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Re: Re: skeered to ride



I have been reading this thread with much interest.  I have been very lucky
during the last 30 years of riding that I have never hurt myself seriously,
even though I seem able to get adequate air time.

In the 60's (yes I am a child of the 60's) I got interested in Zen.  Last
year one of the things I learned then was reinforced by a talk by a sports
psychologist, at the UMECRA convention.  This truth is the power of positive
visualization.

It is a human tendency, reinforced by the way we are taught things, to
visualize bad outcomes, often without knowing we are doing it.  For example
a riding instructor says: Don't lean so far forward!! so far the rest of the
lesson we concentrate on (and visualize) being to far forward.  The better
instructor encourages you to sit properly and then says when he/she sees you
doing it right (if even for an instant) Great!!  Remember how that feels!!!.

We do the same thing to ourselves.  Suppose we have fallen on a road.  The
next time we ride we say to ourselves:  "I'm not going to be scared, I'm not
going to tense up.  My horse is not going to rear throwing me in the path of
a semi, who will roll over my legs and leave me a paraplegic in extreme pain
for the rest of my life".   Part of our mind does not hear the negative, so
we get more scared, tense, etc.

 Instead of this we should visualize, deliberately as many times a day as
required, a time when we rode and had a good ride.  The mental conversation
is something like:  "Ranger and I are trotting down Green Mill Road, the sun
is shining and it is a beautiful spring day.  His head is up and his ears
are straight as we go past the junked car and stop at the main road.  A
shiny new F350 extended cab pulling a 4 horse slant load trailer just like
I've always wanted goes by.  The driver smiles and waves.  When it is past,
Ranger trots confidently across the road and into the field..."

Both Wendy and I use this type of visualization and can report that it does
work, and can be adapted to any sport or activity

Ed and Wendy Hauser
1140 37th St.
Hudson, WI 54016
sisufarm@mmmpcc.org



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