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The problem with pursuing perfection
Hi my name is Andrea and I’m recovering perfectionist. Just kidding. But in all seriousness I often joke about the fact that I’m a perfectionistic overachiever. Within the equine world, dressage riders are often known for being the detail-oriented perfectionists. And similar things are often said about dietitians within the healthcare setting. In the past…
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Confidence
I should preface this by saying that I have never been a confident person either in or out of the saddle. But I’ve been thinking a lot about confidence recently. Not the type of confidence that sees you standing down your fears. Nor is it the type that when absent leaves you wracked with nerves…
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When you cannot back yourself
Anxiety hit me hard overnight and consequently I rode terribly on Tuesday morning. I felt like there was no possible way I would be able to ride her around a medium test, and you can’t just ‘wing it’ at that level. In my mind this bad ride proved the fears that I’d had in the…
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What your horse cares about
This post was originally posted on my Instagram account @the_sand_arena_ballerina I’ve seen comments from people recently that have been bugging me a bit. It’s this idea of letting your horse down by not being a good enough rider or not being committed enough.I recently had a week where I rode a grand total of three times. One of those rides lasted less than 10minutes. …
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Confession time – My worst habit as a horse rider
Ok guys, I’m taking a leaf out of A Timid Rider’s book and I’m confessing. It’s about my worst habit as a rider. No it’s not about the fact that even after riding for twenty years I still frequently pick up the wrong diagonal on the left rein. Although in the interests of full disclosure I…
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Five ways to turn a bad ride around
We’ve all been there, the bad ride that turns into a bad week of rides. When your having a challenging time in the saddle, its easy to get stuck in a rut. Here are five strategies to help you turn a bad ride, or a run of bad rides around. 1. Have gratitude Remind yourself…
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The Ups and the Downs
I had a funny blog post all set to share tonight, but instead I want to talk about something else – the ups and the downs of this sport. As some of you may have seen from my most recent blog I’ve had a funny past couple of weeks in my riding. And when I…
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What will matter in the end?
The past week has been a challenging one. I’ve been running on a little less sleep than what I arguably need, work has been full on and I have a partner who has been sick with a bout of gastro. It’s pretty unsurprising that I’ve felt like I’ve not been riding at my best. And…
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The year I fell in love with competing
In 2015, I fell in love with competing and in doing so, I fell in love with dressage all over again. While this may not seem like a big revelation, for me it is. Throughout 2014, I questioned whether I would ever compete again as a result of several bad experiences. My life had changed…
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Comparisons & Equestrians
I have long compared myself to other riders. The hallmark of these comparisons has been a sense of not good enough-ness. In years gone by I’ve felt the need to justify where I am on my journey in comparison to others. My sense of self-worth as a rider rested precariously on the delicate balance of…