the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLS, and Haime has counseled athletes in a variety of other sports—golf, tennis and equestrian. In Ride Big, the focus is on building equestrian confidence. Several top professional athletes from an array of equestrian disciplines are featured, including Gold Medalist jumpers Beezie Madden and McLain Ward, Olympic Gold Medalist eventer Michael Jung, Gold Medalist dressage rider Laura Tomlinson, professional reiner Casey Deary and professional polo players Fred Mannix and Jared Zenni. Haime offers an easy-to-implement system proven to grow rider confidence and unlock your performance potential. What follows is an excerpt from Ride Big: Prep Up! I wish I could tell you there is a magic system to help you be as prepared as you need to be to maximize all of your abilities, but the truth is, there really isn’t. Preparation is the state of being ready for something that will happen or the actions you take to become ready. Having the privilege of assisting the world’s best athletes and helping them prepare to be their best, I have come to one conclusion: There are so many different ways and approaches to get ready. You must develop the one that works best for you. Each equestrian prepares in his or her own unique way. For example, some equestrian athletes love to get to the barn early before a competition and take in 42 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
all of the atmosphere. They might sip on a beverage, talk to the grooms, get their tack ready, and just generally spend time around the barn. Other equestrian athletes get to the barn just in time to get their tasks done to get ready for the day. Some like to talk a lot; others like to quietly listen to music. Some like to spend time around the competitive environment and take it all in, watching others and taking lots of time to warm up. Some want to arrive shortly before the competition and don’t spend a lot of time warming up. So, what is the lesson for you in all of this? Preparation is highly personal. You may have thought there might be one way that is better than the others—something a worldclass rider might do that others should do. But all equestrians are different and need to pay careful attention to what helps them perform their best. I have seen lots of great equestrians take completely different approaches to preparation. The right approach for the right rider will contribute to knowing you’re ready. Confidence and Riding Big are the result. This is again where you turn things back to Self-Discovery. Know exactly what works for you and own it. Jared Knows What Works for Him Jared Zenni is a top, developing high-goal professional polo and Team USPA player. He is a great example of an equestrian athlete with a very personal preparation routine who understands what works for him. Each time Jared plays, he works his way through the same routine to give himself the best opportunity to be ready. “For me, if we are playing earlier in the day, I start about four hours before,” he says. “I have a very specific routine that I have modified over time, and I know it works for me.” Jared says he follows specific steps over the same time period each time: • A light workout—some activation to wake up the body. • Meditation practice for about 30 minutes to get his mind ready and center himself. • Have a meal and relax. • Arrive at the field about 90 minutes early. • Go to the trailer to see his teammates and horses. • Finalize his list of horses and the way he wants to play them that day. • Get to the tent about 70 minutes before game time. • A light jog or stretch about 10 minutes before he jumps on a horse.
