Training With A Purpose

"Winning is a habit, unfortunately so is losing."- Vince Lombardi

My daily mantra is to have a purpose, specifically in my training. Lets look at the above quote, If winning is a habit, then we must create the correct habits in ourselves in order to win right? Sounds easy enough, yet its always an uphill and on going challenge. Especially when your dealing with 3 year olds who act like teenagers attending their first high school party.. unpredictable. So I am going to go over some key points I believe helps me personally to train with purpose each day.

1. CLEAR YOUR MIND.

This is a great aspect for any part of your life. This boils down to leaving a bad morning, moment, argument, right there where it happened. This basically breaks down to NO past or future living. That means that you are 100% clear of any distractions for the next 20-60 minutes (however long you choose to ride). And once you've completed that mission, then you can move on to the next, whether that be getting to your job, or the kids to hockey, or whatever it may be. *Note. This is a really great habit for dealing with race anxiety, because over time it teaches you to control your emotions, focus on the process and not the outcome.

2. HAVE A PLAN

How many times have you gone to ride and mindlessly loped circles?

Sit down and look at where your horse is at, where you want him to be at, and how you want to do it. My advice is to work on 1 skill for 2-3 days until it starts becoming easier to achieve, continue working the skill, but then ADD another one. Brick by brick I say. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a barrel horse.

It’s key to remember not to overload your horse or yourself. You didn’t learn the a,b,c’s and to write an essay in the same day. It takes time to develop proper skills.  With a plan in mind, you are purposely creating proper habits in your horse. Keep in mind that is takes 21 days to create a habit from blank canvas, I double that factor when you are fixing a problem. This is also a good thing to remember when you are sending a horse to a trainer for 30 days to "fix" a problem. The problem can only be started in the right direction under that time frame not fixed. I find having a daily plan gives your progression direction. And although, you like myself and every other person who rides competitively, work very hard for your success, hard work is nothing without direction.

3. KNOW THE POWER OF THE RELEASE.

A horse will attempt a skill, if he can find a release from the pressure of the command. When your quick on the release, your horse gets rewarded quicker for completing the task. In turn making the horse more responsive.

4. BE EFFECTIVE

Work the plan. Day 1 it could take 2 hours to achieve your 1-3 small skills, but by day 21 it could only take 25 minutes. And do not become discouraged, remember this is a process. Someone's horse may look further advanced than yours, but they may have more time invested. Avoid watching, and comparing your horses to others. Just focus on obtaining the skill you need in order to succeed.

5. BE DECISIVE.

The definition of decisive is having the power to determine an outcome beyond doubt. If that doesn't breed confidence I don't know what does.  Example: "Tuesday I am going to have a great day, and accomplish x, y, z" or "Saturday I am going to cut the grass"

This gets you off the hamster wheel and on the ground running. 

6. DONT DWELL ON MISTAKES, MAKE CORRECTIONS.

I use the 1-2-3 rule. Once is a bad day, or unfortunate happening. Twice... Houston.... Three times... We have a problem. As a general rule, a problem generally stems from a weakening in the foundation. Reinforce, or make a correction.  We also look to soreness, or outside problems. But 95% of the time, you only laid 10 bricks down, and you need 20. Building a barrel horse, is like building a house. The quality of the product starts with the foundation.

"Success does not consist in never making a mistake, but in never making the same one a second time."- George Bernard Shaw

At the end of the day, you must be able to enjoy the small successes, in order to appreciate the larger ones.  And if we create the right skills, and habits from the start, the success should be very consistent. 

“Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all way submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6