Comfort Zones

Staying in our comfort zone makes a lot of sense - after all it has ‘comfort’ right there in the name!
We all know that our day to day lives can present enough challenges, so why would I want to push myself out of my comfort zone, especially in a pursuit I have chosen to give me pleasurable leisure time - like my horse riding.


The thing is, when we really have a good look at it, sometimes our ‘comfort zone’ isn’t really all that comfortable. For example if I lack the confidence to take my horse out on trails, or out to a competition or clinic, then my ‘comfort zone’ remains at home - sure at the time it feels pretty comfortable, but when I bought my horse I probably had visions of going out and about to enjoy him, and the social time that being around like minded people brings.


Maybe I am fine going out and about, and my comfort zone relates more to my training. We see often time and time again students struggling for months, if not years with the same exercise - and when asked at a clinic if they had practiced at home, inevitably the answer is no. Be it because they ‘didn’t want to muck it up’ or simply because consciously or subconsciously we avoid the things we aren’t good at - after all when we ride and only focus on what we and the horse are good at - its a pretty good ride! The trouble with that is, that without working on the stuff we aren’t good at, it never gets better, and at some point our progress comes to a stop.


Progress is the mother of motivation, and so when we feel we are no longer progressing, our level of enjoyment drops, and our ‘comfort zone’ again becomes less comfortable.


Take a few minutes to list your top 3 and bottom 3 - the 3 things you are great at with your horse, and the 3 that need the most work. This will help to shape your lesson plan over the coming months.


Happy trails,
Tk xo