Daily Practice, Self-Care to Improve your Riding

             Utilize Self Care and Improve Your Riding

                  Carousel Coaching                    Dec. 11, 2023

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Utilize this as an exercise when you have time, with your journal:                               

 

      Aspects of ourselves

                     Character Traits  (same as values) these are relating to space and time. Honesty, love, compassion, organization, patience, respect.) Again these are things about ourselves that we want to nurture. We may have to look past what other people have made us think about ourselves.

                     Personality Traits (help us to be who we are) these just are, there is nothing to measure. Confident, humorous, imaginative, loving, direct.

                          Part of self love is getting to know these things about ourselves and make peace with them. Without comparing ourselves to others why are these characteristics special? What do we look like when we are acting on them in a positive way? What might it look like when we ignore or don’t like parts of ourselves.

 

              With the horses it is easy to get overwhelmed sometimes with the competitive aspect and then think that our own self worth and characteristics are not worth anything. We try to conform to the way other people want us to be, or what we see other people doing from a distance.

             Yes! There are certain practices that will help to bring you success!

                           Such as being disciplined, choosing good healthy food over junk food, working out, stretching, having lessons to improve your riding etc etc.

                            There are other things that create your special you that do not need to change or conform to the wishes of society or friends. These things are what make you you. And by trying to bury them, hide them or change them you are going against your true nature and living out of balance.

                           It takes time of self-reflection to start to find these traits and characteristics that are truly what you are about. Then it also takes time to cultivate or get to know your true identity. From then you want to grow the positive aspects of yourself and be brave to take them out into the world.

 

                          How to help myself travel on the right path and have success?

                  Take care of yourself and give yourself some love!

                          Be careful not to just ask it from other people. You must not ask someone to love you more than you love yourself. And…. If they do not show you love, enough love or the right kind of love, this must not reflect how much you love yourself.

                         We are all a work in progress. So! loving yourself and accepting yourself where you are right now does not mean that you might not want to improve certain aspects of your being. However, if you only focus on the negative remember, you will only continue to get more negative.

               For example someone might say; I love that I am funny, energetic and have a love for horses. I would like to improve my discipline so that my love for horses turns into a successful show career.

                But what if they said; I am not disciplined but I am funny and energetic. Can you see where this is going. One sentence is uplifting and gives something to work toward the other is going nowhere.

 

              When under pressure you will find that positive attributes will help you persevere, whereas negative thoughts and beliefs about ourselves will be self-fulfilling.

“If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you are also right.”

 

                                     Be the guardian of your mind. The way that business works in America is that they make you feel like you have or identify with a short coming or a problem and then they offer you the product that will solve it. These short comings are put into your presence daily on the computer, TV, radio, bill boards and magazines and then the advertisements sell you the product that will fix your flaws.

                                       If you can hold your positive self-vision in your mind and heart all of the time these ads will not infect you. In my email I get a million hits with subjects like “lose weight fast”, “look younger now” or “improve your relationship”. When I see the titles, I might say to myself I don’t need to lose weight! or my relationship is just fine thank you! I actually have the conversation and put it out there so that it does not infect me.

                                    When you come from this place of self-acceptance and love you can actively look for things that will improve your life and what you want to do, but you do not allow other peoples fears or judgements to infect you.

                  Taking care of yourself daily will reinforce to your mind, heart and spirit that you really are good enough. This confidence will spill into your riding, work, and relationships.

                  What ways can we take better care of ourselves?

                                     Spend alone time, meditating and learning (or just figuring out what is interesting and we might want to learn.)

                                      Respect yourself with your self-talk. Allow yourself to grow do not judge mistakes

                                     Eat right and stay hydrated

                                     Exercise

Important thing to remember!!

                You were not born knowing everything! So! it is ok to ask questions, make mistakes and look for ways to learn. You do not have to be the knower! As you do this you will find that you can give a hand up to those that have less experience than you, but you can also look up to those that have more experience.

 

                        Homework:

                                    Take a couple of days and listen to your self-talk. Write down some things you hear regularly, good and bad.

                                    Also, listen to some ads, look in magazines or TV and Facebook and write down a couple of these products that use this tactic of making you feel like you are lacking something or need to fix something to sell their product.

                     Share with me at nancy@carouselcoaching.com

                    

So, You Qualified for Regionals

              This weekend was the last weekend to qualify for the Region 8 USDF Regional Finals. I hope for you, that if this was something you worked for, that you accomplished this primary goal. If you were unable to qualify, I know that whatever the circumstances, you will make the necessary improvements and make better plans and have success next year!

              If you have qualified CONGRATULATIONS!, what are you going to do until September 20?

                              I have a couple of suggestions:

                                              Go over the health of your horse, is there necessary routine care that needs to be done? worming, shots, blood tests etc? Do this now! These things can be taxing on your horse, and blood tests can give you important information. Do not wait until right before the show, give your horse plenty of time to recover.

                                               Have your horse flexed, the back palpated, teeth checked and other performance checks that you may want to act on to improve your horse's comfort and happiness level.

                                               Go over your feeding program, supplements and any other medications that might need to be changed. Be absolutely sure about what medications are allowed and take care to substitute something (healthier) and legal well before the show.

                                               Order gastroguard, supplements, buckets, anything that you might need for the show so that you have it well in advance.

                                               Make a plan with your trainer that will improve your overall fitness and accuracy when riding your tests.

                                               Start working on a suitable warm up. Time yourself and get to know how much time you need for your horse to feel happy and swinging and ready for the test. There are way too many horses leaving their best performance in the warm up, don't do that! Start timing and practicing now, so you know it and feel it.

                                               Build motivation and rapport with your horse daily. Know what makes them tick.... what helps them love to work and try harder for you? Practice doing more of these things!

                                               Learn your test (s) for yourself! Don't drill your horse, but do practice linking some movements together so you can be effective with each transition and accurate with each movement.

                                               Make sure to put some fun days into your schedule between now and then. Go for hacks, do trotting poles, maybe even learn something new that will improve your partnership.

                                               Has your horse been to Saugerties before?

                                                                   If yes! was he/she relaxed and happy? 

                                                                                  If no, what are you going to do about it between now and then? Lunging your horse to death is not a good answer (in my humble opinion) so, talk to your trainer about options for ground work, the possibility to take your horse to a different venue to practice, some relaxation exercises, TRT Method etc. that might set you up for success.

                                                If you have not been to Saugerties have you looked at the map? Can you familiarize yourself with the layout. Is there someone you know who has been there that can tell you a bit about it? 

                                                                Also, make a plan for when you get there to go around and look at everything first, without your horse, so you know what to expect, are able to make plans and create a good time schedule for getting to your rings etc.

                                                 Will your horse need to be clipped? Don't do this the day before the show!! Horses can be very sensitive about being clipped, so unless you have a complete dead head that you want to jazz up, be sure to clip at least a week before so he/she gets used to the new feeling. And be sure to blanket appropriately, this is a super hard time to manage blankets, so you have to be sure to be available for changes.

                                                  How is your tack? Do you need anything new? Don't change things right before the show!! Be sure that you make changes well in advance so you are sure both you and your horse are comfortable. It can happen that we get nervous before a show and start changing bits and spurs etc. Talk to your trainer, get the best choice organized now, then stick with it through the championships.

                                                 Make sure your horse is shod at a good time so he is not over due or just done for the show. Talk to your farrier, make sure he knows your plans and then schedule your appointment together.
                                                 Start working on your Performance Mindset! This is something I am good at! So, Book a Coaching Session!! If you don't have opportunities for Coaching Sessions talk to your trainer about suggestions. What does he or she do to strategize the best performance mindset? What would he or she recommend you do to set yourself up for the best success?

                                                  Read the rules! And practice with the new rules! For instance, whips are not allowed. So, practice your test without a whip, if you usually carry one. The rules for Regionals are a bit different then your regular shows, so go over the rule book and be sure to note anything that might affect you.

                                                  Build your team: trainer, coach, groom, shipper, support friend. Start asking now so you can make all of the necessary plans. Hotel reservations, dinner plans etc. 

                              So these are a few ideas to get you thinking ahead for your big show. "Control the Controllables" Herr Schumacher always said. There will be enough that you cannot do anything about, so set yourself up for success.

                       Be sure to email me at nancylaterdressagehorses@gmail.com if you have any questions, and if you would like to set up an online or phone coaching session. 

                       Love to Ride!

                                Nancy

                                             

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Alyson and Nirvana for their first BLUE RIBBON ! Sunday at Beland Dressage, great job!! Also well done for Melissa and Comcord winners of the Prix St. Georges and two very good scores for Melissa and Versace at 3 rd level with 64% and 66%. Maureen and Laddie did great as well with good scores 66.8% and very good tests! Super job! What a nice day for a show, and the staff at Beland as always putting on a lovely show.

Congratulations

FINALLY it has been a long wait, but finally Ariel and Sax made it down the centerline. They looked fantastic and placed 4 th with 66 % in their first class together. We are looking forward to seeing this pair in the ring alot more in the future!

Pictures from the show ring coming soon!

Practical Horseman

Our new article is out in Practical Horseman! It looks great and I think the article gets across our message............give your horse some confidence! He wants to do it for you!
Check it out!
Also, Ruudi, who is pictured in the article and his owner Ingrid Wallin went to their first horse show last weekend. Congratulations!!! First time out and 3 rd level ! 65% Great job!!

Gladstone

Matt and I made a trip to Gladstone to support our friends that are trying out for our WEG team. What a beautiful day. New Jersey weather was kind to the riders and it was cool and not too humid for the morning Grand Prix. They have done a wonderful job renovating the indoor arena! That is so nice to see, it is no longer dark and depressing but beautiful light finished kickboards and eurofelt footing gives us the feeling that we have people that are interested in promoting our sport and riders!!! Fantastic!!
I was dissappointed not to see more spectators.........we need to rally the troops and be there to congratulate all of the great combinations that have made it this far in these WEG trials.
I will stay away from commenting on all the rides. There were alot of great things and it was wonderful to see the improvement in many of these horses. If you have the opportunity to make the drive to New Jersey DO IT!! They need our support and energy, it is our sport and we need to show people that it means something to us!!!
If you cannot go in person Mary has a link on DressageDaily.com and you can watch it live.

PW Inspection!

PW was a star at her Hanoverian Inspection! Thank you Phil Silva for taking time out of his busy schedule to present her so nicely. PW was totally relaxed and showed everyone how beautiful she is! She recieved 7.0 and is accepted into the Main Stud Book. Gerd Zuther was complimentary about he and said " congratulations! She is a very solid mare!" Next year we will be there for the Performance Testing for sure. Thank you also to Lyn Spinella and Brookside Farm for offering the Farm for the Inspection Site. Everyone was totally dissappointed the brander was caught in bad weather and runway mishaps, so he was unable to show up and inspect the foals. We were lucky that they were able to ask Gerd to fill in and PW has the first blue ribbon of her career!!

Good Luck PW!

We leave tomorrow for Brookside Farm in North Smithfield, RI for PW's Hanoverian inspection!!! I am so excited I cannot stand it. She looks so beautiful and it will be a great experience for her to see a bit of the world.

Good Luck!

BIG congratulations to Ariel and Evita!

Ariel and Evita had a spectacular weekend, winning both Prix St. George classes and her freestyle with super scores at King Oak Farm.

Sax also came for a field trip and despite some sensory over load the first day settled down and worked hard and looked beautiful the rest of the weekend. Both horses gained many admirers at the show!

Matt also got this beautiful shot of the stabling after the storms past saturday evening. King Oak is always a fun show to go to, the people are so helpful, and the atmosphere is wonderful.

Congratulations!

Ariel and Evita had a great show at Westbrook bringing home 3 blue ribbons with 3 great tests. The first time over 70% in the technical test,(they had scored 72% in the freestyle in May), what a difference a year makes!!!

Also a big day for Alyson and Nirvana 69% that is alot of progress in a very short time! Congratulations!

And Melissa Bilodeau won 3 blue ribbons and made a succesful jump into 3 rd level with Versace. Great job!

Congratulations!

Congratulations Ariel, Alyson and Maureen !! Ariel recieved 65% in the Young Rider Prix St. Georges, with a very strong test. Ariel also catch rode Nirvana for Alyson sunday and recieved a 68% ! Alyson back in the saddle only for a short time now did a fantastic job in Training level with Nirvana getting two red ribbons with 62% and 66%! What a way to start the summer! Maureen also achieved her goal of getting over 63 in her Training 3 and 4 recieving 65% and 64% sunday. Well Done everyone!

Congratulations!

Good job! Ariel and Evita recieved 72% for their Young Rider Freestyle last sunday at the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge. The music is absolutly wonderful and Ariel and Evita are really beginning to find their confidence in the arena. That is our last show here in Florida. Time to start thinking about organising the big move to Massachusetts at the end of May. During June we will be at Mystic Valley Dressage and Westbrook Hunt Club for Centerlines Events summer dressage show.

Gold Coast Dressage

Ariel also did her PSG Freestyle with Evita for the first time this winter and they did great. Marlene Whitaker has prepared a beautiful freestyle for Ariel and it really shows off her beautiful Evita. Here she is preparing for the big test.

Gold Coast Dressage

Congratulations to Gail Gibb's Noah and his second and third place finishes at the show last weekend. Noah and Nancy competed at third level and Noah recieved 8's on his half passes and a 9! on his last centerline and halt. Good boy Noah!

Gold Coast Dressage

Congratulations to Ariel and Alyson Miller's Nirvana. They competed last weekend in training and first level and were second in both classes! This was Nirvana and Ariel's first outing together and Nirvana's first show in more than 8 months! They looked beautiful and did a great job!