A breath of fresh air

From your first riding lesson, either as a child or in later life, every command you will have ever been given will have been physical in nature because commands involve instructions about what to do with the various parts of your body. But there is another side that people rarely talk about and is rarely addressed in traditional lessons, and that’s the noise that flies around in our heads and the physiological responses associated with it.

Balancing body and brain

The brain is such a big part of our operating system and studies show we can all improve our riding by working on the mental skills of confidence, focus and resilience to maximise performance both in and out of the ring.

We have been taught to physically control and direct a horse with very specific aids, but very few of us are lucky enough to have had much, if any, help addressing our thoughts. But to be in control of the body and the brain, the key is in balancing the physical, physiological and psychological.

Learning to breathe

What’s the first thing we usually do when under any stress or pressure? We hold our breath. Of course, every moment of the day and night, we breathe automatically, thanks to the reptilian area of our brain that takes care of breathing, hunger, temperature regulation, heart rate, reflexes and so on without us having to consciously think about them. However, we can also voluntarily control our breathing if we choose to, and this is especially useful during activities such as riding.

When we’re under pressure or experiencing fear, the body’s natural response is often to enter a state of heightened arousal, commonly known as the fight-or-flight response. During this, the sympathetic nervous system becomes more active, leading to various physiological changes aimed at preparing the body to confront or flee from a perceived threat, and one aspect is a change in breathing patterns. When we’re under pressure or scared, our breathing tends to become shallower and more rapid.

Top tip

For relaxation breathing, move from chest breathing to abdominal breathing by inhaling slowly and fully through the nose, pausing and then slowly exhaling through the mouth, without forcing anything. This is the opposite of what you would do when afraid or anxious.

Find out more about how breathing techniques can improve your riding in December Horse&Rider – out now!