“Your mind is like a garden: When you plant a conscious thought your subconscious will make it grow,” says TSB author and sport psychologist Daniel Stewart. “When you consciously say, ‘I know my jump course,’ or ‘I know my reining pattern,’ your subconscious mind will work hard to make it happen. It takes what it hears, sets it as a goal, then works to make it come true. It believes everything you say to yourself and directs action toward it.
“You have to be careful, though,” Daniel warns, “because your subconscious is not discriminating. It’ll grow negative seeds just as quickly as positive ones. This means that if you consciously say to yourself, ‘I always forget my course or my pattern,’ your subconscious mind will set that as a goal and work to make that happen, as well.”
Daniel has spent a lifetime training equestrian athletes to “Pressure Proof” their riding, giving them specific tools and tricks that help them plant “positive seeds” and that can be used to manage the stress, nerves, distraction, and panic that so often hinder ability and performance. The November 2013 issue of Practical Horseman Magazine, which goes on sale October 22, features an excerpt from Daniel’s brand new book PRESSURE PROOF YOUR RIDING. The excerpt shares some of the clearly defined, individual steps to mental and physical success in the saddle from the book, complete with the humor and enthusiasm that have become Daniel’s trademark (and that ensure you have FUN doing whatever it is you like to do with your horse!)
Daniel also made a recent appearance on the Horse Radio Network’s Stable Scoop Radio Show, where he talked about his new book with hosts Helena Bee and Glenn the Geek. Click the image below to listen to the show:
PRESSURE PROOF YOUR RIDING is available now from the TSB online bookstore.