Driving home from a lesson or competition, do you think about what you and your horse learned that day, how hard you worked, and how far you progressed? Or do you think about other equestrians and how well you and your horse fared in comparison? Although these thoughts may seem immaterial, they reveal what motivated you to ride the horse or enter the classes you did, and they predict how willing you are to work hard to become a skilled equestrian.
One area of research suggests that, when it comes to learning and performing sports skills, most people are either task-involved or ego-involved. Task-involved equestrians focus on mastering certain tasks. They concentrate on completing courses, improving their positions, and learning new skills. They feel successful when they've given their best effort and seen improvement in themselves and their horses. A task-involved rider works hard to sit deep and keep her legs quiet during a sitting trot and has little interest in comparing her performance to those of others.
Equestrians who are ego-involved, on the other hand, focus on performing and learning skills better and faster than other equestrians do, and aren't as concerned about trying hard and seeing improvement. An ego-involved rider works hard to perform a quieter, more relaxed sitting trot than everyone else does in the lesson or class and feels very successful when she can do so with little or no effort.
So, does one group of equestrians have an obvious advantage over the other? Most of the people who study this stuff nod their heads yes. Athletes who are task oriented usually strive towards long-term goals, enjoy learning and accomplishing things, seek challenging tasks, use effective strategies, work hard, and persist longer--regardless of how good they are. Whereas ego oriented athletes usually have less confidence, get more anxious before competitions, and fret about how well they perform. They rarely see the connection between working hard and developing their talents and are less likely to enjoy (and be satisfied by) their sport.
Don't worry if you show a few subtle signs of ego-involvement on occasion. There are two types of ego-involved people, and one has a lot in common with people who are task-involved. I'll talk about the two faces of ego-involvement in next month's issue.
© 1997 by Johanna L. Harris. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission.
Johanna L. Harris has an M.A. degree in Physical Education, Exercise and Sports Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the editor/publisher of The Equestrian Athlete, a monthly newsletter providing equestrians with exercise and sport science information. You can also reach her at (800) 404-8514. |
