Map Your Reining Win
Event appeal: Reining, working cow horse. (Facets of this strategy can also be applied to any patterned event, including horsemanship and hunt seat equitation.) Goal: To mentally "map" arena landmarks, then visualize riding to them, so you'll know exactly where you should be -- and where you should go next -- on a pattern at all times. Benefit: You'll boost your pattern's accuracy, and avoid losing your way as you negotiate it, which can lead to missed markers, sloppy maneuvers (such as poorly shaped circles), going off pattern, and other points-off--or zero-score--errors. Plus, you'll net a strong dose of confidence from being mentally prepared for your run, thereby gaining a competitive edge.
Do you get disoriented when you show your reining horse? If so, you're in good company. Getting lost on pattern is a common rider error that has its roots in anxiety and lack of mental preparation I see it all the time: A youth or non-pro rider walks or gallops into the show pen, head down, eyes glued to his horse's head. He's nervous and not focused on the task at hand -- negotiating an accurate pattern. The result? At some point, he'll lose sight of where he should be in the arena and get rattled. He can kiss accuracy -- and a winning run -- goodbye.
You'll see the same results when a rider enters the arena with her head up, but with a dazed and confused look on her face. It reveals that she's incapable of finding her way around the show pen. Her maneuvers reflect the problem: haphazard circles, lead changes performed in the wrong place, and consistently missed markers.
article continues below|
|
To me, proper mental prep is the most important aspect of a winning ride. It's also a great way to slay those anxiety dragons.
I'll share an easy, five-step visualization strategy you can use to ensure you're mentally ready to ride and win -- and that you never get lost on pattern again. It's a technique I use every time I show. I call it "arena mapping."
Before you show, you'll mentally map the arena using common site markers, such as gates, posts and poles, so you'll always be aware of exactly where you are at any point on pattern. You'll then memorize those markers and visualize yourself riding to them -- over and over again. That mental imagery will enable you to ride accurate maneuvers that can earn you plus points -- rather than minus ones.
Art of Mental Mapping
Step 1: Be an early bird. Get to the show grounds a day before your class. The more time you have to familiarize yourself with the arena, the better off you'll be at show time. As you school in the show pen, look around, taking a mental picture of the arena. (Mapping tip: Do this even if you've shown there a dozen times, as things will change.) Memorize where everything is and will be, including gates, judges, markers (re-check on show day, as these may move), announcer's stand, and flagpoles. With that landscape in mind, begin drawing your mental map.
Step 2: Map the arena's center. Your ability to nail the center is necessary for accuracy. You'll not only change leads there, but you'll also start your circles from that point. If you have a pattern that calls for you to walk to the center and start from there, you have to know exactly where that spot is in order for the rest of your pattern to be on target. (Most competitors assume the center is anywhere in front of the judges. It's not.)
To map the arena's center, visualize two lines across the pen, one dividing it in half lengthwise, the other dividing it in half widthwise. The point at which these lines intersect is the arena's center. That's your pattern's "sweet spot" -- memorize the location of this important piece of real estate by using Step 3, below.
Step 3: Landmark the center. Look for a landmark on each of the arena's short sides that you can use to identify the lengthwise line you visualized in Step 2. Then do the same on the long sides to landmark the widthwise line. That way, you'll be able to find the center from any point on your pattern. Choose objects that are easy to spot, so that as you're galloping toward or past them, you can see them without straining. I've used light poles, gates, cones, chutes and other such landmarks. (Mapping tip: Avoid using banners as site markers. I've learned from experience that identical banners can occupy different spots in an arena, which can be confusing.)
Step 4: Play a mental tape of your (perfect) run. Once you've drawn your mental map, run the pattern in your head about 100 times. And I do mean 100. Imagine it's the greatest run in the world. Doing so enables you to visualize that perfection such that it becomes second nature, which will subconsciously boost your performance. If any negative thoughts creep in, shut them out immediately, and focus on the ideal.
Avoid just picturing the maneuvers. Instead, visualize yourself riding each one, from dynamic sliding stops to turbo-powered turnarounds. Focus on what you'll be feeling and the landmark you'll be looking for and riding toward next, based on your mental map. For instance, if a flagpole marks the top of your first circle on the arena's short side, visualize yourself riding to the pole. As you pass it and come around the circle, picture yourself watching for and riding to the gash in the wall that marks the long side's center. That means you'll cross the arena exactly at its midpoint.
After changing leads in your head, visualize your site markers at the arena's opposite end. That will help keep your second set of mental circles round and even. (Mapping tip: When you ride for real, avoid looking down to see if your horse got the lead. By the time you look up again, you could miss your landmark.)
Step 5: Visually reinforce your map. To help engrain your mental map in your brain, make frequent trips back to the arena to survey your landmarks. You don't need your horse. You can simply stand by the rail, and continue to familiarize yourself with the environment.
Show-Time Tips Now put those five steps to work using these show-time tips:
- Keep those eyes up! Avoid the temptation to star at your horse's head as you ride. You can't site and ride to your landmarks if your eyes are locked downward. Instead, look up and ride ahead to each marker, just as you did when you "rode" the pattern in your head. And enjoy a bonus of my strategy: When you look up and ride to an object, you'll subliminally guide your horse in that direction, making your cues look invisible and your maneuvers appear nearly effortless.
- Ride through any problems. If, despite your mental prep, you or your horse makes a mistake, ride through it. This is where your visualization will kick in. Because you've already "ridden" the pattern a hundred times or so and know the arena like the back of your hand, you'll go on autopilot, drawn to your next landmark like a moth to light. You'll never have to suffer that momentary -- and focus-rattling -- "where am I?" panic that can torch your performance. And you'll have a shot at earning some points to offset those lost on the error.
- Keep it up. Like anything else, the more you practice arena mapping, the better you'll be at it. Before your next show, practice at home. Mentally map your work area, then ride a pattern in your head. (Mapping tip: To keep your horse from anticipating on National Reining Horse Association patterns, make up some simple ones on which to practice.) Once you've done so repeatedly, mount up and execute the practice pattern. With practice and repetition, this technique will become second nature to you. And you can watch your scores improve.
Mental prep is a Dell Hendricks' specialty--and he's put that skill to good use. The Idaho native rode to the 1999 NRHA Futurity open championship aboard Hollywood Vintage, owned by Alan and Kay Needle of Orange, California. In 1998, he earned the NRHA Futurity open reserve championship on BH Hollywood Lady, owned by Bob and Linda Hamilton of Scottsdale, Ariz. In late 2001, Dell and his wife, Terri, relocated to Tioga, Texas, from Scottsdale. There, they operate Hendricks Reining Horses. When not in the saddle, Dell is an in-demand clinician, both nationally and abroad.
This article originally appeared in the September 2002 issue of Horse & Rider magazine.
  |
