Owning a horse is a huge life decision which can create a lifelong bond, offer hours of fun and require a lot of maintenance on a daily basis. Building up your strength on both a mental and physical front will take some determination, as being a horse owner requires a high level of resilience. As well as having a responsibility to provide all of your horse’s wellbeing needs, from quality horse turnout rugs to a nutritional diet, creating a strong connection is important. We’ve pulled together three simple ways to build up your resilience by changing your mindset to strive forward.
- Build up confidence in your own abilities
In some way or another, we’re all guilty of holding ourselves back due to a lack of faith in ourselves. As well as giving us less enjoyment, self-doubt will prevent us from stepping outside of our comfort zone and reaching our maximum potential. To build up your resilience and overcome these mental barriers, become in tune with your capabilities so you can understand your limits. Although safety is paramount and all activity should be carried out with sufficient knowledge and safety measures in place, aim to build up your mental strength to overcome those obstacles in your way. To help you on the way, create goals and plan the steps needed to get there, believing in your ability and bouncing back from past hesitations.
- Move forward from prior obstacles
No horse owner knows everything and there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to caring for your four legged friend. However much preparation you do, you are likely to face bumps in the road which leave you feeling overwhelmed and doubting your capabilities. Whether your horse has challenging behavioural issues, is facing some unusual health complications or is struggling to meet your exercise expectations, tackling the problem one step at a time will help you push forward. By focusing your mind on the end goal and mapping out the journey to this goal, the issue will instantly feel more manageable and allow you to get to where you want to be.
- High risk leads to high reward
As with everything in life, you don’t know until you try. Keep the excitement alive by following your goals and striving for results. Many people brush their ambition under the carpet as they see it as unachievable or unrealistic, but what have you got to lose? Whether you want to enter a competition, enjoy a beach adventure or attend an event with your favourite trainer, aim high and believe in yourself. By building up your inner strength and putting your mind to your desires, you will be one step closer to achieving these goals and growing as a person. Again, establish how you could get there and research the potential routes, putting yourself out of your comfort zone and chasing your dreams, after all, the most famous riders started from nothing and worked their way up.
