Chevy's Coaching Blog - Get Gritty With Chevy

I Confess...I'm a Recovering Equine Micro-Manager

6/12/2019

Hi, I’m Chevy, and I’m a Recovering Equine Micro-Manager.

I know I am not alone in micro-managing my horses. I think it is a common thing for riders to do-and I also think there are different reasons why riders micro-manage. And most of them have fear as a root cause.

Now, by micro-managing, I mean that the rider is constantly giving aids to the horse, and never letting the horse think for themselves. Mostly, by micro-managing, the rider is preventing the horse from making a mistake.

Back in the Saddle After Baby

5/26/2018

If you have ever struggled with fear in the saddle after having children, then my newest article that has just been published in the Performance Horse Journal is for you!

Read it online at: http://horsedigests.com/1HD/5-18/html5.html#page/39

To the Mom Facing Fear in the Saddle After Having Kids: It Is All Going to Be O.K.

5/11/2018

Hi there Mom. I see you. I see you struggling to juggle all of the demands in your life. From taking care of your kids, to the demands of your job, trying to keep up on the endless pile of laundry and dishes, making time to ride can see impossible. So when you finally do get the time to ride, feeling afraid in the saddle can quickly take all of the fun out of an activity that you used to enjoy-spending time with your horse! I understand your struggle. Riding after having kids is not the same. Because YOU are not the same. The physical changes are obvious. Our bodies are not the same after having kids! It takes time (and work!) to regain our core strength, to adjust to changes in balance and strength.

Chevy's Musings on Horsemanship Theory: The Concept of Mañana

1/13/2018

"'Mañana' means tomorrow...and that word should be part of the anthem for every training program. Good training takes patience-there is always tomorrow."

-The Art of Hackamore Training by Al Dunning and Benny Guitron

Get What You Want: Program Your Mind For Success

1/2/2018

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.”
-Henry Ford

We often have a gap between what we want, and what we expect.

We also tend to act and behave based on what we expect, not what we want.

For example, if we are expecting our horse to spook in the corner of the arena, we tend to ride defensively. Our thoughts drift to what our horse might do, how we expect him to react. Will he spook? Shy? Bolt? So we act accordingly. We might shorten our reins, tense our muscles, hold our breath, etc.

So how does our horse respond? He senses our fear, and most likely will spook!

When we have this gap between what we expect to happen, and what we want to happen, we often feel nervous, fearful, disappointed, depressed, etc.

So how do we break this cycle?

Do You Have a Post Mistake Ritual?

10/8/2017

We all make mistakes. It is an inevitable part of competing, riding horses, and even just part of life in general.

When we make mistakes in competition, it can cause a domino effect, resulting in a loss of concentration, negative self-talk, and more mistakes. Most riders blame themselves, their horse, or other factors. This causes a negative spiral,

Gritty competitors have a plan for when they make mistakes, to prevent the mistake from affecting the rest of their performance.

You can have the same advantage as these gritty competitors by creating your own post mistake ritual.

The 5 Stages of Team Building in Horse-Rider Relationships (and how to get to the performing stage smoothly!)

10/1/2017

In 1965, psychologist Bruce Tuckman published his Developmental Sequence in Small Groups to describe the path that successful teams take on their path to success. You might be familiar with these stages if you have ever participated in company team building events, in fact, that is where I first heard of these stages. As I learned more about the stages, I noticed a lot of parallels between them and building a relationship with a new horse. Since Horse and Rider are supposed to be a team, it makes sense that these stages apply to horsemanship too! By identifying ad understanding the different stages of team building you will be able to recognize common hurdles that most teams experience. I'll also share strategies to overcome them, so that you and your horse can move smoothly through the stages to perform at your best.

Mindfulness and Your Horsemanship Journey

5/27/2017

I talk a lot about your "horsemanship journey" around here, because I truly believe that horsemanship is a life-long learning process and that we are never truly finished.

I also talk a lot about shifting your focus from your outcome goals to focusing on your action goals, and the things that you do every day with your horse.

Now, don't get me wrong, having big outcome goals (things like winning in the show pen) is important, as these big goals are inspiring and motivational.

However, to be truly happy and successful along our horsemanship journey, we need to be mindful and aware of our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Horses live in the moment. They are not thinking ahead of their performance next month in the show pen. They do not sit in their pasture and replay last weekends horse show events and regret all of the mistakes they made.

Sure, they have memories, and when triggered by a situation or stimuli that reminds they of a previous experience (whether negative or positive) they will respond. For example, a horse that had a bad experience in a trailer may become reluctant to trailer load. But does that horse repay the negative trailer experience while grazing in their pasture? No!

So why do we let all of this negative baggage follow us around?

Let's learn from our horses, and live in the moment. And that is where mindfulness comes in.

Mindfulness, as defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, means "maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment." (Learn more about his mindfulness work at http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition)

Can you see how this awareness, this mindfulness, can be helpful to performance horse riders? How good are you at being mindful when you ride your horse?

It is simpler (although not always easy!) to be aware of the surrounding environment and bodily sensations when we ride. And indeed, starting at this point is a great first step to being mindful when we ride.

I want you to think back to your last ride. We you aware of your thoughts and feelings? I mean, really aware? Did you notice when you felt frustrated with your horse? Did you notice when your thoughts maybe led to labeling your horse as uncooperative or resistant?

By being mindful, and aware, of your thoughts and feelings, you are much more likely to be able to do something about them. By being aware you can remove judgment from them, accept what is, and plan for what you can do to make your riding better. By being mindful and aware of when our thoughts and feelings are leaning more towards the negative, we can pause. We can take a deep breath, step back for a minute and analyze the situation. By focusing on what is happening in the moment with our horse and being aware of our response to it, instead of letting our emotions get away from us and focusing on the outcome, we can be a better horseman.

So how can you start to bring mindfulness to your horsemanship journey?

First, assume best intentions on the part of your horse. They don't spend the night in their stall how they will tick every pole in a trail class, or ignore your leg cues and refuse to lope on the right lead. Remember that they are living in the moment!

Second, practice being aware of the environment and bodily sensations when you ride. Use your senses-what sounds do you hear? What do you see? What do you feel? Smell? Taste? Record this in your journal!

Third, practice being aware of your thoughts and feelings. Pay attention to your inner dialogue, your self-talk. Is it helpful to your riding and being able to communicate more clearly with your horse? What are you feelings? Record this in your journal too!

Next week I'll share some more mindfulness tips and techniques. Until then, I'd love to hear
from you-what are you mindful of when you ride? Leave a comment, or share your thoughts in my free Get Gritty facebook group!

~Chevy

How Becoming a Horseman Makes You A Better Person

4/7/2017

To become a Horseman you have to understand more than just horses.

You have to understand yourself.

What is a Horseman? Why would someone strive to be called a horseman? Why do some consider it a title that is earned, not a label that you can give yourself? What makes it truly a lifestyle? And what character traits and life lessons do horses teach us?

In this post I share my thoughts about what makes a "Horseman" and how we can embrace this journey to not only become better riders for our horses, but better people.

do you have a supportive social network?

1/20/2017

Do your dreams and goals include western performance horse competitions?

Do you have a supportive social network?

Having the right people around you to support and encourage you is one factor that determines whether you are successful or not.

Successful performance horse competitors have strong and supportive social networks. Their family, close friends, trainers, assistants, and horse friends are all essential parts to their success.

Having a supportive social network helps to buffer the stress of competition, and makes it more likely that you will achieve your goals.

Who are the key players on your social support team? This exercise can help you identify who some of these necessary, and valuable, people are that can help you on your journey.