Why "our sport" is not the problem

The truth is, and it applies to all of us: we are responsible for everything. For what we do and for the way we react to what happens to us.

On the occasion of the latest Facebook posts, the urgent desire arose in me to rephrase a post on the same topic. Actually, it would have been a contribution in the sense of "how I mentally prepare for the European Championship". But the recurring theme of our broken sport, which has changed so much and is intolerable for all involved and has more to do with my mental preparation than you would think at first glance. Why I really want to discourage you from writing, uttering, or just thinking these sentences, I will reveal here.

The paradox of success

to make it clear in advance...

...you are right, of course. It is neither excusable nor justifiable that our sport has partly moved in directions that do not correspond to the "Welfare of the Horse". Yes, there are horses that suffer or even die from the performance that is expected of them. Yes, there will also be enough people who use money, vitamin B and doping (or all of it together) to achieve results that they have not honestly earned. And that is a shame and not right. But that shouldn't stop us from being able to achieve exactly the same results. Yeah, hear me out before you write your next Facebook post.

Speed kills... doesn't it?

What does speed mean? For some, it's "no longer my sport" when the race is finished at 18km/h. For others, 18km/h is peanuts. Their horse runs the first CEI* at 18km/h and then increase the speed their whole career. I see it as an absolute possibility to finish 160km at 22km/h (AAAAAH, SHE SAID IT). For others, the reality is that they have ridden an average of 24-26km/h for 120km or 160km.

"Yeah, but...", you want to say now. The articles and scientific research have not passed me by. The higher the speed, the more likely you are to be eliminated.

What I want to point out is that phrases like "speed kills" or "not my sport anymore" are very effective and powerful, but mean something different to everyone.

What does the sport allow itself to change?!

Change is inevitable, growth is an option.

We can't get around the fact that our sport is changing. The direction doesn't seem right at the moment. But that doesn't mean it's the only possible direction. This is how I see it: the better and more consistent our performance is, the more attention we get from the rest of the horse world and the general public. There is an increased chance that smart, kind-hearted, athletic, ambitious people will want to fight their way to the top. People who don't have to cheat to perform well. Science always wants to know more about the top performances of our horses. Knowledge is power and those who know can do right. For me, it's a cycle. The more people who are interested in Endurance, the more people at the top there can be who are really also committed to "Welfare of the Horse". The bigger the top, the more financial resources, the more science, the more knowledge, the bigger the top, the more financial resources, ...

Your success is worth more than a ribbon

I advocate succeeding and getting into the fray (and stop writing regretful Facebook posts like you're standing at the Endurance's tombstone). Because (surprise!) the sport isn't going backwards. You can move to other countries, other categories, even other sports, but even there it will catch up with you sooner or later. The only option you would have is to quit. But that wouldn't be what you want deep down, would it? And that would not be good for the scene. It needs people who honestly work for their achievements. Who have knowledge, who have horsemanship, who are good athletes and good riders. It needs people who ride side by side with people who think they need all that doping to ensure success.

Because if you set a different example, others will look at it and think: "For her/him it was possible. Then it must be possible for me too." And the steady drop wears away the (Endurance Grave) stone.

And that's the success paradox. To initiate, shape and solidify the Clean Endurance turnaround, your Facebook post really contributed nothing. It takes your good performance and your experiential skills to pass it on. There's no other way to do it.

Yes, but...

I really understand you. Honestly. I remember the first time I was disgusted by my own performance. I made me feel sick. I looked back at that race and was sure I would never ride that fast again. It was against everything I had internalized. And there was something that helped me. It was mental training. Not sitting down and writing down any goals. That's fine and dandy. It's making my dreams and goals visible, recognizing the patterns, thoughts and actions that want me to know that I won't achieve those goals. It is dissolving those very patterns and actively choosing the feelings and thoughts that I want to feel and think anew.

This is not esotericism, because it works. Why? Your perception shapes reality.

So maybe you can follow me when I say:

The thought "Speed kills" influences your reality.

"It's too fast for me."

"Endurance is not my sport anymore."

"If you want to be fast, you're going behind your horse."

"If you succeed, you'll have a broken horse afterward."

Welcome to your reality. It can be scary, I know. Maybe it's screaming out loud inside you "YES, BUT THIS IS SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN. YES, BUT THAT'S JUST REALLY TRUE. YES, BUT THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS."

Exercise: yellow things

1. Wherever you are, look around. Look at all the yellow things you find. Memorize them well.

2. concentrate on reading again and tell me: What was all blue?

Where focus goes, energy flows

I don't really care how you call it. The main thing is: You have the ability to direct your focus and it determines which circumstances you fade in and out.

Mental training in mini format. Or: How we become the person we are not yet

It is really a matter of the heart for me that you also get the opportunity to learn how you can influence your performance with your thoughts. But this is just a blog post and is only enough to explain the procedure to you. Maybe, if you haven't been shaking with fear for a long time because the evil sport has nothing to do with your dissatisfaction after all, you just want to engage in a mind game.

If somewhere in the course of reading you thought "I don't need that anyway. I'm mentally strong enough as it is." (oops, caught you), then you'll probably have achieved your goals long ago. Congratulations, champion. In that case, you might as well stop reading now and keep fighting your fear of change.

And for everyone else: Get a pen and paper, open your notes or a Word document. We're getting down to the nitty gritty details.

What do I want to experience?

Contrary to the statement in the documentary from SRF, it is very much the case that we can access our subconscious. This can happen, for example, through meditation. So we gain again completely new possibilities to change our reality. Because the subconscious determines 95% of our reality (you can believe that or not, I have no scientific proof for that now).

But in this format it is not possible for us. Just be honest with yourself, don't judge yourself and allow yourself to dream and to be guided by your feelings.

What is your goal? Do you want to ride a CEI*? Do you want to become Swiss Champion? Do you want to win a CEI***, sign a contract for the A-squad and be selected for a championship?

The important thing is the feeling. How does it feel? How proud are you when you sign the contract? Can you feel the pen in your hand and the paper under your fingers?

How overwhelmed are you when the medal is handed to you? Do you hear the Swiss anthem? Do you feel the tired muscles in your legs as you climb the podium? Do you hear the applause? Look down at your legs. Feel the fabric of your white breeches, your feet in black boots, and the elevation of the platform.

When we associate these positive feelings with clear images, we anchor it deeper in our subconscious, and for the brain it's as if it were a real experience. This is because, as the neuroscientist explains in the article, the brain does not distinguish between imagination and reality.

If you feel overwhelmed by your big dreams (this can happen, but it doesn't mean anything in terms of achievability), then take a stage goal. You want to go to a championship and you are on 50km level? Your wish has the absolute right to exist. Only there is a big difference between the person you are now and your future self riding the championship. That is the trigger for the panic and quite natural. So take, for example, the desire to finish the Novice qualifications.

The trap

Our ego often sets traps for us. It's also the part that tells us, "You have to prove to others that you can do this. Otherwise you're not worth anything."

So if you just want to sign the national team contract to put yourself above others, feel more powerful, or "get even" with others, that's not your heartfelt desire. These beliefs come from the subconscious mind and it will not have the same effect. Instead of acting from the positive emotions of your success, your actions will be characterized by "I have to be better than you or I'm not worth anything."

It is therefore very important in this step that you put aside for a moment all thoughts that do not serve your goal. Observe well what is going on in your mind. It is your ego that is telling you that you are not athletic enough, that you are exaggerating, that you are taking yourself too seriously. It's okay, it wants to protect you. But we don't need it right now. Because success is not a danger, we just perceive it as a danger. Life begins where your comfort zone ends.

What's stopping me from doing it?

Now your brain can really get going. It's best to write down your wish and end the sentence with BUT, .... Then end the sentence with anything you can think of.

ET VOILÀ. Your reasons why you don't achieve what you want, nicely served on a silver platter.

To let you know you're not alone, here's an example, fresh from my mind:

I want to be European champion, but....

last time it was all luck

this year I'm sure everything will go wrong

I have no control over the race

I am not ready yet

I HAVE to make it

I don't want to be pitied if I don't make it again

Karajol cannot run alone

we always lose in the finish

then I am just a flash in the pan. What's the use if I win something only once

How on earth am I supposed to get anywhere near the podium with these thoughts?

Who is the person achieving your goals?

Here is a practical example. 10 days before a planned CEI* I get a call that I have to pass a CEI*** at the same race, otherwise I am not qualified for the championship. Yes, the horse was trained for 120km so he can run a good 100km race. But 160km is not 100km (belief). He was missing the intensive training in theory (belief). My head was spinning and a slight panic broke out in me. All kinds of reasons why this can't work were produced. The starting field was too small, then we would have to ride alone, and Karajol doesn't run alone, and this wasn't his race at all, and he wasn't trained, I don't have any experience since we didn't do a preparation race, my last 160 was 2 years ago, blah blah. Those are the beliefs in action.

And then I had the thought that brought me back down to earth: what would a pro do? And the answer is: he would just ride. No matter what "hurdle" he had to overcome, he would have a solution. He would focus on good tactics, not rushing anything, taking it lap by lap, always keeping a good check on his horse's condition, motivating his horse when he had a low.

We finished the race in second place, rode the last lap at 18km/h and rode a finish at 35km/h.

The person who reaches your goal is not the same person you are now. Otherwise, you would have already reached your goal. Ask yourself what this person does differently. There are no wrong answers. What are their thoughts, what are their daily routines, what do they do for their workouts, what kind of people do they surround themselves with, how do they talk about themselves and others, what Facebook posts do they write? If you want to get closer to your goal, then act like this person every day. Talk like them, train like them, think like them, react like them.

For my example, this means: Josefine, who is a European champion, exercises regularly to get even more potential out of her body. She knows that she can react in any situation. She knows that she can win a finish. She trains purposefully, intuitively. She has a fine, balanced seat, good communication with her horse. The longer the race progresses, the more energy and will she shows. Until the end she is focused, always has the goal in mind.

Write the sentences in the present tense and do not use negatives. If you write "she does not lose a finish" then you send to the subconscious "she loses the finish", because the subconscious does not understand negations. Don't think of the green dolphin now.

My short cuts

• There is exactly ONE reason why "the evil others" are successful (and so is every other person). Simply because they know that it is possible for them. To have to dope or torture a horse for it, however, is also "only" a belief system.

• What I think about others, I also think about myself. I correct myself when I think pejoratively about the success of others and simply say to myself: you know it is possible for you, so it is possible for me. When I have a pejorative thought, I relate it to myself and ask myself how that applies to me.

• No matter what hopeless difficulties I encounter in my daily training, I am sure that sooner or later I will reach my goals.

• I know that the journey is the destination and it is all about learning.

• Jealousy shows you what you would like to have and...

• ...what you would like to have is achievable.

• I ask myself over and over and over and over again: what do I want to believe? Do I believe it because a vet tells me? Do I believe it because a professional tells me? Do I believe it because I read it in a scientific paper? I only believe what leads me to my goal. Granted, that sounds a lot like I'm the first conspiracy theorist on the scene. However, what I mean is: When a vet report tells me "With XY diagnosis, it's unlikely to get back into the sport," I ask myself: and yet what possibility is there that the vet doesn't know about yet? I don't rush and I don't force anything, but I just don't believe everything. When I hear the sentence I wrote above (The higher the speed, the greater the chance of being eliminated) then I ask myself: do I want to believe that? What supreme Endurance court has decided that it is ME, of all people, who will be eliminated at increased speed (whatever that may be)?

• I love, love, love this exercise: since the brain cannot distinguish between memory and imagination, I create my own memories before they have happened. For example, when I'm running or driving a car, I imagine that at that moment it's a year later, the European Championship is long over, I've reached my goal, and I'm already preparing for my next race.

the responsibility

And why didn't we finish first in the above-mentioned race? Isn't it mega mean and nasty that we pulled the winner over 158km, and on the last two kilometers he overtook us? Isn't it BAD that I was disqualified at a European Championship, although I rode in the second position? Sure, the feelings were very big.

The truth is, and it applies to all of us: we are responsible for everything. For what we do and for the way we react to what happens to us.

If I had been REALLY ready, I could have won both races. Even with only one stirrup in Ermelo and even with a 2 second gap to the winner in Buch. But it was my unhelpful thoughts that made me stop and dismount and that made me hesitate to accelerate another 2km/h to overtake him after all, at least on the last centimeter.

And that's why it's not the Sheikh of this and that country, the Italian, the Spaniard and the Frenchman's fault that you're not standing on the podium, but have to watch from the outside how deceitful, dirty and mendacious our beloved sport is (attention, belief!). The good, the very best news is that YOU have it in your hands. Because it is your responsibility to change your thoughts and actions, to set your goals high and to continually dream. Thank you for your courage.

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