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I am studying the sports psychology of cross country riding and was wondering if you could give me any info or point me in the right direction of what type of mental preparation a rider goes through leading up to the cross country phase of an event how they train their attentional focus specifically after completing one jump and approaching the next. What type of cues are invloved and so forth.
Lauren

Hi Lauren

Here are a few general pointers which I hope you will find helpful:-

Most riders walk the course beforehand which offers a huge opportunity for mental preparation. I think it was Lynford Christie who said that he never ran a race he hadn't run many times before meaning that repeated visualisation was part of his preparation and a great many riders imagine themselves riding the course before they actually do it. This mental imagery will incorporate practical information like working out strides and the best line to take. The details will probably be remembered with some fairly specific visual cues.

Part of the mental rehearsal will be attached to other physical practicalities like changing the horse's bit for cross country, putting on boots, greasing the legs etc. The routine of these tasks will trigger both memories and anticipation.

Previous experience will reflect on expectation - so for example if a rider had a fall the last time they rode across country, then the preparation is likely to focused around managing similar situations or fences. Depending on the personality of the rider, they might use personal resources such as the will to win, determination, bravado, peer support, visualisation or even an optimistic/ritualistic belief in good luck to help them along!

Cues are most likely to be either visual, auditory or kinaesthetic - seeing, hearing or feeling. Lots of riders talk about 'seeing' a stride which is clearly a visual experience but we also 'feel' whether the horse is balanced, on the right leg and how he might lengthen his/her stride on the approach. There are two types of auditory response - internal and external dialogue. Examples of internal dialogue might perhaps be to repeat instructions in your head from a trainer - things like "keep your heels down", "look up", "kick on" etc. whereas external dialogue in this situation might be to talk to the horse in an encouraging way.

In general, I think cross country riders appreciate the wisdom on concentrating on a jump as it arrives with only a small thought for what comes immediately next. Most of us know that if we lose concentration, the horse is likely to as well and I personally find that approaching a sturdy cross country fence is almost guaranteed to focus the mind!

Sue McIntyre Dip.Adv.Hyp Dip.Pers.Dev. Cert.Couns.
Hypnotherapy, Coaching, Counselling, Stress Management
www.theconsultingrooms.co.uk
01278 784490