The rider's mental preparation

Everything that happens to us is directly linked to the way we think.
Awareness of this aspect is indispensable to making progress. The rider’s mental preparation is therefore a priority. Don’t imagine that this is a complicated matter. Everyone undergoes mental preparation even in everyday life. You think you are going to do this or that and you do it. Simply walking the course, for example, is already part of one’s mental preparation.
In the introduction to this book, we have observed the evolution of methods used for teaching riding. From the military method with “blows and injuries”, we moved on to the stage involving “100 % technique”:
the physical aspects, the position or seat. Today the aspect we address is above all attention to harmony of the body and mind. We are in search of another form of riding, allowing each individual to express his profound being, without cheating oneself and developing our qualities without blaming ourselves for our weaknesses.
I am not a preacher. Like everyone else, I still have many faults, but everyday I work on them to improve. We are all exactly what we are at the present moment, what matters is to remain aware of progress made.
Fears, disquietudes, anxieties… each person needs a good knowledge of himself, and needs to seriously analyse his mental state (...)