Equestrian Support

Individuals involved in equestrian activities sometimes experience difficulties coping with the stress and demands of their activities and competitive lifestyle. Equestrians face personal challenges in a number of areas.

One such area issue is performance anxiety that interferes with peak performance. We often hear of riders who find they perform better in practice and lessons than when they are actually showing. Understanding the associated issues, for example, perfectionism, unrealistic expectations, or impatience with yourself, can help you overcome the anxiety and perform to the best of your ability.

Another area of struggle for many riders is the frequent experience of fear. Incapacitating fears can prevent you from performing certain activities, like jumping to new heights, trying something new, or performing in front of others. Examining the collective experiences you have had that have led to your fears can help you overcome fears that hold you back as an athlete.

Often equestrians placed in a number of different interpersonal roles. Managing relationships with trainers, parents, children, peers, and their horses can be stressful. Working on issues like increasing self-confidence, communication, trust, and balance in relationships is one way to decrease stress and increase feelings of competency and enjoyment in your sport.

Psychological Wellness Center offers individual, group, and family support for equestrians addressing such issues as overcoming performance anxiety and fear, managing strong emotions, increasing self-reliance and self-sufficiency, and achieving interpersonal harmony balance.

Our biofeedback program is also an invaluable tool that can assist in reaching riding goals. As you use biofeedback, you are engaging in a self-monitoring process that helps increase relaxation and improve performance. The way your body reacts to stress is directly related to your performance potential. You adjust your body to alter your communication. Stress and tension can be not only detrimental to your own body’s performance, but can be picked up on by your horse who may respond accordingly, reducing their performance capacity as well. Biofeedback helps to sharpen your focus and can resolve many performance-related issues that include performance anxiety, physical fear, stress management, poor emotional control, and reduced focus. To learn more about our biofeedback program, please Click HERE