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[RC] New Subject - Rider Focus - Val NicosonExcellent post Truman on focusing on the trail and not the horse! Let me relate a story here in this regards: After working doing P+Rs at a 25/50 mile ride my friend and I went out to pull ribbons along one trail. What was learned from this experience was the way to focus on ahead rather than the horse under you...allowing your body to go with the horse. We would go at a good working trot and occasionally at a canter pulling ribbons...if the one in the lead missed, the one behind went for it and/or stopped and turned back to get it. It was like grabbing the gold ring on a merry-go-round so to speak. We stuffed them in our pockets or clipped them to our coats or whatever else we found...looked really cute on us and the horses all decked out in these colorful ribbons :-) It was also great training for the horses too...unexpected slow downs, stops and/or turns...good for them to learn to listen to the rider. Once, the experienced 50-mile horse I was riding did a perfect pivot (his owner was riding behind us at the time and saw it) and I didn't even "feel" it! Didn't lose a stirrup or anything...which is usual for me in quick turns. She said I had to have been perfectly centered to not have felt it...how neat(!). So for those who would like a neat, cool experience... try helping out after the ride and assist in pulling those ribbons. Am sure the RMs would more than welcome the help and it's great training for your horses besides. Newbie soon to experience her first LD ride, Val So to me the way to get over fear in riding is to focus on the trail ahead and feel the horse with body and let your body ride the horse - not your brain. Knock on wood I don't come off often and it sure isn't because my horse is calm and non spooky. I try to focus on the trail about 100 meters out and let the horse do it's job and my body do it's job and keep my brain out of the equation. Same principle as focusing on the third turn down the slope when you are skiing. If you do this the first thing that goes away is fear of falling and the second thing that happens is your body tends to be able to "feel" what the horse will do and can react much faster to stay with the horse. Truman<<<<< __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yahoo.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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