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Mini Mag

Control your nerves

Plan your success

Take your riding further

Riding astrology profi les!

Discover yourrider personality!

Chart yourgoals!

Celeb ridertop tips!

Onwards

Upwards!The secrets toriding success!

Discover yourDiscover yourrider Discover yourrider Discover yourrider personality!personality!

Chart yourChart yourgoals!Chart yourgoals!Chart yourgoals!

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Mini MagMini Mag

Control Control your your nervesnerves

Plan Plan your your successsuccess

Take your Take your riding furtherTake your riding furtherTake your riding further

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top tips!top tips!

&&OnwardsOnwardsOnwards

Upwards!Upwards!&Upwards!&&Upwards!&The secrets toThe secrets toriding success!

Mini MagMini Mag

Control Control

nervesnerves

successsuccess

Take your Take your riding furtherriding furtherTake your riding furtherTake your Take your riding furtherTake your riding further

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Discover yourDiscover your

personality!personality!

Chart yourChart yourgoals!goals!

Celeb riderCeleb ridertop tips!top tips!

&&OnwardsOnwardsOnwardsOnwards

Upwards!Upwards!&Upwards!&&Upwards!&The secrets toThe secrets toriding success!riding success!

Riding astrology Riding astrology

Control thosenerves! Everyone gets nervous.

Honest! So if you get the jitters, don’t think you’re the only one. Even top riders get butterfl ies. So here are some coping strategies to help you tackle your nerves!

Give yourself a break!

Banish the words Must, Should, Ought and Have to from your

vocabulary. You know the ones:● I must ride better. ● I should win a rosette. ● I ought to know how to do that by now. ● I have to jump the big jump.

Who says so? Only you! Take the pressure off yourself.

Let go!

Remember!

If you often feel nervous in the saddle then don’t beat yourself up. It’s natural to feel like that – riding can be a bit of a scary

sport! The way to tackle fear is to break it down into parts. Like we

have on the next page:

ShouldMust

Must Ough

tSh

ouldOught

Let’s try that again

● You are improving your riding every day. ● You could win a rosette. ● You will know how to do that one day.● There is plenty of time to jump the bigger jump. Change the wording on all those negative thoughts to turn them around to be positive affi rmations, instead. Take a chill pill!

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Control thosenerves!

1. Examine your fear

Is it a new fear (entering a competition) or is it something you do a lot (jumping, cross country, picking up hooves) and being fearful of it is just a habit? Have you been nervous of doing these things for so long, you haven’t realised that actually, you can do them quite well?

2. The What if? syndrome

If you constantly fi nd yourself saying, What if? then stop right now – and here’s how. Put the word So, in front of what if! (So) what if your pony runs out at the fence? (So) what if he shies? (So) what if your friends are braver than you? Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to end if all those things happen! In fact, whatever happens, tell yourself you can cope. And you will!

Is it a new fear (entering a competition) or is it something you do a lot (jumping, cross country, picking up hooves) and being fearful of it is just a habit? Have you been nervous of doing these things for so long, you haven’t realised that

then stop then stop then stop then stop then stop then stop then stop then stop then stop then stop then stop then stop then stop then stop then stop then stop , in front of , in front of , in front of , in front of , in front of

Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to Oh, suddenly it’s not so scary, and the world isn’t going to end if all those things happen! In fact, whatever happens, end if all those things happen! In fact, whatever happens, end if all those things happen! In fact, whatever happens, end if all those things happen! In fact, whatever happens, end if all those things happen! In fact, whatever happens, end if all those things happen! In fact, whatever happens, end if all those things happen! In fact, whatever happens, end if all those things happen! In fact, whatever happens, end if all those things happen! In fact, whatever happens, end if all those things happen! In fact, whatever happens, end if all those things happen! In fact, whatever happens,

Try these coping strategies and over time your worries will get smaller and smaller, until they disappear. You will get other worries – but by this time you’ll know how to cope with them!

3. Re-programme yourself!

If you’re a bit of a worrier then re-write your thought process. Every time you fi nd yourself worrying or imagining things going wrong, STOP. Rewind. Tell yourself that whatever you are facing, you will cope with it. You may not cope perfectly, but who cares? You’ll get better. You’ll learn from the experience. Train yourself to stop worrying!

✘✘✔✔

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