How does a match become a peak moment...

You know them, those days when everything is right and everything seems to go by itself. Your horse understands you completely and with two fingers on your nose you ride through the exercises. Only, that's at home...

How can you train for such days to fall precisely on your race day?

Those peak days rarely come ‘out of the blue’. Often there is a pattern to be discovered. And that very discovery is an interesting ‘job’. Here are a few tips.

If you have another top day like that, make a note of what you did the days before and on the day itself. Did your horse have a rest day the day before or not; did you have lessons, did you lunge or did you do something else? For some horses, it is very refreshing to do something different such as an outdoor ride.

I always consciously work towards a competition day. I know that William is riding at his best on the third day, both at home and at competition. But the days before that I do plan the training consciously. For example, the day before the competition I will never ride a lot and often exercises, but work a bit more consciously on ‘the numbers underneath’. But having said that; that may be very different for you as a combination. Measuring is knowing and keep track.

Vary it too: maybe your horse actually needs a rest day before a competition, give it a try! By varying and then keeping track of it, you will find out what is the best preparation for you. You will have to step out of your comfort zone once, but if you do what you always did, you will get what you got! Good luck!