Every passionate rider can attest to this: if you want to achieve something, it requires dedication, hard work, and planning. Regardless of your goal or your level, whether it's winning competitions or improving your bond with your horse, you can't escape the fact that planning is the key to success. In this blog post, we will guide you step by step on how you and your horse can efficiently work towards what you want to achieve.
1. Setting Goals
Everything begins with setting a realistic goal. Don't expect miracles, but aim for things that are achievable for you, such as improving your performance by a few percentage points in your next dressage competition or completing a show jumping course flawlessly or faster. By consistently aiming for small improvements, you'll have more successful experiences, stay focused, and make progress faster.
2. Building Experience
Though it can be exciting and not always successful, participating in competitions regularly is a must. Each event is a new opportunity to learn, grow, and enhance your skills. Every experience holds valuable lessons, so be sure to pay attention to them, even if a performance didn't go as planned. Every time you go out with your horse, you learn from the situation and location, as well as from the feedback of judges and fellow riders. All these little bits contribute to shaping you as a rider.
3. Boosting Self-Confidence
As mentioned earlier, participating in shows can be stressful. It's important to remember that this is entirely normal, and even the most experienced riders occasionally feel nervous. The more experience you gain, the less anxious you will become. The successful experiences in competitions, even small victories like just trying, will boost your self-confidence. This newfound confidence will only grow as it leads to better performances, which, in turn, lead to even more self-assurance.
4. Creating Discipline
Competing in shows means preparing your horse, training, and keeping them in top condition. This is essential for achieving good results and can only be accomplished through consistency and dedication. It's not always easy to get started, but once you find your rhythm, you'll notice that this discipline positively affects other aspects of your life.
5. Strengthening the Bond with Your Horse
It's sometimes overlooked, but working together with your horse towards a goal and overcoming challenges will lead to a more trusting relationship. This relationship is the foundation of all successes and is undoubtedly the most valuable reward for all your efforts.
It's clear that competition planning is more than just an administrative task. When done well and trained for carefully, it adds immense value to achieving your equestrian goals. However, creating such a good plan is a challenge, especially as you have more horses, which is why we're here to help you! In our app, Equithing, we've created a calendar that provides you with the most comprehensive overview of all your horses, their training, and competitions. Everything can be scheduled for each horse, and the app will notify you in advance of everything that needs to be done so that you don't have to worry about forgetting anything. Achieving your goals has never been easier!
So the only question now is why you're still reading and not already planning your next (or maybe even your first) competition using our app!
Keep us updated on your progress through our social media channels!
Start organising media, health and events. Get on top of your horses today.
