British Dressage - Issue 2 2022

BODYZONE.

Fear OF FAILURE THAT SINKING FEELING CAN EASILY AFFECT RIDERS AND CAN SPOIL YOUR ENJOYMENT AS WELL AS LIMITING WHAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE. ANDREA OAKES LOOKS AT HOW TO ENJOY THE ‘JOURNEY’ AS WELL AS THE END GOAL.

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hen Sophie Palmer was producing her young horse, she found herself suffering from an unexpected form of anxiety. “Not only was he the youngest horse I’d ever owned, but I’d never before had a blank canvas,” explains Sophie, who bought Moylaw Alawhatsit, known as Goose, as a four-year-old. “Previous horses had been ‘readymade’ and I just had to learn to ride them. I was so worried about ruining Goose or doing too much, too young, with him. I was afraid of letting him down.” Fear of failure can take many forms, from the sense that you’re squandering a horse’s potential to the feeling of disappointing owners, coaches or parents. You may even be afraid to compete in case you fail to meet 48 // Issue 2 2022 // BRITISH DRESSAGE

your own exacting standards. According to chartered sport psychologist Jo Davies ( jdpsychology.co.uk), this mindset can arise under the pressure of expectations that we consider greater than our capabilities or out of our control. “We often use the word ‘should’: we own a smart young horse that should do well, for example, or we’re riding a schoolmaster that should be winning at a certain level,” she says. “But there’s danger in measuring success through things we can’t control, such as placings or percentage scores. It’s a slippery slope to set these expectations for ourselves, or others.” Signs that indicate a fear of failure include a lack of self confidence, a reluctance to try new things or a tendency to switch to autopilot under pressure and ride ineffectively. ou might procrastinate or start to self-sabotage, where you worry so much about something that you decide not to do it at all. What’s the solution?