Plan for Your Equestrian Success in 2022

Spring is around the corner and it’s time to prepare for your best equestrian season ever. 

How is that going to happen?

Hopefully over the winter, you’ve assessed what might have been holding you back in 2021 and how you might enjoy your riding a little more in 2022. You’ve done the training over the winter – and likely looked at improving technically, physically, strategically and mentally/emotionally so that where the needle was when you finished your show season in 2021 has moved to a new level so that you are ready to move your riding forward in 2022.

What’s Your Plan?

Now that you’ve had a good winter of training, what would you like to accomplish in 2022 and are you thinking about the steps to achieve these ambitions? Have you ever had a committed plan in place for your riding and put steps and actions in place to ensure you hit the targets you set for yourself? Are you open to committing to a plan and thinking about what steps and actions are needed each day to support you reaching the targets that might be important to you.

The primary benefit of a plan is giving you the confidence that you know where you are going. It helps you accurately assess where you might be in your development and asks you what you want in the sport. 

In 2022…

Would you like to achieve more in the shows? 
Would you like to be more confident in the saddle?
Would you like to gain more enjoyment from the sport?
Would you like to become a better overall rider?
Would you like to spend more time with your horse?
Would you like all of the above? 

If these are some of the things you’d like to have in your experience in equestrian sport, you must consider how you will do them by putting a proactive plan in place to make them happen.

Your First Steps

Your first step is to decide what you’d like to do in 2022. Consider where you are now, your horse’s abilities and your own abilities. Create realistic targets (and clearly write them down). I recommend creating targets that are slightly out of your reach so you can challenge yourself to put your best foot forward to reach them. 

The second step is to accurately assess what steps and actions you’ll need to draw closer to your targets over the show season. What areas might you have to develop and improve upon to bring your targets to life? How might you achieve more in the sport? How will you gain more enjoyment from the sport?

Take Action

So, sit down in the next few weeks and decide what you want to accomplish in 2022. Following that, consider some steps and actions you’ll need to ensure your ambitions happen. This “knowing” where you are going this season will give a boost of confidence to your riding and make 2022 a memorable one.

John Haime is President of John Haime Performance and a renowned Performance Coach who is trusted by some of the world’s leading riders, team athletes and organizations. He is the author of the acclaimed new book Ride Big - The Ultimate Guide to Building Equestrian Confidence published by Trafalgar Square Books (April 2021). See https://johnhaime.com/equestrian-ride-big/ for John’s practice for equestrian athletes.