Applying corporate tools to my riding - and learning by observing

Long- and short term strategic planning was a huge part during my corporate life, and I still use the tools that I applied then. For example: SWOT Analysis. 

SWOT stands for Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It is a study to identify internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats. It has been VERY helpful to dig in and assess where Remy and I are, what we need to work on, and setting short-term and long-term goals. Being around a barn full of talented performance horses and riders sometimes makes me feel like the underdog, especially as Remy and I are not part of the full training/boarding package. I basically pull Remy out of the pasture, clean him up, saddle him, have him load himself on the trailer, and off we go to our lesson. But actually, that can go on the 'Strength' column, as Remy lives a very healthy and balanced life with his friends, and is less prone to stress and ulcers. 

Food for thought: I attended an excellent webinar with Amanda Burton (tilefieldequestrian.com), where she pointed out that in the wild, horses are living in big groups and are able to chose their friends. In a training setting, most horses are turned out alone, or only with one or very few others. "They are more work colleagues than friends". Imagine having to spend your outside time in a small enclosure with your least favorite colleague --  Luckily, Remy has his BFF at his side, and all four boys have room to roam should the friendship go through a rough phase. 

I am a visual learner, and it helps me a lot to see how things should look like. Vanessa is always happy to get on Remy to show me how it's done. It has multiple benefits: Remy gets expert training, I get to see how it should look like, and when I get on I profit from Vanessa's work as Remy is still very much 'on'. 

 

Watching like a hawk

"Der Apfel faellt nicht weit vom Stamm" (The apple doesn't fall far from the tree).
Emil (my dad), in the uniform of the German forestry service

"Stay in your bubble!" - and lessons from endurance athletes

 We (ok, I!) had a light bulb moment yesterday - and it shouldn't have been a light bulb moment because it was so obvious. The indoor arena has windows all around, and they are just the right height for the rider to look out ... and get distracted. Remy and I were merrily trotting along when my eye caught a horse that was being turned out kicking up his heels and careening around. First thought (and unfortunately audible outburst): "Oh, sh*t!" - as I fully expected Remy to follow suit and and join the action indoors. Vanessa quickly gave me a strong half-halt: "Stay in your bubble!", "Remy didn't even notice what was going on outside, he was focused on his work. Your horse needs YOU to stay in YOUR bubble, otherwise he'll wonder where his person went." Oops, of course,  mea culpa, stimmt genau, Vanessa! 

We (again, I) had some difficulties in our previous lesson. For some strange reason I could not get a decent shoulder in to the right to save my life. The harder I tried the worse it got, and my frustration mounted. It didn't help that we had a rail-bird* chiming in (which made me very cranky). Yesterday, without a rail bird in sight, we (I) were back on track, with flowing and correct shoulder-ins and half-passes.

As luck would have it, the WSJ's Wednesday edition featured an article by Elizabeth Bernstein "Hard-Earned Lessons in Endurance", subtitled "Adversity can make us braver and stronger, in sports and in life. We got advice from endurance athletes". 

I loved "Accept the Rule of Thirds" quoting Alexi Pappas, a professional long-distance runner and Olympian. She explains that when she got frustrated her coach, Ian Dobson, explained ..."when you are chasing a big goal, you are supposed to feel good a third of the time, OK a third of the time, and crummy a third of the time. If you are feeling bad all the time you are fatiguing, he said. If you are feeling good all the time, you are not working hard enough."

The other one that hit home was from Blair Braverman, a dogsledder, who has completed the 1,000 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race (amongst many others). "... After years of trying to anticipate and solve problems before they happened, Ms. Braverman realized her worry was unproductive. She decided to trust herself to successfully deal with a problem when it arose." "If I could come up with a solution while lying awake in bed at three in the morning, I could also come up with a solution on the trail - and it would probably be a better one...".

OK, to sum it up:

1) Stay in your bubble when riding

2) Accept the Rule of Thirds

3) Trust yourself to successfully deal with a problem

4) Relax and SMILE - Says JP 😊

As JP says: SMILE! 
Saumur and his people at Waterloo, quite a few years ago

*Rail bird = Zaungast = Onlooker (often someone that gives unsolicited advice / comments)