{"id":7809,"date":"2019-06-11T09:31:04","date_gmt":"2019-06-11T08:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/?p=7809"},"modified":"2022-03-24T16:02:16","modified_gmt":"2022-03-24T15:02:16","slug":"handle-stress-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/handle-stress-shows\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Techniques for Show Riders to Handle Stress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019re always under a lot of stress when you ride, especially during a show? Let me give you 4 solutions to solve thi<\/span><\/i><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#x23e9;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few weeks ago, I was lucky to be able to see a presentation from Jonathan Rougier, a sports psychologist, trainer and Hunter rider, about the rider\u2019s mental preparation, and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the benefits Hunter brings in this context. I thought it\u2019d be interesting to share this with you all.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Huge thanks to Jonathan for the help he gave me while writing this article<\/span><\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Table des mati&egrave;res<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#How-to-handle-stress-1-8211-Set-a-technical-AND-a-show-goal\">How to handle stress #1 &#8211; Set a technical AND a show goal<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How-to-handle-stressnbsp2-8211-Self-assess-to-reduce-psychological-stress\">How to handle stress&nbsp;#2 &#8211; Self-assess to reduce psychological stress<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How-to-handle-stress-3-8211-Use-mental-visualisation-x1f4ad\">How to handle stress #3 &#8211; Use mental visualisation &#x1f4ad;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How-to-handle-stress-4-8211-Do-some-cardiac-coherence-exercises\">How to handle stress #4 &#8211; Do some cardiac coherence exercises<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Hunter-probably-the-best-discipline-to-learn-how-to-handle-your-stress\">Hunter, probably the best discipline to learn how to handle your stress <\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h2><span id=\"How-to-handle-stress-1-8211-Set-a-technical-AND-a-show-goal\"><b>How to handle stress #1 &#8211; Set a technical AND a show goal<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Setting goals is really important to <strong>channel motivation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are&nbsp;<\/span><b>2 different types of possible goals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>show goals<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comparing myself to someone else<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>technical\/progression goals<\/strong>&nbsp;(<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comparing myself to myself as days go<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can reach a goal in 6 months, or you might reach it in a week. What\u2019s important is to have one.<br><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And when you register\/participate\/compete in shows, <strong>it\u2019s important to have both technical and show goals<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed, only having a show goal isn\u2019t enough to win, and only having a technical goal kind of makes you lose that competitive spirit you need to perform.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s rather well known for other sports: when you only focus on winning and not technique, you can get too \u201caggressive\u201d, at the expense of technique. For horse riding, that\u2019s often why you can see riders speeding up to beat the time and forget the quality of their riding so they can win the finals\u2026 and end up knocking over a pole. Too bad!!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, setting a technical goal forces you to have <strong>a more rigorous training<\/strong>, led with more care, and <strong>this helps you mentally prepare<\/strong>! Indeed, if you train more, you\u2019ll be more relaxed for\/during the show and you\u2019ll have less stress!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_technique-4-1024x391.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-32042\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_technique-4-1024x391.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_technique-4-300x115.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_technique-4-768x293.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_technique-4-604x231.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_technique-4-850x325.png 850w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_technique-4.png 1037w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is a good goal? <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We say of a good goal that it is SMART. It\u2019s an acronym which means:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><b>Simple<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (or Specific) \u2013\u00a0this means your goal is easy to understand but specific enough to be precise<\/span><\/li><li><b>Measurable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013\u00a0this means you have to be able to measure whether or not the goal was met. This allows you to figure out if you\u2019re on the right track or not.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Ambitious<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 this means there need to at least be a little bit of challenge, if not there\u2019s no fun\u2026 &#x26a0;&#xfe0f; BUT \u2026<\/span><\/li><li><b>Realistic\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013\u00a0because if you can\u2019t do it, there\u2019s no point other than demeaning yourself<\/span><\/li><li><b>Temporally defined\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 you should have a defined schedule, a date or at least a period in which the goal has to be met. <\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"323\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_smart-4-1024x323.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-32045\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_smart-4-1024x323.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_smart-4-300x95.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_smart-4-768x242.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_smart-4-604x190.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_smart-4-850x268.png 850w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/obj_smart-4.png 1037w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few examples of good goals<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This way, a Smart <strong>show goal<\/strong> could be: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI want to win the 1m15 class at Randomcity Horse Show the 2nd weekend of April\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It\u2019s easy to understand, easily measured, ambitious but realistic and it has a date.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a <strong>technical goal<\/strong>, it could be: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI want to keep the right canter for the whole course, and have good approaches.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. What\u2019s good about this goal is that, thanks to Equisense Motion, measuring your goal is easy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, what&#8217;s your goal?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cStarting off a show season with no set goal is a random approach and therefore risky.\u201d <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patrick Galloux<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#x1f4a1;My little advice&nbsp;<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If I can give you a little tip: <strong>write down your goals somewhere, in a strategic place so you always see them before you ride<\/strong>. The idea is to keep them in mind to avoid doing the same thing we all do with New Year\u2019s resolutions. You sincerely think you\u2019re going to do it and a few months later&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While you wait for us to develop the goal-setting feature in the mobile App Equisense, you can for instance create an activity with this goal, and set it to a future date. This goal will stay on top of your session screen, so you never forget what you\u2019re striving for.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also try to <strong>rate your success on these goals in percentage rather than a binary \u201csucceeded\u201d or \u201cfailed\u201d<\/strong>. It\u2019s more motivating to think of it as <strong>\u201cI met my goal at 75%\u201d rather than to simply say you failed<\/strong>. There\u2019s always a positive impact, even if you don\u2019t 100% meet your goal.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span id=\"How-to-handle-stressnbsp2-8211-Self-assess-to-reduce-psychological-stress\"><b>How to handle stress&nbsp;<\/b><b>#2 &#8211;<\/b><b> Self-assess to reduce psychological stress<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Psychological stress, or \u201cmental fear\u201d, is a human-specific fear. In this scenario, it\u2019s not the fear of the accident that could take place, but rather stage fright or vulnerability. It\u2019s often linked to a low self-esteem of self-confidence. And that happens often during shows<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This psychological stress can easily be estimated with this little self-assessment formula: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><b>Psychological stress &nbsp;= Current level with my horse (\/5) &#8211; Difficulty of the show (\/5)<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Example:<\/em> If you believe your level with your horse is 3\/5 and the difficulty level of the show you\u2019re going at is 4\/5 then your psychological stress is around -1.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We estimate <\/span><b>a good psychological stress to be between -1 and +1. <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re below -2 or -3, then there\u2019s <strong>too much stress<\/strong>. You\u2019re probably registered in a class that\u2019s too hard for you.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re above +2 or +3 , it\u2019s <strong>too easy<\/strong>, not motivating enough.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/stress_psychologique-2-1024x500.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-32048\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/stress_psychologique-2-1024x500.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/stress_psychologique-2-300x146.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/stress_psychologique-2-768x375.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/stress_psychologique-2-553x270.png 553w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/stress_psychologique-2-850x415.png 850w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/stress_psychologique-2.png 1037w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This formula is based on self-assessment. <\/span><b>But did you know this: we often underestimate our level, and overestimate the level of the class. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s what we call distorting cognition.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Training to self-assess yourself regularly is interesting to lower psychological stress!<\/strong> Indeed, when you learn to self-assess, you learn to be more impartial about what you do, so you enter the right classes, so you get an idea psychological stress!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask yourself these questions often: <em>\u201cWhat do I really master?\u201d<\/em> <em>\u201cWhat do I still have to learn?\u201d \u201cWhat are my limits?\u201d<\/em> etc. The clearer you can see yourself, the more relaxed you\u2019ll be before your shows \ud83d\ude42 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#x1f4a1;Equisense Motion and Motion S: your allies for objectivity<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you use <a href=\"https:\/\/equisense.fr\/pages\/equisense-motion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Equisense Motion<\/a> or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/equisense.com\/products\/motion-sport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Motion S<\/a>&nbsp;f<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or your daily rides and your show rides, <strong>you can only be objective in your analysis<\/strong>.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed, if you believe you have a regular cadence during your course, Motion will tell you with the combination analysis! This will help you make sure you analysed it well\u2026 and realize if you need to question yourself a bit more!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/equisense.com\/products\/motion-sport?variant=39499137941546&amp;utm_source=Blog&amp;utm_medium=Image&amp;utm_campaign=gestion_stress_EN\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"324\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Bannie\u0300re_blog_2_EN-2-1024x324.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-32051\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Bannie\u0300re_blog_2_EN-2-1024x324.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Bannie\u0300re_blog_2_EN-2-300x95.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Bannie\u0300re_blog_2_EN-2-768x243.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Bannie\u0300re_blog_2_EN-2-1536x486.png 1536w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Bannie\u0300re_blog_2_EN-2-2048x649.png 2048w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Bannie\u0300re_blog_2_EN-2-604x191.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Bannie\u0300re_blog_2_EN-2-850x269.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2><span id=\"How-to-handle-stress-3-8211-Use-mental-visualisation-x1f4ad\"><b>How to handle stress<\/b><b> #3 &#8211; Use mental visualisation &#x1f4ad;<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s start with a little test. In this video, you simply need to <strong>count the number of passes between the people dressed in white<\/strong>. That\u2019s it. Be careful: it\u2019s fast.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"selective attention test\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vJG698U2Mvo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Suspense &#8230;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As it is explained in the video, <strong>the right number of passes is 15<\/strong> (I always see 16\u2026). And maybe like I did the first time I watched it, you didn\u2019t see the gorilla in the middle of the screen\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If that\u2019s the case, this means you\u2019re able to <strong>ignore part of the information when you\u2019re focused<\/strong>. If you saw the right number of passes and saw the gorilla, you have a <strong>divided attention<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Ignoring part of this information isn\u2019t too good (especially for show jumping or hunter)<\/strong>, when you\u2019re for instance focused too much on the approach, and you forget other things like balance, rhythm&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"215\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/visualisation-mentale-2-1024x215.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-32055\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/visualisation-mentale-2-1024x215.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/visualisation-mentale-2-300x63.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/visualisation-mentale-2-768x161.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/visualisation-mentale-2-604x127.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/visualisation-mentale-2-850x179.png 850w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/visualisation-mentale-2.png 1037w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To avoid this, you can use <\/span><b>mental visualisation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> techniques. It\u2019s important to visualise your course with different points of view and integrating the issues you can have like little things going wrong during the course.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can mentally live your course in different perspectives:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">either with an <\/span><b>external perspective<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (to solve course track problems)<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">either with an <\/span><b>internal perspective<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (as if you were on your horse\u2019s back)<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">either with a <b>kinesthetic perspective<\/b> (by feeling the sensations)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using these different perspectives, you can imagine your course, solve the problems you might have, and be more efficient when you actually compete!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span id=\"How-to-handle-stress-4-8211-Do-some-cardiac-coherence-exercises\"><b>How to handle stress #4 &#8211; Do some cardiac coherence exercises<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So far, we\u2019ve talked a lot about mental or psychological stress, but not too much about <strong>physical stress<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reminder: <strong>consequences and manifestations of physical stress are numerous<\/strong>. Heart rate increase, respiratory rate increase, hypervigilance, tetany, shaking, apnoea, memory loss, nausea, emesis, narrowing of the visual field, grasp reflex (contraction in the hands), foetal reflex (curling up into a ball, or having a harder time standing straight)&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The problem is that these manifestations are <strong>heavily felt by horses<\/strong>, notably shaking, grasp reflex and foetal reflex. It\u2019s really impairing your abilities during a show. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the solutions is to <strong>do relaxation sessions, cardiac coherence exercises, gradual muscle relaxation, or hands and shoulders relaxation!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For those who don\u2019t know about it, <strong>cardiac coherence<\/strong> consists in controlling your heart rate via your breathing. Inhale for 5s then exhale for 5s and this for 6 minutes. When you control your breathing, your heart rate will decrease and the stress will as well!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img src=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/krP2NRkLqnKEg\/giphy.gif\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inhale and exhale while following this animation for a few minutes. Your heart rate will slow down (I almost fell asleep\u2026).<\/span><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether it is cardiac coherence or something else, by establishing a ritual that allows you to relax in any situation, you\u2019ll be at your best!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#x1f4a1;My little advice<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I actually use 2 methods which work quite well. Here they are: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>1- Go to your happy place<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember minute by minute a happy moment, like a trip for instance! I remember my holiday weeks spent in London and Montr\u00e9al, remembering every detail every minute of every day. This helps me drive out my negative train of thoughts!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try it, you\u2019ll see!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>2- The Petit Bambou app<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can download the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.petitbambou.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Petit Bambou<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> app, it\u2019s free and it contains audio track to help you relax and do cardiac coherence! Their features are really great.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Equisense, we like this app a lot! You can use it during your shows, right, before you start riding for instance<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span id=\"Hunter-probably-the-best-discipline-to-learn-how-to-handle-your-stress\"><b>Hunter, probably the best discipline to learn how to handle your stress <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few reminders<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For those of you who don\u2019t know Hunter (very) well, it\u2019s an <strong>\u201c<\/strong><\/span><strong><i>equestrian discipline which consists in going over a course with greatest harmony possible<\/i><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>\u201d<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In France, Hunter has 2 categories: Hunter Equitation and Hunter Style. The last one only evaluates the horse, its conformation, its gaits, its attitude and how it jumps. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Hunter Equitation, <strong>the rider will be judged on their riding abilities and how they control their horse in any circumstance<\/strong>. So it\u2019s not only about being clear on time! Actually, there\u2019s no clock in Hunter. The rider will face technical difficulties under the eye of a jury.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The different course types in Hunter Equitation<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Hunter Equitation there are a few types of course, and amongst them compulsory figures and controllability:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Compulsory figures<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This type of course evaluates <strong>how the horse is trained and how much control the rider has<\/strong>. The rider can be asked to be at any of the 3 classical gaits with <strong>transitions between fences, halts, lead changes, bounce jumps, striding, etc.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Controllability<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This type of course is at canter only and <strong>evaluates the rider\u2019s \u201csense of direction\u201d<\/strong>. Amongst the difficulties the rider might encounter, there will be <strong>jumps with an angle, sharp turns, skinnies, etc.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amongst the other types of courses you can find the Grand Prix, which takes the same form as its showjumping counterpart, but the rider will be judged on the cadence regularity, striding, aid discretion, etc. You can also find a mix of compulsory figures and controllability, the derby, and the Hunter\/Showjumping blend where you\u2019ll have to do the same course twice: a first time according to the Hunter rules, and a second time with the showjumping rules.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hunter brings a great <strong>harmony between horse and rider, aid discretion and a perfect mastery in any situation<\/strong>. And wouldn\u2019t that be useful for any showjumper?? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"443\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hunter_Jonathan_rougier-2-1024x443.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-32058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hunter_Jonathan_rougier-2-1024x443.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hunter_Jonathan_rougier-2-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hunter_Jonathan_rougier-2-768x333.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hunter_Jonathan_rougier-2-604x262.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hunter_Jonathan_rougier-2-850x368.png 850w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hunter_Jonathan_rougier-2.png 1037w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How will hunter help the rider be more relaxed?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Actually, <strong>this discipline forces you to set the two types of goals, to be able to self-assess and mentally visualise your course, so 3 out of the 4 techniques I spoke of earlier<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed, in Hunter, you have to have a technical and a show goal. Or rather, <\/span><b>it\u2019s impossible in Hunter to have a show goals without a technical goal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The high technical level of the discipline and its scoring system won\u2019t allow you to meet your show goal (winning) without thinking about technique. To win in Hunter you need:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a regular canter<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">great approaches<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">precise transitions<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">etc.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"485\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Hunter_avantage-3-1024x485.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-32064\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Hunter_avantage-3-1024x485.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Hunter_avantage-3-300x142.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Hunter_avantage-3-768x364.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Hunter_avantage-3-570x270.png 570w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Hunter_avantage-3-850x402.png 850w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Hunter_avantage-3.png 1037w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without this, it\u2019s impossible to win, or in any case to reach your show goal. And this forces you to train more seriously and better, which <strong>induces a better mental preparation<\/strong>! As I was saying earlier, if your training is good, you\u2019ll be more relaxed and less stressed for the shows to come! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, <\/span><b>Hunter Equitation courses are really good to learn how to self-assess. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed, you have to know what you\u2019re capable of to enter the right class. For instance, you can\u2019t enter a course that demands that you transition from canter to trot and jump at trot in less than 3 strides if your horse runs for the fences&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This makes you enter classes with the right technical level for you, so you know you can do everything they ask of you and <\/span><b>you can say goodbye to the crippling stress before your turn! <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lastly, given the technical difficulty of the courses in Hunter, the numerous rating criteria and the compulsory steps between the fences, it\u2019s important to be able to mentally visualise your course to actually remember it well. You then start riding while knowing exactly what to do, and this makes it easier to relax!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#x1f449; In short<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re stressed during shows, here are 5 advice to help:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set <strong>a show and a technical goal<\/strong> &#8211; this will help you stay motivated and improve your training sessions, and the result will be a global improvement!<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Learn how to self-assess<\/strong> regularly to enter classes which corresponds to your technical level.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Mentally visualise your course<\/strong> and anticipate everything that could go wrong.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do a little <strong>relaxation and cardiac coherence<\/strong> before you start riding.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Enter Hunter classes! <\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I hope this helps, <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">See you soon for another article,<br><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Camille Saute<br><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Equisense co-founder<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019re always under a lot of stress when you ride, especially during a show? Let&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/handle-stress-shows\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":31952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6179],"tags":[6815,6813,6814],"yst_prominent_words":[753,6354,6812,6800,6799,6797,805,6811,815,855,6798,6806,6473,6345,6353,6351,6801,6803,1074,776],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7809"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7809"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32067,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7809\/revisions\/32067"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7809"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=7809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}