Dear Readers,
As Colleen Flanagan says, “Horses can sense and often respond to the emotions of their trainers, grooms, handlers and riders.” Here’s how EFT helped a rodeo competitor clear performance anxiety and shave crucial seconds off her barrel racing time. Email Colleen and visit her website.
-David MacKay
Horses can sense and often respond to the emotions of their trainers, grooms, handlers and riders. Using EFT to clear negative human emotions during practice and before an event can give competition riders the winning edge in rodeo, racing, dressage, polo, horse shows or any equestrian activities.
“Skye” contacted me to clear her performance anxiety in a rodeo event called barrel racing. This part-time cowgirl was also a full-time wife-mom-caregiver with daily responsibilities for the family, horses and ranch house. She said she felt increasingly “afraid of being dumped”. When I asked if she meant her husband divorcing her, she laughed.
“No, I’m afraid my horse Trace will dump me off his back in the rodeo ring. I might break something or get seriously hurt. My family depends on me and I can’t have any injuries slowing me down.”
Skye, in her mid-twenties, had considered retiring but after years of practice and competition, she was at the top of her game with Trace. Barrel racing had been a part of her life since childhood and she wasn’t ready to give it up yet.
Trace had spooked and lost focus during practice two weeks before when the wind blew a wad of paper through the corral as they rounded a barrel. Now every time they’d ridden near that part of the corral, she tensed with apprehension, the horse shied away, and they both lost focus.
Since then, she’d begun “obsessing on what might happen” at severity level 9 or 10. Skye knew that her ongoing nervousness was affecting Trace’s performance and confidence as well as hers, and she needed help.
I asked her to describe any past dumping incidents that led to injuries at any time she’d been horseback riding. She said she couldn’t remember any. She’d never been afraid while riding, even after falling off. I asked her to be aware of any old memories (clues from her subconscious mind) that arose or increased her anxiety while we tapped. We’d then clear those previously hidden core issues.
When Skye had tapped her anxiety to severity level 3, she remembered as a pre-teen she’d been performing in a competition when her horse spooked and bucked her off. Skye hit the ground head first. She’d been bedridden with a concussion and not allowed to ride for a long time. She recalled being very frustrated and resentful of her parents’ riding restrictions. As her emotional level increased to severity 6 merely relating the memories, Skye had an epiphany: “These old emotions are being triggered each time my husband talks about my barrel racing retirement. Oh! I get so upset!”
Skye tapped as she focused on these upsetting memories and marital discussions, encouraged by me to shout out her resentment and frustration when needed. When she felt her painful emotions were clear, I asked her to test the results by thinking of every scenario that upset her moments before. After a thoughtful minute she said, “I know that my parents and husband only want me to stop rodeo-ing because they love me. I accept that, and I don’t feel like they’re trying to control me any more. Whew!”
Skye then visualized herself riding Trace around the barrels and getting “dumped”. She felt no fear or anxiety. “No matter what happens, I’ll know what to do,” she said. “I feel confident with EFT in my saddlebag of skills.”
Skye contacted me several days later to report that she and Trace were back in peak performance mode, calm and focused again. They’d even shaved a few seconds off their barrel racing time. She couldn’t wait until their next rodeo appearance.
Applying EFT to clear doubts and fears after a less-than-perfect performance in any sport is a fast, effective way to regain a winning mindset.
Colleen Flanagan, EFT-INTc / www.EmoRescue.com / Colleen@EmoRescue.com
