Confidence: Get it - Keep it!
Many riders seem to search in vain for confidence or wish they had more. But confidence is not something you can find or something that will one day be bestowed upon you from above.
These are not the only misconceptions about confidence that riders possess. Some people think they have to wait to win in the show ring before they can have confidence. If that were true no one would ever win a class at their first try and we all know this does happen.
Others believe confidence will guarantee success. Unfortunately this is not true either. Sure if you expect a positive outcome from your ride your chances will be better. But life with all its uncontrollable variables can interfere with the best of intentions. This means that riders all too often give up on their confidence with the first failure. They think Well that didnt work. Thinking positively just doesnt work. Sure it works but its not magic.
Getting It
The business of changing how you feel about yourself as a rider entails action and experience. Think about it if your horse suffered a lack of confidence over a spooky jump you wouldnt pat him on the neck and tell him to feel better and believe in himself. Well maybe you would but it would make you feel better than him! You would need to show him he could feel better by leading him through the experience of handling that spooky jump. How you seek to build your own confidence is ultimately the same.
