When you go to any horse show in any discipline, you will witness very similar scenes in the warm-up area. Some people will be schooling their horses with purpose and clarity. Others look a little lost, and still others seem frozen like deer in the headlights. If you fall into one of the latter two categories, the simple acronym BAR can help you become more focused and effective.
B=Breathe!
You probably knew this was coming! As you go through your initial few minutes, usually walk/trot/canter in both directions, make sure that you Breathe deeply and evenly. Concentration, effort and nervousness all conspire to make breathing shallow and quick. This makes it harder to think and to feel what your horse is doing, and it creates tension in your muscles. Deliberately inhale smoothly and completely every few moments, and follow with a slow, complete exhale.
A=Assess.
Once you’re breathing, you need to assess what’s going on with your horse. Assessment has two parts: observation and planning. First, observe how you and your horse are doing: what’s going well, and what needs work? How is he moving? Is he focused? Is your position correct and effective? Next, choose two things to improve and develop a ride plan to do this. Be very specific in describing the problem and in planning your ride exercises. For example, if your horse is stiff in his back because it’s a chilly day, you might decide to spiral in and out on a circle and then follow this with some shoulder-in. If the stiffness is due to tension and distraction, on the other hand, you might plan to do a completely different set of exercises.
R=Ride Your Plan.
Once you’ve made your plan, you need to ride it all the way through. Often people get distracted by something else—they planned a spiral but got fixated on the transition to trot—and they lose sight of what’s important. Ride your plan all the way through before going on to something else. Be sure to notice results: is your plan having the desired effect? If not, Breathe, then Assess and Ride a new plan. If it was effective, Assess what else needs work and create a Ride plan to improve that aspect.
You may be able to do the BAR while you’re riding, or you may need to walk on a loose rein for a few minutes while you Breathe and Assess. Either way can be effective, so choose whichever works best for your situations. The BAR allows you to stay focused and effective so that you and your horse can put your best foot forward when it’s showtime!
