A Sport Psychology Workbook for Riders - Hardcover

Is your riding performance a series of peaks and troughs? Do you find it hard to concentrate on the right things? Are you easily distracted by negative thoughts? Do you lack self-confidence, fear it, or confuse it with arrogance? Does your riding lack goals and ambition? Do you prepare properly for competition? "A Sport Psychology Workbook for Riders" deals with these issues, and more, in a clear, realistic and sympathetic way. While the author clearly emphasizes the need for technical proficiency, she makes the point that becoming a truly competent rider involves much more than just technique. Effective riding is ultimately a two-way communication between rider and horse, and the benefits of the rider being relaxed, confident and focused are enormous. In this book, the reader is taught how to achieve this beneficial state through employing mental strategies that are used by top riders (and other athletes) whilst training and competing. These strategies are explained in logical, down-to-earth terms, cutting through the muddled and destructive thinking which so often bedevils performance. While the book focuses primarily upon preparation and performance in the competitive disciplines, the ideas and strategies expounded will be of equal value to all riders who want to achieve a happy and successful relationship with their horse. Furthermore, since sport psychology is the psychology of peak performance, the strategies on offer have many positive applications in daily life.

An expert in the field of sport and performance psychology, Ann Reilly Ph.D. has taught at the University of Virginia, Sweet Briar College and the Foxcroft School. She has also provided presentations for numerous major sports organisations, including the American Horse Shows Association, the United States Pony Club, and the United States Equestrian Team Young Riders' programme. Her personal clientele includes amateur and professional riders, as well as athletes from other sports, who compete at all levels from beginner to international. A co-editor of the standard work Sport Psychology: Psychological Considerations in Maximizing Sport Performance, Ann has produced a regular sport psychology column in Hunter and Sport magazine. Voted Old Dominion Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1990, Ann has also been selected for an Outstanding Young Women of America award. A lifelong rider, she still finds time to compete with enthusiasm and success on the American 'A' circuit.