Taking time to recognise your achievements is the key to making progress, says Alison Buttery

Most of us have hopes, dreams and aspirations relating to our horses and our riding goals. Sometimes, these can seem a long way off, while at other times, they feel tantalisingly just out of reach. The key to arriving at the place where you want to be is being able to manage yourself and your progress towards the best possible outcomes for you and your horse. In essence, it’s about focusing on the process, rather than being hooked on the outcome.
We all know that the road to success – however you interpret that – is never perfectly straight. There will inevitably be ups, downs and roundabouts along the way, when we’re sidetracked and have to navigate life’s challenges. But, in fact, here lies the joy and fulfilment in owning and riding horses.
Passing through, over and around those obstacles helps us to learn, grow and become more resilient. When we find ourselves on the other side of those blocks, the highs are even higher and the feelings of achievement and pride are even greater.
Take time out
Whether you ride competitively or for leisure, taking a little time out on a regular basis to manage your progress allows you to experience several benefits…
- Tracking progress towards a goal ensures that you choose a clear direction, a point of reference in the future for an adventure, experience or future memory that is important to you. This allows you to break down your desired outcome into smaller, more manageable daily steps that move you towards your goal.
- Regularly monitoring your progress helps you objectively evaluate your performance over time. It allows you to identify your strengths, while acknowledging the challenges you’ve faced. You then become solution focused. Reflecting on experiences along the way, allows you to stay in a growth mindset and take responsibility for how you think and feel, and for the action you take.
- Seeing tangible evidence of improvement, no matter how big or small, provides a powerful motivation boost. It helps us persist through challenging times, stay dedicated to working towards our desired outcomes and build resilience.
- Progress tracking creates an effective feedback loop. We’re better able to adapt and adjust our psychological and practical strategies based on what we learn along the way, which maximises our progress and skill development on our own terms
- When we see our progression clearly documented, it helps us believe in our abilities and potential. Each achievement, however small, contributes to our belief that we can succeed. This increasing confidence then improves performance, creating a positive cycle of growth and achievement.
Top tip
You could send your videos to your coach or trainer for feedback between lessons and also practise giving yourself constructive and helpful feedback on what you see.
Track your journey
Tracking and managing your progress doesn’t have to be complicated or take a long time. Try these five effective methods…
- Keep a riding journal to help you track your daily progress, set goals, and reflect on your performances. Note down specifics about each ride, including what went well, what challenges you encountered and areas that need improvement.
- Regularly video-recording rides provides a visual means of tracking progress, allowing you to watch your performance from a third-person perspective. You’ll spot improvements or areas needing work that you might have missed in the moment. It’s also rewarding and fun to track your progress over time by comparing before and after videos,
- Regular feedback from a coach or instructor can provide an objective perspective on your progress. They can provide targeted advice to improve specific aspects of riding and can set appropriate goals for further development. You could ask your coach to work with you in a dismounted session to formulate an appropriate plan for achieving your goals, while a mindset coach will help you map out the options available to you.
- Setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals can provide a clear direction. Regularly reviewing those goals allows you to track your progress and adjust your training plan accordingly. Realistically, if you don’t know where you want to go, how will you ever be able to get there
Did you know?
There are equestrian-specific apps available to help riders track aspects of their progress, including training hours, techniques learnt, horse health, fitness data and competition results. These can provide valuable insights and trends over time.
Top tip
Track your progress by using question prompts to challenge your perceptions and preconceived ideas to allow you to find the possibilities and opportunities available to you in any given moment.
Keep asking
Asking yourself questions will guide you in analysing your performance (competitive or otherwise). You’ll identify your strengths and achievements, and find internal feedback to help you to continue positively on your path.
Reflecting on your performance…
- What went well in today’s training/competition?
- How have you managed your thoughts, emotions and actions today?
- How did you handle those challenges?
- What challenges did you encounter?
How did you learn through this process?
Identifying strengths…
What are your strengths, characteristics and qualities as a rider?
- How do these strengths, characteristics and qualities help you and your horse to have the best time together?
- How are you proud of yourself today?
Creating positives…
- What have you learnt from this experience?
- How will you remember it when you look back at it?
- Based on what you’ve learnt, how will you change your approach or tactics going forward?
- How will this experience be even better in the future?
See change
The following tips and tricks will help you to find the benefits in tracking and managing your progress…
- Whether you like it or not, accept you’re where you are and set this as your starting point (although you can use any past experiences to help you move forward). How you choose to direct your attention and focus is under your control, as are the hopes, dreams and goals that you select for yourself and your horse.
- Take the advice and guidance of people you trust who have your best interests at heart, and ask for help when you need it. But this is your own journey, and you can choose what you do or don’t do with your horse, so make sure your goals are actually yours.
- It doesn’t matter how quickly or slowly you go, just as long as you keep going. Some days you’ll feel confident and motivated, while on others not so much, but that’s fine. On those down days, still choose to do something, even the smallest step, so you make a little progress each and every day.
- The only thing truly in your control is yourself, so don’t compare yourself to others. Stay focused on what means the most to you and enjoy each step of the process.
- Tracking your progress daily is essential for changing your perception of yourself and your progress towards your hopes and dreams.
- Break old habits of being hard on yourself and creating other cognitive distortions. Be objective, be non-judgemental and be kind.
Top tip
To become more self-aware, resilient and confident, the starting point is to understand and accept your present experience. Ask yourself where are you now and where are you hoping to go.
Embrace the journey
Whether you’re competitive or ride for leisure, progress is really about self-discovery, building on your strengths, identifying growth areas and building confidence.
Embrace the journey and celebrate each stride you take towards becoming a more confident, resilient and positive rider so that you and your horse can have the very best time together.
Our expert: Alison Buttery is a certified mindset and confidence coach, a BHS APC senior coach and an experienced rider, who specialises in helping riders overcome their nerves. She’s also the Founder of The Everyday Equestrian.