Guest Columnist of the Week is Dr. Inga Wolframm, a researcher and sport psychologist specialising in equestrian sports. She works part-time at the University of Applied Sciences Van Hall Larenstein, where she supervises a number of research projects on equestrian sports. Inga is also a Council member of the Dutch Association of Sport psychologists (VSPN) and the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES).
A Bright Future
In the past couple of years, the sport of dressage seems to have undergone what may even be called a paradigm shift. Only a few years ago the same faces kept gracing the podium at major championships time and again. Then, slowly but surely something started to change. New names, new horses - and new constellations in the winner’s enclosure! And I am not merely talking about the “Black Wonder”, even though Edward Gal has undoubtedly been instrumental in setting the scene. Many more riders and their talented horses are proving that they, too, can play in the “big league”.
As a dressage enthusiast, I enjoy the novel feeling of something close to unpredictability regarding the outcome of big competitions. As a scientist, I am interested in examining the phenomenon more closely. But, as a sport psychologist, I merely marvel at the mental strength that is being displayed by this new generation of top riders. Of course, if you looked at their careers until now, you’d find that they are anything but “new” to the sport. Regardless of the fairy tales you hear, people don’t turn into superstars overnight. In fact, researchers have found that it takes approximately 10,000 hours or 10 years of hard work to become an expert. (It doesn’t matter, by the way, whether we are talking sports, music or arts – it all comes down to the same!)
However, you see, there are many people in the horse world that have put a lot of hours into their chosen profession. Yet only a few of those will reach the very top. Arguably, having an outstanding horse is part of the equation and acquiring such an animal is no easy feat. Still, having a top horse and being able to ride well does not automatically guarantee success.
In my mind what makes a good rider truly special is the ability to shine when it matters most. What’s more members of this “new guard” of top riders have managed to perform in an environment that must have felt at times like the inside of an enormous pressure cooker. Imagine having to ride the test of your life with (almost) the entire equestrian world scrutinizing your every move. Imagine having to compete against what may well have been your greatest idol when you were only just learning to do rising trot. And then imagine having to do this, not only once, but time and again, show after show….
The mental strength required to hold it together, to be fully focused on the job you have to do, to be able to turn off the world around you and just tune in to your horse, is something truly spectacular! With riders able to do just that, the future of dressage is bright indeed!
by Inga Wolframm