The Breeder’s Cup was held last week and it caused me to reflect on some of my experiences counseling jockeys and others who compete in sports which involve horses. Over the years, I have counseled a number of jockeys, cowboys and equestrian riders. Some of these people compete at a very high level.
Because I am an animal lover and someone who is curious about the relationships between animals and people, these patients and these sports have been quite fascinating for me. Jockeys are extraordinary athletes. They are strong, courageous and very skilled. The successful ones are paid well, like other athletes. They work very hard and they put in very long days. Many of them work twelve hours a day, six or seven days a week. These remarkable athletes present an interesting set of psychological, emotional and interpersonal issues when they have called me for counseling.
The issues that they have raised in their conversations with me.
Making the weight can be a source of significant stress. Some of the jockeys resort to vomiting to control their body weight. This bulimic like behavior can cause physical as well as psychological stress.
Interpersonal conflicts with other riders, owners and trainers can be quite stressful for some jockeys.
Losing confidence after a fall or an accident or an injury can shake a rider’s belief in himself.
These kinds of stressors can severely impact a jockey’s confidence and it can make it harder for them to get into the zone when they are aboard a horse.
Most jockeys will also tell you that there is a special relationship and a distinct way that they and the horse communicate with one another. If the jockey is tense, unfocused and loaded with self-doubt, the horse will feel it. This self-doubt will be communicated through the hands of the rider to the horse. This is a dynamic relationship, so the rider will impact the horse and a then uneasy horse will impact the rider. This is not a good situation for someone who earns his or her living by communicating effectively with horses.
I believe that many jockeys probably face the kinds of issues I have outlined above. Counseling can help professional riders to manage these kinds of concerns. As I do with other athletes, I help the jockeys to change behaviors and attitudes in a manner which will allow them and their horses to perform to their fullest potential. The right kind of coaching and mental toughness training can help jockeys to manage stress more effectively and perform better on the track.
By: Jay Granat
Posts Tagged ‘Cowboys’
Sports Psychology For Jockeys – How Can Sports Psychology Help Jockeys?
February 7th, 2010Sports Nudity Bloopers
January 13th, 2010
Who doesn’t love watching athletes making mistakes? The media holds them up as gods and goddesses immaculate in their ways and the more fervent fans literally worship the sneakers they walk in. Some fans take sports too seriously. Other fans watch sports to catch those moments where the athletes are seriously embarrassed.
You can keep your mundane bloopers where the ball bounces of the head of the outfielder or the receiver tumbles into the opposing side’s coach. The bloopers that can be truly harrowing to the athlete are the ones where flesh is shone. The sports nudity bloopers are the most embarrassing form of messing up on the field and each rare moment in which it happens takes egos down several pegs.
The events most likely to produce some sports nudity bloopers are the most physical and intense until something pops out. Men’s soccer has a high probability of revealing more than the black and white checkered balls. Although a game played primarily with the feet, soccer players and not afraid to swing an elbow or grab a handful of shirt in order to seize the ball. Players soon hit the turf and start reaching around for anything on the way down, usually the shorts of the opposing player who while winning the ball pays for it in pride.
Another event infamous for its sports nudity bloopers is the one that claims to be the most manly: rodeo. The self-proclaimed cowboys tie themselves to a horse or bull for some eight seconds, get thrown off, and then have the nerve to talk trash about every other sport out there. Rodeo is the deadliest sport around because the whole idea is to survive several seconds tied to a one ton animal trying everything it can to drive a hoof through your face or a horn through your stomach. When errant horns or a horse’s teeth start ripping clothes, there is no doubt that you have to be nuts to get into rodeo, but you also risk showing the world that not everything is big in Texas.
Women try hardest to maintain grace in sports by wearing sports bras and shorts. The extra support makes the inevitable slip all the more degrading when it happens. Women sweat through their pants in tennis and reveal a lot in gymnastics, but what if you want to see what’s hidden behind the over-engineered, space-age material? Any sport with grappling such as mixed martial arts, judo, and wrestling have a high chance of a shirt getting pulled to the side and something popping out. If you’re aiming to catch a flash, then cheerleading is where to look.
Cheerleaders are notorious for tantalizing the audience. Some teams go so far as to demand members remove their pants before hitting the field and show a bit more than spirit. You might think that wouldn’t count as one of sports nudity bloopers, but I assure you those girls are coerced by peer and coach alike. Shameful and therefore funny.
By: Candis Reade
