The Psychology Of Riding Performance

Intrinsic motivation, part 7

- Dr Lizzie Harrison

If you want to excel at anything, you have to learn how to manage your thoughts and feelings, both the good and the bad. Excellence is not normal or natural, and cultivating excellence in anything requires hard work and sacrifice. Physical talent is not irrelevant, but it is less important than self-discipline and mental strength. This is to say that, if you want to excel in riding, natural talent will certainly help you out, but it won’t get you all the way there. To really succeed, you are going to need to get into the right headspace and have the right attitude towards training and competition.

In this series, we look at the neuroscience and psychology underlying high performance and discuss ways in which you can use your knowledge of these elements to your advantage. In this article, we examine motivation and why getting an understanding of it can help you to perform better.

WHY MOTIVATION?

Sustained effort and practice require motivation. Motivation is what gives us the energy to stay committed and to keep going back day after day.

SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY