Over the years we have become masters of multi-tasking - watching a video while cooking dinner, answering an email while on the phone, creating tomorrow’s “to do” list while listening to your kids tell you about their day. We go through each day and each task only half there because we’re focusing on something else at the same time. And so mistakes get made, things get forgotten, feelings get hurt. All this could be eliminated by simply becoming more “mindful”.

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we are doing, and not being overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us or our own internal dialogue.

When we ride, we owe it to our horse to be fully aware of where we are, what we are doing AND what our horse is doing and feeling. That’s the basis of the communication and trust we want to build with our horse. If you are on a trail ride, but in your mind you are reliving the fight you had with your co-worker, your horse can sense that anger without you even realizing it. If you start to jump a course and you are worried about getting home in time to make dinner, your horse can feel your nervousness and may worry about an upcoming jump and suddenly stop.

The best way to get into a “mindful state” when you ride is to start with your breathing. This can easily be done as you walk your horse to warm up and will help you release the stress you’ve been carrying around. Do this by breathing in deeply through your nose and imagine breathing in calmness - some use the imagery of a pure white light surrounding your whole body.

When you breathe out, all of the negative energy comes out such as anger, sadness, frustration, anxiety and irritation. Breathe in again to relax and become aware of your body, the rhythm of your horse, the bliss of doing what you love. Once you feel relaxed, focused, and centered  you can comfortably move onto the trot, canter, circles, etc. 

If you feel your focus shifting or that nasty voice in your head telling you everything you are doing is wrong, come back to the walk and do your breathing exercise again to get centered. Focusing on your breathing will help eliminate any inner or outer distractions as you ride.