5 Tips To Improve Your Dressage Test Scores

We all want to get that amazing score in the dressage test, right?

That score that shows not only how good we are, but how amazing we know are horse is as well.

But with so much that goes into the scoring process, what can you do to reach those lofty heights?

Of course, developing your horse correctly through the self carriage process and beyond is going to avoid furture limitations (want to learn how you can apply this to your horse? Click here to learn more about our Green To Self Carriage Course).

You can also check out these tips that Katie prepared for you below!

1. Forwardness

Riding your horse forward and bold creates straightness.

Think of it like peddling a bike. If you don’t peddle fast enough your bike gets the wobbles and you can’t straighten that with the handle bars you have to peddle harder. Once you’re peddling hard enough the bike balances out.

You can also think about it like the difference between walking somewhere and dawdling or walking with purpose. When you walk with purpose you walk straight to your destination. If you’re dawdling and not in a hurry your line tends to drift, go off course and come back again.

2. Let your horse make the mistake (in training)

When you introduce your horse to a new exercise you will give your horse lots of support and balance to get them understanding their job.

After a while they know what they are supposed to do but we still do everything for them. What we end up doing is maintaining pressure while our horse is cooperating so what incentive do they have to cooperate?

Let go, let them make the mistake and reapply the pressure to correct the mistake - but let them make it first!!

This is how we cue train. We also want our horse to remain doing the task asked until we change the ask. This allows us to compound the aid and ask more complex cues of them. If you are using all your aids to ask for just the simplest ask like maintain forwardness, you have no other aids to communicate other things you need like bend, yield, transition etc.

3. Engagement

The reason why engagement is so hard to understand is because of the way it is taught.

At best it is taught by inside leg to outside rein; at worst to hold the horses head down and tap or drive the hindquarters through. When taught at the worst, it creates a rotation of the pelvis which is false engagement and stresses the horses back.

Engagement is not the horses hind quarters coming under more (although that is the end result) but a transitioning of weight from forehand to hindquarters that creates deeper flexion through the hocks and haunches. They squat deeper into the movement.

4. Independent seat

There was a long time of my riding career where I was naïve enough to think my position didn’t really affect my horses potential.

It is however, the most limiting factor in our horses potential.

Dressage is the art of dance between horse and rider. It doesn’t matter how good a dancer your partner is if you don’t have the posture and dancing skills yourself. We know this from watching dancing with the stars.

5. Accuracy

Accuracy is THE easiest way to improve your test results. It is the first thing you are marked on and the easiest thing to mess up.

Preparation, looking ahead and knowing your test is key allow with being able to actually break down the geography of the movements.

Would you like to improve your accuracy in your test? Download our free guide here!

The horse that evades straightness cannot work their body correctly

Straightness is a crucial part of the horses development and one of the things they love to evade!

Basically because working with straightness is harder for them then working crooked. But also because it truly is impossible to be perfectly symmetrical.

This is why we get obsessed with dressage. We are forever endlessly seeking the impossible. I say this as lovingly and supportive as possible because I am right there with you relentlessly seeking the impossible!

Now before I manage to completely talk you out of your never ending pursuit of perfection that is dressage, the purpose of the way the exercises and movements are tiered throughout the levels is to address the ways the horse will naturally evade that way of movement.

For example, prelim introduces circles and serpentines that create the looseness and suppleness for the relaxation and swing required for a prelim working paces.

Novice introduces leg yield, lengthening the paces and smaller circles to create the engagement and throughness required for novice working paces.

Elementary introduces shoulder in, traver, rein back and simple changes that create the elevation and collection required for entry level collection.

And so forth up the levels.

So when we are talking about straightness we are talking about maintaining the connection from hind end to contact for the level. We are talking about stacking the horses building blocks on top of each other as evenly and balanced as possible. We are wanting to get our horse to engage its core and be as even and balanced as they can. The more evenly and balanced they work the less concussion and strain it puts on their body.

Straightness comes from becoming centered, balanced and engaging the core. It is comes from moving their weight into each of their 4 legs so they become “ambidextrous” so to speak. Of the horses I have met mostly they are strong and straight to the right and weak but supple to the left. Straightness comes from developing the tone to be equally strong and supple on both sides.

So when a horse evades straightness they will be twisting through the pelvis, dropping the shoulder, weaker one way than the other or more supple one way than the other. Any of these will put strain and concussion on our horses body which will at best slow their progress and at worse do damage to their body. Not engaging their core puts strain on their back, especially when we then sit on their back and creates tension through their back.

Is straightness and correct development important to you? Join our email list for when our course green to self carriage opens!

9 Things No One Tells You About Owning A Horse

Owning a horse is amazing. The intimate bond of horse and human, the ability to ride whenever you like, a place to escape to when home or work is too much... right? 

Honestly, it is amazing. But there is a side to horse ownership that no one truly discusses. Here is a list of what we think most horse owners are experiencing but not sharing:

1) People will call you a crazy horse person

But seriously, who cares? If a person can't at least respect your personal preference for your 4 legged friend, well let's just say that's exactly why we prefer them!

2) You will get asked if other people can ride you horse. A lot.

"Oh, you have a horse? Can my cousin's best friend's son's girlfriend's half sibling ride it?" It's amazing how many people come out of the woodwork.

3) Insects are a part of life.

Equestrian life is not one for those that suffer Entomophobia or Arachnophobia.

4) You will constantly check the weather.

Can I ride after work? Which rug am I using tonight? It will become an obsession.

5) Baling twine. The next WD-40.

Seriously. It fixes everything. Fences, rugs, even broken bridles. If you don't have baling twine in your pocket, can you really say you own a horse?

Either get my bailing twine or label this the latest in fall fashion...

6) You will become an expert at fence repairing and rug repairing.

Why did my high school have to make me choose between home economics and woodworking?

7) Your horse will have better and more expensive 'clothes' than you... and you wont care.

Well, I do need a different saddle for each discipline, plus more rugs and saddle cloths than one horse can handle. Plus, blingy brow bands - how can you pass them by?

8) Sheath cleaning, Udder cleaning and Beans

Seriously didn't even know this stuff existed til I had a horse. These are the true reason we have latex gloves in the first aid kit. And if you need help, there are heaps of youtube videos available (yes, I checked).

9) You will wish you were taller on many occasions.

"Hi Mum - wait, is that a worming paste? Let me show you my impression of a giraffe!" Ring any bells?

Did we miss any? Tell us below!

The secret formula to riding a square halt

Do you know the real secret behind riding a square halt on your horse?

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Katie explains the underlying principles of a square halt. Listen to the video or read the transcript below.

One of the things we get critiqued on in a dressage test is how to ride a square halt.

There’s a good chance that before you did your first dressage test your didn’t even know what a square halt was – you were just stoked that your horse stopped! (hopefully).

How do I make my halt square?

When I was first trying to figure this out, early in my dressage career, I would practice by going down the centre line and taking a peak over the shoulder. Darn, halt not square!

This resulted in me being at the halt and tapping on that leg, giving the horse a little niggle to move it into the square position – then the horse would walk off again. ARGH!

Here the standing base is narrow as he starts coming back into work before the shoulders and chest start developing

I’ve been doing a lot of research to see what other instructors advise, and it has a lot to do with the seat and riding the seat through, cuddling with your calves etc.

But that isn’t what I believe.

If you think about why we want a square halt in the first place it’s because we’ve correctly applied the training scale. It’s the founding basis of dressage, after all!

In doing this:

This mare is starting to square out and transfer weight onto her haunches from conditioning work

• The horse is moving the weight onto the hind while distributing the weight across all four legs evenly

• Engaging the stomach muscles

• Showing relaxation

• Showing swing

• And still breathing

So my standard for a square halt is not because you are holding the horse there, but because the horse has engaged it’s postural muscles and is holding its’ own posture.

You want to see your horse standing square when you untack them. You want them to be standing square when you tack them. You want them to be standing square when you mount them, when you handle them, when you move them around. That’s an indication that when you are training them, you are getting them to use their posture correctly and distribute their weight across all four legs.

A proper square halt applied in a dressage test

If they are not standing square, if they are standing with one leg in front of the other, it’s a good indication of where you are going wrong (and need to improve) in your training, which is currently allowing them to work crooked.

If they are worked crooked, they are not going to stand square.

This expectation of your horse being able to distribute its’ weight across all 4 limbs evenly is the foundation of our training in Preliminary Dressage. Because it teaches our horse how to transfer its’ weight onto the back and hold the weight evenly on all four legs, and then how to pick its’ own body up into self carriage before we start asking it to collect.

One of the things that is often missed in Prelim is that we make the horses frame by holding the horses head down and using the whip to drive horse into our hands.

What we want to do is to be using our training exercises that develop the horses musculoskeletal system so it is balanced and even throughout its body, which result in it being able to hold its own posture and drive into our hands.

I don’t care if your horse can stand square because you put it there. I care if your horse can stand square because it put itself there.

That is the result of your conditioning, training and using your exercises to get your horse to engage its’ hind quarters, start transferring the weight onto its’ hindquarters, use its’ stomach muscles, start engaging in flexing its muscles along its back so that it is travelling forward with relaxation and swing and developing even thoroughness through each shoulder.

Obviously, using your seat, legs and hands correctly all play a role in this, but you learn about that when you learn how to ride your horse into contact anyway. If you are learning how to use your seat to ride your horse into your hands, you are learning how to use your seat to ride a halt. If you are learning to use your legs to ride your horse into your hands and learning to use your hands to ride into contact, you know how to ride a square halt because you are working the horse squarely into your hands.

3 Weeks to Improve Your Riding

$49.00

Your posture is extremely important here, and there are some tips and tricks to help you in our 3 weeks to improving your riding course (click on the image to find out more), to help you use your seat properly.

We are also working on our Foundations of Equine Development: Green to Self Carriage, which is all the exercises I use to get your horse working correctly into contact, into your hands, teaching the horse how to put its weight into its haunches and how to distribute its weight across all four legs, whilst being in contact and self carriage. Make sure you are on our email list to get information on this courses release.

14 Tricks to Remember for Your Dressage Test

Tips & Tricks of the dressage arena

Remember the first time you competed? Or maybe you are nervously awaiting your first competition...

Here’s a few handy tips for your first day (and second, third, so on):

1. The number 1 rule is to stay on the horse and stay in the arena. Everything else is a bonus.

2. Presenting in clean boots, jacket and tack is not mandatory but shows you respect the sport. Make the effort.

3. There is etiquette to follow in the warm up arena. Try to follow it.

4. It is highly likely you will be competing against people with more practice or skills then you. This doesn’t make you a loser – the fact that you showed up at all makes you a winner. Everyone has to start somewhere and that start is never at perfect.

5. If this is your horse’s first time, likely he will be nervous too. Rule number 5 is to teach your horse to be curious so he will be less flighty.

6. Breath.

7. Remember which way to turn at C once you enter the arena. It makes all the difference.

8. There is maths to learn in the calculation of the accuracy of the movements. Sorry, but true.

9. There are also letters to learn, and they aren’t in alphabetical order.

10. During your test, there are areas where the judges can’t mark you on the form. Use those spaces to ‘tune up’ your ride.

11. Don’t forget to salute at the end of the test, and make it obvious.

12. Your test score will depend on a combination of accuracy and the level of training you are at with your horse.

13. Remember, dressage is founded on the art of training your horse. Prep and Prelim are the foundation of training that set you up for success. Therefore, the only thing that score should matter for is where you can improve your training, not how you can get a ribbon.

14. And don’t forget to smile. You are enjoying an amazing sport partnered with your best friend. Not many other people get to do that!

 

The secrets behind your dressage scores

Have you ever thought about what the judges are actually marking you on in your Prelim test?

When you are in prelim, the foundation skills needed for prelim are rhythm and tempo, making your horse work in front of you leg, and keeping them into contact.

The judges are looking for the application of the training scale – how well you implementing the training scale at home for your horses’ physical, mental and behavioural development. They want to see that the test flows: one movement should flow easily into the next without resistance, which shows good behavioural training and exposure.

They are also looking for accuracy in the test – the diameters of you movements, the correct shape on the course.

If you can ride an accurate test without any behavioural issues you should get at least 50-60% in your scoring. This shows you have put enough training in at home to be able to navigate the movement in the arena without your horse being silly.

Obviously, this can depend on your horse’s previous exposure and at what level you are competing at – for example, if you are riding at an official day they would expect a higher standard than at an associate day.

The next thing your judges are looking for is your rhythm and tempo. This should be consistent and fluid throughout the test- it shouldn’t be hurried but it should be active.

The next is connection and working frame, particularly the consistency of the frame throughout the test, and that you can ride your horse with bend. When we achieve this, we should be starting to see our marks getting up to 60-65%. It shows that we are implementing our training scale well, that our horse is understands how to work with self carriage, connection, and knows how to carry that through transitions and onto the movements.

We can start pushing those marks up when our horse starts working with thoroughness and swing, and that they are not working on the forehand but they are pulling through the shoulder.

Lastly is impulsion. Once we start working with impulsion, we can see our marks pushing the 70%, or maybe even the 80%, depending on the quality of the horse and the level of competition that you are at.

Keep in mind, your scores can also be influenced by the first horse that competes (as he sets the bar for the rest of the day), and what level you are competing in.

So when you complete your test, receive your results and are seeing comments give us insight into what areas we should be working with.

More forward – know more about how to keep you horse in front of your leg without rush; how to create more forwardness in your rhythm and tempo.

More bend – we need to learn how to ride our horse more around our leg.

More frame – your horses’ development in being able to work with rounded connection and into your hands, having the sensitivity to the bit and the suppleness through the back to be able to maintain the connection.

When you achieve these ‘mores’, you would be at the next level of competition – and once you get there, there will be more ‘more’ to achieve!

And that is why dressage is an ever improving sport.

The Independent Seat (part 2)

Using your seat as a tool for communication

This article is best to read after you have done our course “3 weeks to improving your riding”. In this course we go into depth about the angles and lines we need in our posture that allows for maximum range of movement in both ourselves and our horses and also how to move and follow our horse. It includes 3 weeks of exercises designed by a personal trainer to help you hold this posture easier. This will also only work if your horse is working correctly in self carriage and connection. --Katie

Everything we are trying to do with our horses is to create more engagement, more self carriage, to create a stronger, more elastic top line so that our horse can move more freely, move with more power and agility, to reduce the concussion of the movement on their body and develop their core strength and soundness for a long and healthy riding career. The tighter we are through our thigh and the more we pivot at our knee and our hip in our dressage seat, even if we are trying to lean back to keep our upright, the more we are putting our horse onto the forehand. This is why all the angles and lines we discuss in “3 weeks to improving your riding” is so important. When we break these lines and angles we distribute our weight away from our centre of balance and then try to counter balance ourselves. Our horse then tries to counter balance our imbalance and both ours and our horses posture “shrinks and curls” to try and protect our balance. If we start with our center of gravity and work out, engaging the same balance points as we do on the ground we have the best opportunity of maintaining our posture and guiding our horse to maintain their balance, posture and center of gravity.

Once we understand how to do this and our connection is established we can then start to use our seat to communicate. This is our ultimate goal. The more we can communicate from our seat, the less we interrupt our horses flow and balance with our hands. If we do this exercise describe below without having established connection our horse will “jack up” and potentially also rear. Our horse needs to know how to sit into its haunches and lift through its tummy so that it is shortening its body in a way that lengthens the crest. Which is why we have our foundation exercises of self carriage that ensure our horse can first do all these things and that we also have an adequate feel of how to distribute the horses weight and balance effectively. Once these skills are established this is very easy. If these skills aren’t established your horse will let you know if you try this exercise. Make sure you listen to your horse and get help by someone who understands these principles if you are unsure.

Establishing a half halt with our seat.

Katie demonstrating the correct position in the saddle to improve your independent seat

First have all the prerequisites of self carriage established. Tempo changes, bend and changes of bend, transitions within the pace and pace to pace, shortening and lengthening the frame, rein back over a pole, trot poles and canter poles, introducing leg yield and shoulder fore.

Have the angles and lines of an independent seat as described in “3 weeks to improving your riding”.

At the halt:

• Cuddle your calves

• Squeeze your butt checks together like you are trying to hold a poo in

• Lift through and rotate through your pelvis like your practised on the fit ball in “3 weeks to improving your riding”

• Draw your shoulder blades together and open your chest

• Increase the angle through your elbows, taking your hands towards your hips gently, keeping a straight line elbow hands reins to bit.

The end goal is that the horse squeezes together and their head comes onto the vertical. Release the pressure for this.

To get this right you want to balance the amount of energy you are creating with your legs to the amount of wait you’re are creating with your hands.

Think about driving a manual car if you have the clutch out of gear it doesn’t matter how much you put your foot down on the accelerator the car won’t go. In a horse that understand self carriage and connection the contact is like your clutch you are balance the revs (forwardness from your legs) with the amount of clutch that is engaged (contact). If you don’t engage the clutch (contact) as you rev (legs) the car won’t accelerate with power (your horse will be strong out on the forehand). If you have to much revs (legs) to clutch (contact) your car will accelerate uncontrollable and do a burn out (your horse will take the bolt and spit you out the side). We are trying to find the balance between just enough rein add to say wait without stopping and just enough leg aid to say stay moving powerfully forward without rushing and this creates impulsion. When we go into this level of detail you can see why our foundations need to be so clearly established for both ourselves and our horses.

What we are trying to do here is establish this aid above which is our half halt by tightening and lifting through our seat to squeeze our horse together and lift the forehand.

We are not going to be riding like this all the time it is an add. We cuddle, squeeze, lift and draw our horse up and to us and then relax and allow our horse to move. We are creating a controlled tension which shortens, bounces and re-energises the stride and riding forward out of it.

As we ride forward our horse will going onto the forehead and we also have an opportunity here to create acceptance of the bit. As we relax and allow our hands forehand we are asking the horse to follow our hands forward out of the frame, to poke its nose out. Just before it gets to strung out, we cuddle, squeeze, lift and draw our horse in and up to us and then relax and slowly inch our hands forward encouraging our horse to poke its nose out seeking the contact. Rinse and repeat. This is your new half halt. The more often you ride this aid combination the stronger your horse will get through the chest and the shoulders and the more impulsion you will create.

This ability to shorten and lift into you is also your prerequisite to collection and why the transition from novice to elementary is so hard for some. If you have learnt how to get your horse into a frame by grounding them and putting them more onto the forehand you have to go back to scratch and relearn how to work your horse uphill into the frame if you are to achieve collection. The impulsion is a natural progression of self carriage that becomes collection.

Activating this seat aid is part of the puzzle. Your horse can only come uphill if you do first.

How to progress past the 'stuck' stage of your riding developement

How to navigate the road blocks that come up in the learning curve

Are you frustrated as hell repeating the same lessons? It never feels like you're progressing, the wheels are spinning and you're not gaining any traction?

I hear ya! Boy have I been there! I've learnt a couple of skills along the way to make the journey an empowering process allowing for personal growth and development instead of becoming demoralised and quit or forging a path that is an uphill battle the whole way. And I wanted to share them with you!

A few years ago I considered myself a good rider. I did well in my lessons, progressing quickly with the horses I rode and did well at competitions and was well on my way to reaching my goals with good results at states and official competitions. But there were a few stumbling blocks I kept coming across. Some discrepancies in my beliefs and my actions.

You see I wanted to be a high level, well-respected competitive rider and yet I had to compromise on my values for how a horse was worked to get there.

At the time I didn't understand but I just knew in my gut that I wasn't happy with the path I was taking. I still had the same goals but I wanted to get there in a way that didn't compromise the integrity of the horses musculoskeletal system, or emotional and mental health.

This might sound weird to some but I actually see horses as an EQUAL and not a means to win a ribbon or get a certain percentage at a competition. In saying that I do believe it is important to give a horse sound life skills so that they have the best opportunity they can. In such a cut throat industry, the majority of people are quick to assume that a horse acting like a horse, which can threaten the safety of the novice means it is "a bad horse", "untrainable", or "dangerous". 

Any hoo, I digress! I was trying to say this was one of those times where I just got stuck. I knew where I wanted to be, I knew the way I wanted to get there, I just didn't know the how. So let me share a few things I have learnt over the years about getting unstuck on my goals.

You don't know what you don't know

Ok this might sound obvious but you don't know what you don't know until you know it. If you haven't achieved your goal yet and you have a coach or a mentor showing you the way and you're saying, “YES, YES, YES!!!! I GET IT!!! WHY HAVEN'T I GOT MY GOAL YET?” Then guess what, you don't get it because it is in the experiencing of getting to your goal that is how you "get it" and it is in the knowing that you can "do it" that creates the belief and the knowledge that you can "do it" again. This is that epiphany moment where you strive and you struggle and you get frustrated and then all of a sudden it comes together and you go oh wow that was so easy, why did I find it so hard?! It is hard because you don't know what you don't know until you know it and then the world makes sense again!

Have you heard of the story of the 4 minute mile? In 1954 Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes. A goal that people had been trying to crack for years. Within 2 months John Landy ran the mile in under 4 minutes. Since then its been cracked time and again and has been set as the standard to reach as an athlete. So why am I telling you this? It took 1 person to believe that he could achieve the impossible to crack open a whole new realm of possibility that is now the standard practice. Roger Bannister didn't know that he could run a mile in under 4 minutes, no body else believed it could be done and surely didn't know how he was going to do it. He just worked at his goal relentlessly never giving up and then he knew how. So this brings me to:

What is stopping you?

What had stopped every other person before Roger Bannister from achieving the 4 min mile? It certainly wasn't there ability. Because we know that only 2 months later it was broken again by another man and then time and time again after that.

So what is our biggest road block in achieving impossible goals? It is our beliefs and our fears. We are conditioned from birth by the people around us and it is their beliefs that create our belief systems. These BELIEF SYSTEMS protect us and give us meaning in our world and help guide us in our choices through their PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES.

However, they also come with their own limitations. These belief systems are protected by our FEARS because if we can prove what we believe is wrong it shatters our REALITY. So while we need to develop our SKILLS to make it possible, we also need to train our BRAIN to believe it is possible (this is why doing something just to prove someone wrong can be so effective. That kind of determination is powerful when achieving big goals). Because when we are aiming for a big scary goal and we don't believe we can do it we won't PUSH ourselves past our limits. When previous experience dictates that it is impossible we create our on limitations and we first need to crack open this belief that it is impossible to make it happen. 

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone" Neale Donald Walsch

Review the foundations

So I know it is the LAST thing we want to do when we are trying to PROGRESS, but going back and reviewing the foundations is VITAL! Because it is in these foundations that lies the key to our success. Think about when you were at school when you first learnt the alphabet you had no idea why, you were just learning it because that's what you were told to do. Once you knew the alphabet you were able to progress with your skills and spell words with the letters that you learnt. This gave your understanding of the alphabet more depth, you now understood why you needed to learn the alphabet and now you are ready to start writing sentences. This gives you a better understanding of the alphabet and spelling words and how to use them. Fast forward to high school and you start learning about how to construct stories and the struggle of learning the alphabet is a distant memory (depending on how badly it traumatised you lol).

This is why we are talking about foundations, you are introduced to the basics at the very beginning but there is no way you can fully understand the depth and scope of these foundations when you first learn them and so you progress. You say "yes, yes, I get it, I want to move on, do more exciting things!". But the limitations to the depth of your understanding blocks how far you progress. Sooner or later you have to come back to those foundations you originally learnt and relearn them with the new knowledge you have about the process. 

For example, when you first start learning to ride you need your horse to stop and to go. Once you have achieved this you are ready to learn how to keep the horse forward. A lot of lessons are involved in this, you need to develop your seat, you need to understand how to ask a horse to keep forward from your aids, and you will probably have some hiccups along the way.

Guaranteed you will quickly come to understand why you needed to learn how to make your horse stop and go first! Once you are able to keep your horse forward you are ready to learn how to keep your horse balanced and the stop and go develops into tempo changes and half halts. This brings its own new set of challenges (how good are your brakes and your go? How balanced is your seat? What the hell is a half halt anyway? etc) And so again you need to review your foundations and how well established they are and how clearly you understand them. 

So if you are stuck don't say "I already know that". Review what you "already know" with fresh, more educated eyes, break it done and find the gaps in your understanding because this will be what you don't know that you don't know.  

"The more I learn, the more I realise how much I don't know" Albert Einstein

Self affirmation exercises and mantras

What does your self talk sound like? Are you constantly saying to yourself "I can't do this", "this is too hard", "why would someone like me be able to do this?", "I don't deserve this result", or are you saying "you got this!", "you can do this", "you've done it before, you can do it again", "you deserve to get your goals".

If you talk to yourself in a supportive and encouraging way you have a better chance of:

• Sticking it out when it gets tough.

• Reduced stress and improved resilience to stress and its negative effects.

• An increased chance of making the behavioural changes required to achieve your goals whether it be lifestyle, health, fitness, business or anything in between.

  The trick to positive affirmations ACTUALLY working is that you have to believe in it now and VISUALISE the future impact of these changes. Examples include:

·        I deserve to lead a good life and then visualise what a good life looks like to you.

·        Today I choose only healthy choices and then visualise what making healthy choices look like and telling a friend in the future how you made these changes.

·        I am a good horse rider and I am improving each day and then visualise what you want your riding and your horse to look like. 

These are just a couple of examples of how to use positive affirmations. To truly understand why you're stuck and discover the best affirmations for you to get unstuck, another practice is journalling.

"Whether you believe you can or you can't you are right." Henry Ford

Journaling

Journalling is the best way to transform current beliefs and self talk that are holding you back so that you become more supportive of your efforts and your goals. At the root of what is blocking us is a thought, or a belief that is no longer supporting or helping us. Journalling is like a free trip to the psychiatrist. A word of caution, if you have experienced a traumatic event you may want to work with a professional in this process. Throughout our lives from our earliest days as children we have rationalised our experiences with beliefs that makes sense to us at that age. We also take on the beliefs of our family, teachers and other role models and influencers. When these beliefs go on unchallenged they can seriously limit us for future success. 

For example, a child might be told you are a bad child and you do not deserve a treat. This belief  could become ingrained in the psyche so that as an adult you could trigger this thought inadvertently and punish yourself for being "bad" or develop a vice to deal with this emotional trigger. In the same way if you have had support through your struggles as a child, as an adult those words of wisdom will come back to you to help you through your challenges. So basically journalling is taking your current struggle and asking why, why, why, why, why until you get down to the root cause of the thought that is limiting your progress. 

Another example might be trying to overcome your struggle with wanting to improve your health but not sticking to your meal plan. Ask yourself why and really dig deep, what is the root thought form preventing you sticking to your goal. It may surprise you, it often surprises me! And from there you can create a new belief with positive affirmations and this is how you can truly believe in these affirmations and transform your life from the foundations which will have significant flow on affects in all areas of your life. 

Follow through and commitment

"Most people give up just before they are about to achieve success" Ross Perot

Think of your goal as an island that you want to get to. Where you are now is the mainland. The work you have to do is like building a bridge to the island. You have to STICK TO THE DAMN PLAN. You have to COMPLETE the bridge to get to the island. Once the bridge is forged each time you try to get to the island gets easier.

Where you are stuck is just an obstacle in completing the bridge that you have to navigate to get to the island. If each time you get stuck you start building a new bridge than all you will have is a bunch of half formed bridges and no success. But if you stop, REVIEW YOUR PLAN (look at the foundations), FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU NOW KNOW (fill the gaps in your understanding the lessons learnt that got you to where you are), ASSESS YOUR BELIEFS AND SELF TALK (make sure you are supporting yourself on your journey and enjoying the process) and try the heck again!! Because what got you here won't get you there, be flexible in your approach but commit to your goals and stick to them until you get there. 

"Failure is the opportunity to try again more intelligently" Henry Ford

The best way to stay accountable and stick to your goals is to join a community of supportive people with similar goals who will hold you up and cheer you on. We have a free facebook group designed to help people take small, easy to achieve actions to get them to their big goals and we would love to see you in there. Click the link below to join.

Some notes about horsemanship...

Some notes about how a relationship is strengthened and how a horse learns:

·       Always work from your heart

·        If you want to be part of their herd, they need to be part of your family

·       A relationship is defined by its hard times. How you guide your horse through difficult times will shape its behavior in difficult situations.

·       Don’t become emotionally engaged in an argument. Work through the frustration and find a resolution, instead of fighting.

·        Take the lead

·        Be consistent with establishing manners

·        Follow through

·        Develop your skills well enough that you trust in yourself around the horse.

·        The horse learns from the release of pressure, not the application.

·        Use your voice and use the same words and pitch for the same things. Horses can pick up on words the same way as dogs can.

·        Use positive reinforcement

·        Don’t be afraid to discipline your horse if it intentionally hurts you. Knowing how you will discipline is important and also what works for your horse. Finding the level of pressure best suited to your horse is key. You want to find the point just past ignorance, but before reactivity where I call responsivity. This sweet spot is different for every horse and rider combination.

·        Listen to how they respond to cues. Do they understand what you are expecting of them?

Attention + focus = connection

Connection is key. Not only do we need to learn how to keep our horses relaxed attention and focus on us but so do we have to keep our relaxed focus and attention on them. How many times have you gone down to the yard with the to do list, the shopping list, the conversation with your boss, the argument you had with a friend all jumbling around in your head only to come away feeling worse because you’ve had the worst training session?

If you join our free facebook group we have a free training in there on exactly what to do to start building a connection with your horse today!! What a great way to spend the holidays!