By Rob Jacobs
Dear Talented and Eager Young Rider,
I hope the holiday season was kind to you and allowed for additional hours with your equine friends. As you prepare to create your riding goals for the new year, I hope you set optimistically achievable goals that push the boundaries of your existing experience level with your horse. It may prove beneficial to work with your trainer on setting your goals for the year. They are likely able to help you set a plan that will increase the chance you will reach your goals. Your trainer can help you also understand how realistic your goals are given your location, your specific horse, availability to ride and many other factors.
Most riders are attracted to our sport because we love interacting with the horses, but also because we love the daily challenge of the sport. Progress is something I believe most of us are seeking with the horses. Some may want to learn to better understand their horse’s nonverbal cues, while others may aspire to qualify for their first fall indoor show season. Regardless of your experience with horses, one thing I remind the students I help is to practice patience throughout the year. Hard work always pays off at some point. The hard work paying off exactly when you want it to is most ideal. However, sometimes it pays off a little later than expected, which can be equally rewarding.
I have learned that most equestrians, like most people, enjoy instant gratification and the feeling of results coming as quick as possible. I remember feeling this way when I was younger. Like most of the young equestrians I teach, I was quite ambitious. I was determined to advance my skills in the saddle and on the ground. I wanted to learn the fastest way to make progress within the parameters of factors I was able to control. Over the years, I had to learn to balance my ambition with patience. I want to encourage young riders to remember that progress is not a complete upward slope. There are many factors that will influence the trajectory a rider may have, and that’s normal. There will be times a rider may feel their rate of progression has significantly slowed down or even paused. This feeling may or may not be reality. Sometimes we feel this way and are inaccurately assessing our progress. Continue to work with an honest and ethical trainer you trust to help you measure your progress.
Our sport is not only a physical sport but a mental sport as well. There are several well-respected equestrian sports psychologists that use effective techniques to help riders with their ability to incorporate patience into their goal-setting. It may be beneficial to meet with a sports psychologist throughout the year as a “sounding board” to help outline the year. This has helped me tremendously as a professional, and something I wish I had done as a child. Navigating school, friends, family, horses and other activities is not always easy when you’re young. It’s not easy as an adult, either, but the goal is to develop the tools needed to help better navigate the world realistically and productively.
I also encourage young riders to be OK with flexibility throughout the year, as different circumstances may evolve. There are an unlimited number of factors that may cause the year to change for any rider. One unexpected factor in 2020 was COVID-19; an unexpected factor in 2022 was the EHV outbreak on the West Coast. Both viruses drastically impacted one’s ability to make certain types of progress with their horses depending on the state’s regulations where they live. Whether unexpected or not, whether it’s a small factor or large, it’s helpful to learn to adapt; it’s a part of the world we live in. If you have not already read my column from September 2022, taking a look may give you additional insight. I hope my words are encouraging and helpful as you prepare to experience your best year yet. Good luck and enjoy the ride.
Photo:
Rob says it’s important to remember that our sport is not only a physical sport but a mental sport as well.
Photo by GrandPix Photography
