I can be at a competition, and someone will come out after his or her ride. I’ll ask, “Well, how’d it go?”

The first things I hear about are all of the mistakes. “My horse picked up the wrong canter lead when I was going to the right.” Or, “My horse broke in the trot lengthening.” Or, “He sucked back when I asked for the canter.”

For some reason the first things we think about and focus on are the disasters. The reality is that maybe 2 or 3 things went wrong. And maybe 25 wesome things happened in the test.

You need a plan to avoid this natural tendency to focus on the negative.

Here’s a great exercise for you.

Remember a time when you felt absolutely successful in whatever you were doing. It might be at a particular show. It might be a particular movement your horse does well. It might be in a particular lesson. Or maybe it was when you won a class for the 1st time, and you felt completely exhilarated.

Just find something from your past when you felt successful and excited.

Everything went as planned. It’s almost like you didn’t even have to give your horse any aids. It’s like he had ESP. You just thought about what you wanted him to do, and he’d carry it out.

Feel those emotions. Experience those emotions. Replay those successes over and over in your mind’s eye. Picture everything in great detail.

Remember how you felt. Did you feel exhilarated, excited, and on top of the world? Replaying those successes over and over will help you create more success in the future.

Remember the old saying, “success breeds success.” That’s why it’s so important to replay your successes not your disappointments over and over in your mind’s eye.