HARVARD, MA – For many years, athletes in a wide variety of sports have realized the value of sports psychology to improve their game.  And riders, especially those competing in the dressage arena, are increasingly embracing the idea of equestrian sport being as much an intellectual challenge as a physical one.  A dressage rider’s mental preparation is as important as their horse mastering the correct degree of bend in a shoulder-in or a sequence of flying changes; this understanding of the differences between human and horse mentalities is critical not only when preparing to enter the arena, but also for daily riding and training.
 
On Saturday, April 9, the Dressage Trainers Network hosted “Straight From the Horse’s Mind”, a workshop presented by Gil Merrick, at the Old Harvard Public Library in Harvard, MA.  Merrick’s interactive workshop was geared for the rider who wanted to learn how to further communicate with their horse by achieving a greater understanding of how the horse thinks.  With a full house of thirty attendees and nine major sponsors for the event (including a partnership with the New England Dressage Association’s education outreach program), participants enjoyed a full day of education followed by a wine and cheese reception.  “Gil is a very insightful speaker who has the unique gift of keeping a group’s attention for over eight hours, while providing tools on improving their lives!” noted Joy Bahniuk, organizer of the event and founder of the Dressage Trainers Network.  “We had a group of trainers and students who greatly benefited from this workshop.”
 
Merrick is the former USEF Managing Director of Dressage and a veteran of international corporation management.  As founder of “Mastery ConceptsTM “, he has presented seminars to help riders better balance their lives while both in and out of the saddle for over 15 years.  “The ultimate objective of these courses is to provide riders with insights and tools that enable them to increase the effectiveness of their riding and training and to have a greater sense of fulfillment in their lives,” explained Merrick.  “The seminar material is equally relevant to all participants, whether at Training Level or Grand Prix,  because riders learn how to effectively develop their skills and move from their current level of competency to the next level.  This is the process of ‘mastery’ – ongoing self improvement.”
 
Seminar participants learned that it’s not just the time spent at the barn and schooling dressage movements that ultimately makes a difference.  Success also includes the mastering of non-equine aspects in a rider’s life by recognizing and controlling how the stresses of a family, career, and school can affect their horse’s behavior and achievement of riding goals.  “The whole area of ‘personal development’ for riders and managing their lives during the time away from the horses is an area that is rarely addressed,” explained Merrick.  This idea especially resonated with the seminar participants, including high school student Paulina Sarnik, who received a sponsorship from Dressage4Kids, Inc. to attend the event.  “I realized that when I was with horses, I would be thinking about SAT’s instead,” said Sarnik.  “We as riders cannot expect our horses to not react to our stress that we may bring to the barn with us on any day.   I was expecting a seminar on simply horses, but this experience opened up many doors in my mind that will contribute to success in my equestrian life and outside of it as well.”

For more information about upcoming courses or to inquire about hosting an event, please contact Gil Merrick via e-mail togil@masteryconcepts.com or visit www.masteryconcepts.com.

The Dressage Trainers Network (DTN) is a group of dedicated dressage trainers who work together to further their own and others’ education by exchanging ideas and information about marketing, training and professional growth.  For more information about the Dressage Trainers Network, please contact Joy Bahniuk at www.cadencefarminc.com.