The Rider’s Mind Podcast Episode 82: Being Present isn’t Presence

In this episode, I go into detail about the presence pillar of the Mindful Barrel Racer Framework.  It’s all about being present, not only in body, but also in mind and in spirit. Being present can impact your horse and your horsemanship and there are opportunities to practice presence every day.  

I’ve been teaching about presence in my Rise of the Mindful Barrel Racer online training series.  Presence is an important pillar of my framework that forms the foundation for the other two pillars, partnership and performance. 

Presence is your ability to be grounded in your body and present in the moment. It is directly related to your ability to ride the stride and get into the zone in competition.

You need to be able to work on presence away from competition as well.  You’ll be missing out if you’re not present when you practice. You want to be in the moment and find joy in the journey. 

There is a difference between being present and being present in the moment. If you are reading this, but also trying to talk to someone, you are not fully present.  You might have felt a lack of presence when you were talking to someone, but you weren’t sure they really heard you. You’ve probably also had a conversation with someone that made you feel really good. The reason you felt so cared for and “heard” after a conversation like this is because that person was fully present for you.  This concept applies to riding as well.  

If you are fully present with your horse it makes a difference.  You’re not fully grounded in the moment if you’re riding while scrolling your phone or thinking about what’s next.  

I have noticed this when playing with my daughter too. I was feeling like I couldn’t give her enough attention even though we’d done crafts and baking and played together.  I realized that I was present in body, but I was thinking about what I would rather be doing or should be doing. Now that I’ve recognized this, I am practicing being more present with her.  

When you’re not present, you might be:

  • trying to make things happen
  • just going through the motions without intention
  • doing things because you think you “should”
  • making great runs at home, but struggling in competition

When you are fully present, you:  

  • feel connected in mind, body and spirit.
  • can hear and feel your horse
  • are competitive, but present
  • open space for synergy
  • meet the horse where they’re at
  • Ride the Stride

Nervousness, frustration, overwhelm are symptoms of lack of presence.

Work on becoming more present and you’ll deal with your nervousness, frustration and overwhelm too. There are opportunities every day outside of the saddle to practice BEING present. 

Presence is a practice.  I use the Ride the Stride process that is a series of step by step lessons in Stride to practice presence. If you want to learn more about it, I invite you to join Stride.  

[postgopher]

Join the Conversation

Join the discussion in the The Rider’s Mind Community on Facebook. As a member of this community, you’ll also get tips and videos from me. 

Want to connect or ask me a question? Find me on Instagram or Facebook.

Learn with Me

If you’re looking to make changes to your mindset, be sure to sign up for my free Next-Level Mindset Mini Course.

You can also join Stride, my next-level barrel racing group. This group receives video training and coaching from me and Stride members have access to special guests. We work on becoming mindful barrel racers so we can show up, be present and perform with great partnership.

Subscribe:   Apple Podcasts  or  Spotify