Tough thinking is not pie-in-the-sky thinking: “I am the greatest rider ever! I can beat anyone, anytime!” Sometimes toughness is wrongly associated with arrogance or ego. This could not be more wrong.

If you are seeking to pump yourself up and your ego by thinking big, you might be more tender than tough. When you don’t prove to be “the best ever” or win what you told yourself you would, the resulting crash is often a hard fall.

The resilient rider focuses their thoughts on what they can control—their task. They are cued into what needs to be done. This doesn’t mean the tough riders don’t need to give themselves encouragement now and again. But it’s done in a slightly different way. It brings into awareness what is already known.

So instead of “I am the greatest!” it might be a self-assured “you’ve got this, you have done this before,” or “don’t forget how prepared you are, you know what to do.”

Warrior thinking focuses on what you have inside to get the job done well.


About the Author

April Clay is a rider and sports psychologist in Calgary, Alberta. Check out her site www.ridingoutofyourmind.com and selection of online equestrian sport psychology courses, including the Confidence FactorRiding Through Fear, and the Resilient Rider at www.outofyourmindcourses.com.