Image credit: Shapero International

On Tues 6th November 2018 I’m doing a demonstration at Rodbaston Equestrian, around my books ‘Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?’ and ‘Horse Massage for Horse Owners’.  The trouble is, even thinking about it makes me nervous!  Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited, and grateful for the opportunity that BHS Shropshire are giving me here.  But I’m used to talking to people on a one to one basis when I’m treating their horse, not standing in front of a crowd of people.  I’ve done demos before, including for BHS North Wales last year and BHS Lancashire (in the snow!) earlier this year, and afterwards, I’m always really glad I did.  But that doesn’t stop the nerves beforehand.

Thankfully, I’m a ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ kind of person, so I know I’ll find a way through.  And I know that nerves are normal in this kind of situation, and that actually if I wasn’t a bit nervous that would be a problem as it would suggest that it didn’t matter that much to me.  A plan, though, on how to make the demo the best I can make it, seems like a good idea towards reducing the nerves (or perhaps not!).

I think the importance of the occasion gets to me too much – to me, this is an opportunity to share the thoughts I’m so passionate about and have spent literally my entire life-shaping.  To others, no doubt, it’s simply an evening out.  Perhaps a little perspective will help me to see more clearly ?

Putting together a schedule for the demo definitely helps.  Know what subject areas I want to cover, and roughly how long I want to allot to each one, improves my confidence that I’ll actually give people the message that I want to give to them.  Of course I know my subject area of brain, pain or training (I literally wrote the book!), but it’s easy to get distracted and waffle on, or to skip over a point and not give it enough importance.  Knowing the subject area most definitely helps though!

I’ve got a good team around me.  Wendy and the others from BHS Shropshire are as keen as I am to make the demo a success, so they’ll be supporting me for their own purposes as well as for my own.  My husband Simon and friend Lizzie will be there with my books and DVDs on the Ethical Horse Products stand (www.ethicalhorseproducts.co.uk), so that people who want to read more about the things we’ve discussed will be able to get their own copy to take home with them.  My sister will look after my young son until we’re home.  My supporters on Patron (www.patreon.com/thehorsephysio) and my social media community (The Horse Physio on Facebook) will spread the word in advance.  I’ve got friends I can learn from about presenting, and who I know will also be there on the night.  All in all, I’m very lucky to have such a great extended family around me.

For me, probably the most confidence giving aspect of this particular demo is that it will be largely practical.  I’ll have horses (probably three) available to me, so that I can show you what I’m talking about when I’m explaining (for example) how a difference in the ability to do a carrot stretch to the left compared to the right can be related to your horse working better on one rein than the other.  I can use stroking a horse to help me take a pause every so often, to bring me back to the present moment, to feeling as much as thinking.  And I have no doubt that somehow, at some point, each horse will in some way steal the show at some point, which gives me a breather!

I wonder whether making a plan could help you to overcome any nerves you have around your horse?  Seeing the situation from a different perspective can be really helpful.  Knowing what you want to achieve is a proven technique towards achieving a goal.  Having the right support team around you is vital.  And of course, taking the time to listen to and simply to be with your horse can totally change how you feel about the situation.  I hope this helps you, even just a little.  Our time with our our horses is limited and precious, and it’s better when we can relax and enjoy it.

If you’re interested in tickets for the demo, they’re available from the BHS website here: http://www.bhs.org.uk/enjoy-riding/events-and-competitions/events/regional/west-midlands/2018/nov/6-nov-2018-brain-pain-or-training and from the FB here: https://www.facebook.com/events/490178468155491/.

Sue Palmer is an ACPAT and RAMP registered Chartered Physiotherapist specialising in recognising and resolving performance problems in horses.  You can find out more about Sue and her work atwww.thehorsephysio.co.uk, join her community on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thehorsephysio, find her on FB at The Horse Physio and on Twitter @thehorsephysio.