For many European students, June is the month of final examinations at school or college. The stress inherent to these life-or-death tests is enormous and can determine victory or defeat in each situation. The Stress Factor at horse competitions is also one of the major reasons that make many riders decide not to show their horses at competitions. The self-impleminted stress simply surpasses the situation and make everything an unpleasant happening.
Equipsych Kathleen Broughan reveals the secrets of reaching the right mental state for competitions:
"To ride your best, three things need to happen: You must be totally relaxed You must be totally focused You must be convinced, unequivocally, that you and your horse are going to do your best Well, how does one do all of that? How can you be totally relaxed and totally focused at the same time? How can you be so totally confident when you got a 56 the last time you rode this same test? It sounds hard, but it's surprisingly easy. All it takes is good mental preparation. "