Bodyzone

MEMORY PLAYS AN IMPORTANT PART IN EQUESTRIAN SPORT, SO IN THE SECOND OF HER NEW SERIES ON BODY TRAINING, ANDREA OAKES LOOKS AT HOW TO DEVELOP ITS POWERS TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE.

Competitors must tackle complex dressage tests and jumping courses, all the while recalling coaches’ instructions and not just remembering but also reacting to the individual quirks of the horse they are riding.

Yet while our minds will often multi-task with ease, as if on autopilot, our memory can also stutter and fail when we need it most. Many of us can relate to drawing a blank on the big day: ‘… and at ‘C’, track left. Or was it track right?’

Like all aspects of performance, however, memory can be developed and improved. By understanding how this very capable tool operates, we can learn how to nurture and prepare it for the season ahead.

To take us on a whistle-stop tour of the mechanics of the memory, chartered sport psychologist Jo Davies (jdpsychology.co.uk) starts with the nuts and bolts.

“Memory is the ability to take information in, to store it and to recall it at a later time – phases known as ‘encoding’, ‘storage’ and ‘retrieval’, she says. “The information we are currently aware of, or thinking about, forms our ‘short-term’ or ‘working’ memory. Many of these memories are retained for just 20-30 seconds and then quickly forgotten, but by consciously attending to this information, perhaps by repeating or writing it down, we can help to encode it to long-term memory.

“Information in our long-term memory is largely outside of our awareness, but can be called into short-term memory (retrieved) as needed.”

Jo explains that we create memories by strengthening existing connections, or growing new ones, between the neurons in our brain. If we fail to store information properly, however, or neglect to dust down memories and to review and rehearse what’s been filed away, things may be forgotten.

There are further levels of complexity, she says. he memory for facts is thought to be a different system, controlled by different brain mechanisms, than the one used for life events,” she says. “Then there is ‘muscle memory’, where we consolidate a specific motor tas into memory through repetition so that it can be performed almost automatically. While retrieving facts and life events typically requires conscious thought, our memory for these well-rehearsed motor skills – such as mounting and dismounting – is unconscious.”

So why does pressure tend to send this clever mental filing system into a spin?

“During times of heightened stress, our adrenal hormones impair both short-term memory and retrieval,” says Jo. “If we are experiencing life stress or competition nerves, we are more likely to forget tests, courses or instructions.

“We can improve our memory in pressurised situations

with a number of simple techniques,” she explains. “The act of writing things down with a pen and paper helps implant the memory and also serves as a reminder. Try jotting down training notes after a schooling session, or annotating a dressage test with ‘buzz words’ to link with certain movements, such as ‘smooth’ or ‘posture’.

“Think about your preferred learning technique, remembering what worked when revising for academic or professional exams,” adds Jo. “That might be writing notes, drawing diagrams or watching videos, or perhaps even physical practice – ‘riding’ the test on foot, for example, around your living room.”

Since we tend to remember something more easily if we attach meaning to it, Jo suggests injecting creativity.

“If there’s a helpful phrase your instructor always uses, you might imagine it in their voice,” she suggests. “Or remember to halt at ‘X’ because you want to show the ‘X factor’. Visualisation can also aid encoding and retrieving, especially if you build in focus points such as ‘breathe’ into free walk, ‘up’ into canter and ‘bold’ in the mediums.”

Whichever method works for you, be prepared to repeat the process.

“It’s likely that you’ll need to go over your test numerous times to encode the information beyond your short-term memory,” says Jo. “With your homework done, you can ride down the centre line with confi dence, nowing that your natural ‘search system’ will work. But remember one last thing – just breathe.”

• Giving yourself ‘permission’ to ride and compete, as a boost to your wellbeing • Avoiding too many long working days, if you can, in the build-up to a show, to reduce mental fatigue • Writing a packing list and a show day timing schedule, and planning a warm-up routine comprising exercises to work through • Prepping your team, explaining to any helpers how they can be most useful and what stresses you out • Using strategies to infl uence your mood, such as chilled music or rhythmic belly breaths.

• Incorporating sources of good-quality protein into your diet, such as meats, poultry, fi sh, eggs, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds • Moderating sugar intake, as an excess amount can negatively affect the area of the brain responsible for learning and memory • Tracking your eating patterns with a nutrition diary or an app such as My Fitness Pal, and setting goals to amend any bad habits • Planning healthy food and snack choices for competition days.

• Limiting unnaturally bright light, from tech gadgets, an hour before bed • Taking a relaxing bath and making a comforting, non-caffeinated drink • Reading, or listening to an audiobook or a meditation app.

• Swapping mindless scrolling on your phone for reading a book, completing a crossword or playing a game such as Scrabble.