@Peter White I think this is a pretty solid framework, I would give it an order to make it really clear for riders, something like: Before: 1) Practical preparation - lock in the purpose and intent of the exercise. 2) Mental Strategies - consider the thought process and anything that needs some extra attention before beginning. During: 3) Purposeful focus - take away any distractions and direct your attention solely to the task 4) Trust in yourself and your horse After: 5) Reflect and reset - what went well, what lessons were learned

@Peter White you're welcome! You know all this anyway but it's good to hear it from someone else to reinforce it 😎

@Peter White in short, for either situation, for the positive inclined person you can be quite factual in the discussion. For the negative type take the emotional approach

@Peter White To go a little deeper with this, it's always good for the rider to try to take a very clinical look at the situation. This is easier said than done and requires some practice, but in short, if they can mentally 'step away' from the situation for a moment, take a look at the facts, and then make a plan for what comes next, that gives them a far better chance of a successful second round, regardless of how the first round went.

@Peter White 1. That's an ideal way to manage it, and it's not that your focus is split when you're trying to accommodate everyone but when you have to bounce back and forth between roles your brain almost has to 'start again' when you go from one to the other. It makes perfect sense that you now feel like you're more effective. 2. That's a tough one, no matter how mentally strong you are you can't control external factors like uneducated drivers! I certainly miss those quiet country roads I grew up riding on in Ireland, I definitely took that time for granted.

@Peter White It's much the same here in Canada with the roads, fortunately they have some wonderful parks and open spaces but most of the time you have to drive your horses there to get to them

Welcome Peter! And I appreciate each horse for who they are individually, those little troopers who do the schoolhorse job are equally as valuable in my eyes as the expensive sport horses, but I definitely also have my favourites!