The Power of Positive Thinking

The power of positive thinking.......it's something we've all heard before but it's so hard to actually apply it.

Let's catch up.  I left you last after my competition in Glenamaddy where I withdrew from the 1.10, feeling a serious lack of confidence and negativity.  The following day I did my first Riding Club competition in years.  To say I enjoyed it would be an understatement.  We had soooo much fun.   I jumped two 90cm classes and we were in the jump offs in both.  I enjoyed every minute of it and so did he! He flew around.  We were double clear in the first class and placed 3rd and then I think we had 1 down in the second class and placed third too.  Luckily I got one photo of them because Rufus took a disliking to them and they were left in ribbons, literally!

May was a quiet month, competitively but I put a lot of time into lessons and upping my confidence.  It still wasn't quite there.  I did an amateur class in Glenamaddy in one of their league dates which was good, I practiced some lines and a few doubles, which have historically been my achilles heel, very much a hope and pray situation!

The June bank holiday I ventured down to Clare Equestrian Centre which has always been a good venue for us.  I had entered a Riding Club show and entered at my new upgraded level (because I ride at SJI amateur).  I hadn't jumped a 1.10 since last year's flying fall at Glenamaddy so I knew I needed to before I went to the riding club festival.  I had put a lot of work in with my lessons but I was still lacking that confidence I really needed.  I contacted a friend who is studying Sports Psychology and asked them what resources they use (he's a golfer).  He put me on to Dan Abrahms and I watched some YouTube videos.  It was like a light switch moment (well not quite a moment).  Over the next week I really focused on what I do well, all the positive aspects of my riding.  Height is a big issue for me.  Looking at the height of the jumps and the sudden dip in your tummy and the nerves taking over.  It's so easy to think negatively, to always go to the negative aspects of something.  What you could have/should have done.  You're not able for those jumps, etc.  A spiral and a catch 22.  You need the confidence to be able to do it, your horse 100% feels what you're feeling.  If half your team thinks you can't do it, it's very hard to go clear.  

With my new positive thinking we hit the road.  I was doing a 1m class and a 1.10.  The 1m was pretty meaty, they always are in Clare eq.  I didn't focus on the height though, just on what I needed to do, keep the pace, the power, support at the fences, look ahead, nice smooth turns.  We were clear in the first round and through to the jump off.  Clear and 2nd place!! Whoop Whoop!  I decided to stay in the arena for the next class and just go first.  Tried not to look at the now higher jumps.  Just focus on everything we did right earlier.  He was class, but we had 4 faults because I turned for the jump off fence, which was the wrong fence! Everyone had faults though so we went ahead with the jump off.  I went for a steady clear because I wanted the practice jumping at the heights instead of going for turns.  Clear and steady won the race!  We were the winners!  I drove home on cloud 9 absolutely delighted with life.

A quick lesson during the week before we headed for Mullingar for the festival.  Lesson went brilliant.  Fresh off our win on Monday, I was beaming with confidence.  I rode totally different, really positively.  Seamus had no criticisms for me.  Just to keep the positivity. 

I had entered Fred in 2 classes in the festival but he was lame so stayed at home - on reflection who did I think I was attempting 5 classes in a day?!  I barely managed all Cu Chulainns!  My first class was normal SJ,  2 rounds.  The warm up felt different.  I wasn't feeling nervous.  I didn't get to walk the course, no biggie.  I had seen the class before and it wasn't changing.  He warmed up lovely.  I love to start with a spread to get me riding more forward.  I jump it once ( as long as we jumped it ok) and then wait for it to go up.  He doesn't need to jump lots, he knows what he's at, the warm up is for me.  To get my head in the game.  He jumped really well, I think I lost my focus towards the end and we had the second last fence down.  He was fast too.  We placed 4th.  Absolutely thrilled to get a rosette at our first festival since Stradbally!  The next class was a tricky one.  It was an Accumulator class where each jump is worth points, but you have to make up your own course.  There was a joker fence which was worth 200 points, but it was worth that for a reason, not many people left it up.  If you hit it you were minus 200 points so quite the gamble!!  I had a course in my head and I went back and forth on it as I saw others do different things, but I thought to myself just stick to your course and don't complicate things.  So I stuck to my course and then said feck it I'll do the joker.  Of course he left it up, rockstar that he is!  I didn't get a chance to jump it again (you could jump everything twice) because my time was up.  But we won the class!! Whoop whoop!!

Our last class that day was performance hunter.  It was a bit messy, there was no specific times, you just went in as you were ready and unfortunately it was a large class so we ended up being near the end.  The weather that day had been everything, absolutely lashing to warm and sunshine.  The jumping was on the grass and with him not having shoes, I wanted to really take care.  Even at that we slipped on one corner, but we were far enough away from the next jump to give us time to regroup.  He left everything up but no rosette for us in that.  I left Mullingar around 7.30 that evening absolutely shattered but delighted with Cu Chulainn and how far I've come in my jumping and confidence.

The following weekend we were back in Glenamaddy for the summer series show.  I didn't enter the 1.10 because it was the very first class and I like to have a little warm up before going into that, also I wanted to do the amateur class which was the last class of the day.  So I entered the 90, 1m and the amateur.  It was a long ould day for us.  Double clear in the 90. One down in the 1m, I was a little too forward after a corner, too focused on not killing the power!  The amateur class was a tough one.  The course was the same as the grand prix course.  I was feeling the heat of the day but that stage.  It was nearly 6pm and had been a long day.  I was questioning if we should do it, not out of negative thinking, but more is it too much for him now?  Anyway he proved me wrong.  We had one down and then he jumped funny over another one and luckily pulled up for me as I was hanging off him!  Off we went again and cleared everything else including the triple.  Again delighted with him.  He always gives it his all for me, I can't ask for more. 

He had a nice two weeks holiday after this on new grass, so thoroughly enjoyed himself.  I went to see Marty in the Evening, Iron Maiden and Van Morrison & Neil Young, then had a 2 day hen.  After that it was back to work to get ready for the Munster Amateur show which I love and we've gotten a few rosettes at before.  Fred is also in action, getting fit again for a possible dressage return. 

So today being Sunday, was show day and what a day it was!  Only 3 weekends off and I was rusty in my preparation.  I threw everything together this morning rather than yesterday.  We got going in good time though and had plenty of time to relax and walk the first course when we got there.  I had Paw Patrol with me, including Rusty who was at the last show too.  Three dogs at a show is no small feat!  I actually went a bit early in my first class because we were ready to go and it's good to get them over with before the head starts overthinking!  He felt pretty awesome in the warm up and carried it through to the arena.  I really felt like I rode him really well for the first time in a long time.  We were completely together and he powered on when I asked.  I committed to jumps that I'd normally start steadying him up for and he'd have to chip in.  Clear in the first round and through to the jump off.  Whoop whoop.  It was going to be a good while before the jump off so I put him back in the box and took off his saddle.  Paw Patrol came out and I heard the jump off course and decided my lines.  No nerves.  What is this new feeling??! This positive, knowing we could do it, just deciding on strategy? Not on whether you might faint or if he stops here you could fall off and it's a long way home.......... There were loads ahead of us as they went by drawn order for it, which was great for me.  A lot of people had the double down, which I knew in advance I was not ready to take a turn to and would be giving it the respect it deserved.  He jumped UNREAL.  As I made the turn for the double, I thought to myself yes, we have this, we'll clear this (again, what the hell is this train of thought?!! It feels soo foreign!).  And clear we were!  As we were near the end, I said I'd wait around for the AAs to finish and we might be in the ribbons.  I had no phone and hadn't heard anything.  I thought someone said we were in second- yessssss.  But then they called out the results.  We weren't second.  We'd only gone and won our section!!  YEssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss  honestly.  I have been working towards this for so long and he deserves it so much, and feck it, we both do.  We were presented, which was put on him immediately, did he move an inch?  Nope.  The boy knows when it's prize giving and he quite enjoys it!  I couldn't actually get my feet back in the stirrups for the lap of honour but that wasn't stopping us! A nice little canter around with a smile from ear to ear!!

A little rest then because we weren't in the next class.  Paw Patrol were out again.  My hay-fever was WILD today.  I'm on medication for it that I take morning and evening but I had to take an antihistamine too.  My eyes were stinging and I was tired.  

Before I knew it, it was time to tack up again.  I yawned my way around the course walk.  He saved my butt in the first round but we were clear!  There weren't too many clear in it.  In the jump off a few were taking turns and having a fence so I decided to go for clear.  Which I was till the last fence.  It was a funny line and I didn't help myself.  But we still placed 6th.  

What a day.

Lads, I'm on cloud 9 and celebrating with wine and dessert.  

Days like this shine brighter because of hardships overcome.