Episode 13. Riding From The Inside Out
Have you ever played sports and had a really poor coach? One that wasn’t a good leader, who didn’t build you up, who was insecure and hard to follow? Now imagine that you are your horse’s coach. Do you see how important it is for you to have things figured in order to help your horse? In this episode, we’ll explore riding from the inside out.
What does it mean to transform your riding from the inside out?
Your inner feelings and beliefs affect your riding. How you feel on the inside dictates your reality, even if you aren’t consciously aware of all of your beliefs, judgments and feelings. Your heart, soul and mind create your “outside” reality. Therefore, your inner beliefs and thoughts can affect your riding. By working on your “inner self”, you can improve your riding.
For example, if you don’t feel like you’re enough, that will show up in the arena. If you don’t feel deserving, you will be shown all the ways you are not deserving. Energy flows where attention goes. If you don’t feel worthy of winning, then you are unlikely to win. If you don’t feel capable, then you’ll be shown you are incapable. If your brain is very busy and you are unable to focus, this will affect your performance. If you work on these inner beliefs, your performance will improve. If you feel like a winner, you will show up with a different energy and you’ll be more likely to succeed.
You are your horse’s coach.
Your horse looks to you for leadership, so you have a responsibility to be a good coach. What does it take to be a good leader? A good coach? How can you improve your coaching skills?
Imagine a timid coach giving suggestions, filled with uncertainty. Does that seem like someone you want to play for? Don’t be that coach. Be confident and competent.
Your horse is an energetic being. Your horse can sense what you’ve got going on inside. Have you ever had a professional trainer or more experienced rider hop on your horse and suddenly, your horse is great at all sorts of things you struggled with? It isn’t magic. Some of this is because they have more experience and skills, but they also have greater confidence in their ability to coach your horse. Part of the reason they can do more with your horse is because of their inner beliefs and feelings. That rider is probably confident and believes in his or her own abilities.
In order to be a good coach for your horse, you may need to work on yourself. Practice mindfulness and self-love. Get out of self-judgment. Learn to recognize where you limit yourself and start working on new positive beliefs that will serve you well. Combine that with competence. Get a coach to help you develop your riding skills. Accept where you are now, but continue to grow and improve. Learn more about yourself and learn how to get yourself working at your prime. Your horse will feel the changes you make on the inside.
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Need some help with developing your positive affirmations?
Download my free worksheet Replacing Limiting Beliefs with Positive Affirmations. This worksheet includes a list of over 50 limiting beliefs and suggested positive affirmations you can replace them with. Read the list and see what resonates with you, then try replacing your limiting belief with a positive affirmation.
