they do well and include that imagery into your daily practice. Know your strengths and how to show them off. Know your weaknesses and how to minimize them.

Rule #2

Stay in the moment. Just because your horse did the cha cha in your first halt it does not mean that all is lost. Become completely immersed in the focus of producing each consecutive movement to the best of your ability.

While competing last weekend I rode up my final center line and caught myself starting to relax and drift mentally. I wondered how the test might score, as the horse had given me quite a nice feeling. As I let my focus drift away from the present moment, my horse wavered on the center line, got crooked, threw in a flying change as I tried to straighten him, and fell into an undignified, unbalanced halt at “X”. The “4” I received for my final mental lapse made the difference between first and second place.

Ride every step with complete focus from start to finish. Emotions, judgment and evaluation can be examined when you get back to the barn.

Rule #3

Have a routine. Know the best way to warm up yourself and your horse. This includes both a mental and physical routine.

Many top athletes have a routine they follow long before they even begin warming up for their event. I work with some clients who like to develop a mentally quieting meditative routine before competition. Another client found her best rides came after she did a five mile run.

Have a routine way that you ride through each of the movements in your test. Know the type of canter you want to feel before a line of changes, or the type of trot you want before a shoulder-in. You can always make subtle adjustments for how your horse might change in the competition arena, but have a basic plan and stick to it.

Rule #4

Find a place of peace, joy and synchronicity with your horse. In competition it is so easy to get wrapped up in trying to be the best, that you can lose the harmony of becoming one with your horse.

After 25 years of coaching I have seen a multitude of students show up for competition so distracted by comparing themselves to others that they completely forget to find the sanctuary of quiet communication with their horse.

The partnership between you and your horse is unique. The coordination of two species coming together to perform at the best of their abilities is beautiful and inspiring. Revel in creating that communication, and the results will take care of themselves.

Rule #5

Embrace your competitive dressage personality. Do you like quiet time when you are getting ready to ride, or do you like to be social? Most people tend to pull inward and want little disruption well before they get on their horse.

Would you describe yourself and your horse cute, powerful, or elegant? I used to compete on a large pony. She was neither elegant nor powerful, but she was really cute. When I tried to make her look powerful, we just looked silly. But when I embraced her cuteness we received our best scores.

Your dressage personality will change from one horse to the next. On one horse you may be soft and accurate, while another may be brilliant and dynamic. Each aspect of your performance can gain many points. Find who you are and emphasize that strength.

Rule #6

Beat them with tenacity. Be patient, keep working, and never give up. Natural talent will only get you so far. We all know cases of supreme natural ability that that went unrealized due to lack of discipline and drive.

I was not a particularly successful junior rider, yet while most of my peers dropped by the wayside in pursuit of boys and cars, I continued plugging away at my riding. Suddenly I was out of the junior ranks and found myself a successful adult competitor. The top junior riders who had always won were nowhere to be found.

If you decide it is time to quit, then make that a conscious decision and positively pursue your next challenge. It may be time to buy a new horse, or take up golf. Embrace change, life is full of it.

Rule #7

Find a mentor. Find someone who believes in you. It is good to have self confidence, but it is even better to have another person’s confidence to combine with your own.

As a coach and sport psychologist one of my strengths is that I can imagine my clients having success they may not imagine even for themselves. Many of us are not fortunate enough to have access to a dressage mentor. But perhaps you have a spouse, a friend, or even a sport psychologist who believes in you. That belief can have a synergistic effect. One plus one becomes something greater than two.

Rule #8

Love the horses and love the sport. Whatever titles you may have won, it may say nothing about the quality of human being, and the quality of horseman that you are. Though many of us aspire to competitive success, there is also a time for education, and giving back to the important horses and humans in our life. See your competitive success as part of a much larger picture. How do you contribute to your dressage community, where ever that may be? How happy are your horses? What gifts do you have to give to the people in your life?

If you are a lifelong dressage rider, your body of work should continue well beyond the competition arena. While winning in competition may be fun for me, I know that I have a much greater effect on the lives of others by giving a free lesson to an under privileged teenager, or by teaching my 75 year old student on her 24 year old horse. Keep competition in perspective. There are many different ways to display excellence, and have a positive impact on this world.

For more information on producing your best performance see my new book at www.seanaadamson.com.. I enjoy hearning from you so please feel free to send any comments to me directly at seanaadams@aol.com.