7 Mental Traps...and How to Spring Them

the hope that with enough punishment you will learn not to do it again. Bad you!
6 Letting Your Emotions Run the Show
Symptoms Whether you are sad mad feel physically ill or incredibly frustrated you let it get the better of you. Others may comment how they see you wearing your emotions. They can always tell what is going on with you and more than that how it will come to affect your ride. That is because you let your emotions run the show. If you are happy great you will have a good day. But put any other feeling into the mix and you are knocked off track. Whats worse you may really affect your partner. Your horse gets to feel everything you feel and is none too happy about it.
Prescription Start practicing the art of emotional control.  There is a reason for the term get your game face on in sports.  Its about not revealing and not succumbing to every change in your emotional state. Every emotion is a signal or sign that something needs to change. Your job is to figure out what that is and make the alteration to your plan. At other times when feelings of doubt or frustration arise because of a bad performance then its time to put that game face on. In other words to act as if you are confident and in control. This decision can help you stay focused on your job which in turn will help your horse stay tuned to your instructions not your emotions.      
7 Needing vs. Wanting to Win
Symptoms When you need to win you place yourself in a very precarious place. Essentially you are saying to yourself I must win or it means I am not a good rider or a good person. You need to prove something to yourself or to someone else. Thats a whole lot of pressure to put on your ride. It may feel as though you are literally competing for your life not a good recipe for controlling your nerves and staying focused.
Prescription Dont compete for such high stakes. Its okay to want to win. But if you dont win dont make it mean something about who you are. Compete to have fun and to learn to improve your skill and your strength of character. This way every time you step into the ring you can look forward to another
experience of growth. This kind of mind set will take conscious developing.  You can change your existing approach to winning by deliberately checking your thoughts at the ingate.