And when I agonized over the dreaded barrels walking the stadium course, my trainer turned to me and whipped me verbally, "I don't want to hear one more word about those barrels. JUST JUMP THEM!" I sighed, kept my mouth shut and confirmed, I am a Weenie Rider!
It hit me one day, if I defined myself as a Weenie Rider, then in fact, I would always be a Weenie... So, I worked hard on the head and with my trainer on my horse/rider connection. I dropped Weenie and any of the other words that held me back (wimp, scared, worried, etc).
It took a long distance eventing buddy to point out that, I used similar terms when describing my Princess/Diva. She's hard to ride, difficult, spooky... blah, blah, blah. I changed the way I spoke about her... Sugar became exhilarating, exuberant, exciting!
Self-Talk is self-fulfilling. Changing the way I thought about myself put me on the direct path to getting to my Inner Cowgirl! Not being a cowgirl but becoming a living fire breathing, gun totin' cowgirl on a pinto pony!
Foxhunting sealed the deal (more on that some other time)! My inner cowgirl rules!
2 comments:
Absolutely, positive thinking and changing the way you describe yourself and your actions makes a huge difference. That, and confidence in your horse. I'm much more cautious a rider now (at 50) than I was in my teens and 20s. So for me, I remind myself to find my inner teen!
I love my inner cowgirl now that I found her, but at times needs reenforcement.
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