Stuck in a Slump? Take Your Riding to the Next Level

Have you been riding for years?  Do you school the same horse daily?  We all know what a gift it is to do work we are passionate about.  Whether it’s training a horse or simply working on your own equitation, some days are tough.

Part of being an equestrian is learning to navigate the highs and lows of life with horses. The daily grind starts to feel redundant. What can you do when you eventually fall into that riding slump when you feel like you’ve hit a wall?

When progress is slow or your horse is just not getting it, how do you make progress and keep things fresh?  Remember when you experience challenges and slumps in riding, that you are not alone. This is a common thing for riders and trainers that ride day in and day out for years or are working hard toward competitive goals.  

Constantly striving to perform better as an athlete is a worthy challenge. Sometimes working hard on form, executing, and performing can be a tiring process.  You can realize your riding goals and take your riding to the next level with some adjustments to allow you to have balance in your riding career. 

Let’s dig into some tips to makes sense of these feelings, making a plan, and moving forward to a slump free zone.

Name The Problem

Name it. You’re discouraged, frustrated, or even bored. Perhaps you were on a winning streak at the horse show, but for some reason, you have been stuck at the bottom for months. Maybe your horse is feeling barn sour without an obvious cause.  Or your form is off when you ride no matter how hard you strive for perfection. Performance progress is a long game. Measurement comes in centimeters at times, not miles.

This is about you. Not your horse, not your trainer, not your friends. Look for causes of setbacks.  At the same time don’t get in your head and psych yourself out. Take responsibility and don’t place blame outside of yourself. It’s time to put your sports psychologist cap on for this one. Look at the past, look at the present. All of this will guide you to break through this barrier and move forward with great success in your riding career. 

What’s The Root of The Problem?

Most of the time falling into a slump is not caused by something physical.  This is a mental challenge.  If you believe your slump was caused by a physical injury, talk to your doctor. If you feel like your diet is off consider adding fresh fruits, veggies, and whole-food items to your diet. Even consider talking to a nutritionist. 

Ask yourself if you had a bad experience that threw your mojo off? Did you take a fall, or have an off day? Are you overtrained and burnt out? Is your horse overtrained and burnt out? 

If you are an experienced rider, what caused these feelings to start?  Are you feeling insecure in a new class at the show or in a new skill you’re trying to learn?  Are you fed up with a progress stalemate? Dig in and analyze.

Common Causes of a Slump:

• Mental game issues – lack of self-confidence
• Impatience with progress
• Mental barriers with fear
• Lack of discipline to do the work required to progress
• Burn out or overtraining
• Boredom
• Outside stressors affecting your game
• Trying to hard

Fun Ways to Beat a Slump: 

• Read a training book outside of your discipline.
• Take a riding lesson or attend a clinic with a notable expert.
• Check out a webinar about your riding discipline.
• Set some new riding goals.
• Enter a local show or event.
• Change disciplines.  Spend a few weeks riding western if you are a dressage rider, or do a few sessions bareback to spice things up and challenge yourself.
• Ditch the training plan temporarily. Have fun with your horse without the usual structure or regiment.
• Plan a trip to an elite riding event that you always wanted to go see as a spectator.
• Go on a trail ride. Grab a friend and just go relax in nature. An adventure is a great way to break up the routine for you and your horse.
• Surround yourself with positive people.

Talk to fellow riders, trainers, or even connect with groups on social media. You can bet there are groups of riders, from every discipline working through similar challenges worldwide. Support goes a long way in any sport.  In your quest for excellence having a sounding board for venting, commiserating, learning, and sharing stories is a great morale booster and mood lifter. 

Change things up when needed.  Do an environment check.  How is your communication with trainers or clients that you work with?  How is the environment at your stable or barn?  Sometimes keeping things the same out of convenience can hamper performance.  Are you in the right place for you and your horse? 

Another option to consider once in a while if you have tried the tips listed above is to simply take a break.  No, don’t sell your horses. Take a short vacation, staycation or just do a different activity or sport for one day per week or a short period of time to refresh your mindset and perspective.  Sometimes taking a break can help you avoid days or weeks of being stuck and frustrated.  Your horse might enjoy the rest as well.

Remember burn out, a slump, or whatever you might call these moments in your riding life are not permanent. Use these periods of time to adjust your perspective, identify your goals, and seek out rich resources to up your game in riding and training.

Focus on your motivations and goals for riding and training horses.  If you compete, what is your ultimate goal in your sport? If you ride for pleasure what goals are part of your training program?  What makes you happy when riding and training your horse.  These are the visions to keep in mind when working through slumps in your riding.