any instructors/competitors who would help with my PE project?!

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Cinders

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Right, this is a bit of a stab in the dark as i m in need of a big favour! Basically for my AS level PE we're doing a research project, i ve nearly finished mine but i could really do with someone who's an instructor or someone who competes regularly to allow me to quote them on their opinions.

Not sure whether this is making much sense?! My project title is "Does anxiety levels affect competitive performance in horse riding?" There absolutely no research done on this therefore i m having to just relate my research to horse riding.

What i m asking is, would any of you be able to give my your opinions on whether YOU think that anxiety levels affect competitive performance? Would probably need your name so that i could reference it.
 
I am no professional. But I was wondering if you'd ever heard of the book "simple steps to Riding success" by Liz morrison; it contains many case studies on riders that had previously had there careers crippled by nerves, then they had restored them by using NLP.

I also thought about Pippa Funnels book, she talks alot about Sports psych and nerves; there would probably be useful quotes in her books!
 
in short yes it does.. it affects everyone differently tho..

ie it affects me for the better!! i need to be worried about a course/competition before i will ride to the best of my abality...
but as you'll probably read, it affected Pippa Funnell for the worse, untill she found ways to cope with it/take her mind off the competition (like doing puzzles)
 
So yes anxiety does affect riding performace; Bettina Hoy must be a prime example of this- look at the number of times that she has messed things up when she has been just minutes away from a major win.
Also Pippa Funnell definately has issues with this still even at Novice level, last year I saw her completly forget to ride a horse to a fence and she just sat there like a pile of bricks as though her mind went blank and you could see that the stop was coming from miles away. Horse obligingingly stopped that was what the rider told him to do without meaning to. And that was a pro rider at Novice level!
 
thanks guys for the suggestions!

jemayni- thanks i ll have a look for that book, sounds just what i m after!

MDM- thank you! if you dont mind, i might quote what you've said and then i can use it to show how it affects people differently as well as using quotes from pippa funnell's book as it affected her in a negative way.

Forrest- thats very helpful! had completely forgotten about Bettina Hoy, thats a great example i can use!!
 
yeah, go for it.. when i start to get comfey at a level, i almost stop trying, then when i move up to the next level, i start to 'ride' again..

a few saying that make me laugh
"if you're not living life on the edge, you're taking up too much room"
"go big or go home"
 
I think it affects riders hugely, and it's a subject I'm really interested in. I have two horses which I compete regularly, one at Intermediate level eventing, and the other is a youngster I'm bringing on.

With me, nerves affect everything, even my perception of how big jumps are. Nerves can totally change my riding from someone who's competent enough to event at Intermediate level to riding like a novice - and I've seen video evidence of it!

But I also talk myself down a lot too, which I've just done there, actually!
I'd be happy to help you, and yes, you can quote me!

I never, ever walk the courses the day before an event as by the next morning, they're all twice as high and three times as wide as they actually are.

When I read Pippa Funnell's book, I thought, 'I am not alone!'

I think the difference between a good rider and a great one is down to confidence to a large degree, and also that ability to get in the 'zone' while you're competing. Some people can, and others find it hard.
 
I agree that confidence is very important. However I think that the majority if not all great riders have - instinctive ability - something which cannot be taught or acquired. Good riders can bring about terrific improvement in their performances with dedication, hard work & patience but will in my opinion never quite match the likes of Mark Todd, David Broome & John Whitaker. This of course means they will not necessarily make the best trainers because they cannot explain to their students what they have always been able to do without thinking about the mechanics involved.
 
But, you could have a rider that is hugely talented and could be 'great' but just can't hold it together under pressure.

I think that a great rider is a combination of natural talent and the ability to cope with intense pressure. And also the ability to look forwards rather than backwards when things go wrong. And also the will to win aswell. Some people may be talented but just lack competitive spirit.
 
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