Niki finds time to ride

By Your Horse

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03 February 2011 17:25

At a third coaching session, Christine was pleased to see that Niki was still on track, not only managing to make time to ride but enjoying her riding again, and ready to end her meetings with Christine.

“Niki needed to make room in her busy life for ‘me time’ to ride,” explains Christine. “Dressage wasn’t the big thing she thought it was for her – when I dug deeper, cantering on a beach was a much bigger tick in the box.

“We’ve focused in our sessions on what Niki needed to do to make changes and reach her goals, not only getting her back in the saddle regularly but practical, important things like getting her family involved in both her riding and her equine and domestic responsibilities, and getting Niki fitter with dog walking and aqua aerobics to help with her riding.

“Because Niki’s work means she has days off in lieu of the weekend, we also agreed that she needed to diary time into her week to ride. There always needs to be some flexibility and this helps when there are any setbacks – Niki was originally hoping to compete in a Prelim test on Ashes but was poorly on the week of the test. She still has riding a test as a goal for the future but the beach riding is clearly now her thing.

“We all have 24 hours in the day – it’s what we do with them that’s important. Attitude is key. A coaching session can help someone decide what’s really important – what the reality is and how they can make best use of any opportunities – but they still have to put it into action.”

Niki was thrilled to have carved outsome time for her own riding but recognised that her goals had changed during coaching. “I still want to do a dressage test at some point but the beach ride was fabulous. I’ve discovered that’s what I enjoy and what I’m going to make time for. I’ve already arranged to go back to Scotland for another beach riding trip soon and I’m planning day trips to local beaches with my niece as well.

“Now I know I can do it. I’m managing to fit in riding twice a week without neglecting other areas of my life but, more importantly, I’m not putting pressure on myself, I’m just enjoying it. I obviously needed a nudge. Christine focuses you and, when you know you’ve got someone to talk to and you’re accountable to them, then things seem to come together.”