Equestrian Life – July 2014

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July 2014

TRANSFORM YOUR RIDING WITH SOME PERFORMANCE COACHING
From the Neck Up provides sport and business coaching services to riders, trainers and business owners to enhance performance, remove mental blocks or fears, set goals and create a vision for future development.

From the Neck Up is led by Danielle Olding. Danielle is an experienced business, executive and sports coach who is CIPD qualified and is also a trainer member of the Association of NLP and the International Coaching Federation. She is an NLP Trainer, Master Sports Practitioner and UKCC Level 3 accredited coach with a background in racing and eventing. Her professional background encompasses a range of HR and sales roles and she continues to provide leadership development, executive coaching and performance management services to private and public sector organisations.

Danielle works with grassroots riders; talented professionals who seek to deliver high performance under pressure; those who have suffered setbacks in confidence through an accident, trauma or under-performance; riders with irrational fears or phobias and with many others who simply want to be the best they can be. She works to build consistency, improve focus and concentration and create positive intuitive behavioural responses in riders under pressure to deliver optimum performance.

Popular topics include:
• Building performance consistency
• Improving focus & concentration
• Managing competition nerves
• Removing mental blocks, fears & limiting beliefs
• Building resilience
• Maintaining a positive mental attitude through injury
• Building effective relationships with owners and trainers
• Dealing with stress, performance anxiety or pressure
• Building personal confidence & self-esteem
• Understanding rider motivation patterns & learning styles
• Managing emotional states
• Dealing with warm-ups!
• Developing a positive mind-set
• Preparation strategies
• Managing your Equestrian Business
• Coach, trainer & judge training
• Creating direction, purpose & career goals
• Keeping your brain working under pressure

PERFORMANCE COACHING AT SHEEPGATE EQUESTRIAN
Ten-year-old Lily Payne has recently enjoyed a ridden performance coaching session with Danielle riding her dressage pony. The focus was on helping Lily to feel more confident when riding in a new situation with her very experienced pony as the combination have recently started competing together. In a very short space of time Lily was being guided to focus on her breathing, concentrate on where her eyes were focusing and how she was dealing with her pony when he reacted in a different way to the way that Lily wanted. The relaxation of specific areas in Lily’s body was a major focal point.

The results were clear to see as Lily was transformed from looking rather apprehensive to instantly riding as if she was ready to take on the world! Whatever your issue, Performance Coaching comes highly recommended, you may be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Further details: www.fromtheneckup.co.uk

FORTY-ONE HORSE RESCUE!
Bransby Horses have recently come to the aid of eight horses from a forty-one horse rescue.

Overgrown feet, no access to water and cramped, heavily soiled living conditions alerted the RSPCA to take action quickly. Aggressive, non-understanding owners only added to the problem as they did not want to accept any offered help. The horses were housed at undisclosed premises whilst the owners were tried in court. Bransby Horses agreed to take eight into our care in order to provide more direct care to the horses that were desperately in need of skilled husbandry.

The ponies either had severely overgrown hooves or they were cut back so short it was extremely painful for them to even stand. After receiving emergency treatment from the vet and farrier and made as comfortable as possible, all of the horses are now feeling much more sprightly. The saying ‘no foot, no horse’ could not ring more true and these ponies are very lucky to have been helped when they were.

It would seem the popularity of having more than one equine is on the increase; however, if not managed correctly with financial back-up and routine care, it is easy for the horses’ welfare to begin to diminish.

Ranging from as young as two years old to thirteen, they will now be able to live out the rest of their days without fear of unnecessary pain or suffering. This is a relevant reminder of the five freedoms as highlighted in the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to provide a duty of care to equines.
1) Freedom from hunger and thirst
2) Freedom from discomfort
3) Freedom from pain, injury and disease
4) Freedom to express normal behaviour
5) Freedom from fear and distress

If we can achieve these, our horses can live in happiness and fulfilment and maybe, just maybe, we will one day see the back of these challenging times.

Further information and photographs are available. Contact Sam Waterer on 01427 782870 or at sam.waterer@bransbyhorses.co.uk.



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