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36 ja n ua r y/ f e b r ua r y 2 015 U n tac k e d higher, faster, stronger, better. ey're the most natural goals for any competitive rider at the start of the new year. But all too often, one step forward can equal two steps back. how exactly do you know when the time is right, and how do you ensure your best chance at success once you make the leap? Before he took over as head coach of the land rover u.s. eventing team in late 2012, david o'Connor already had a proven track record of implementing progressive structure. An individual olympic gold medalist himself, he also coached the Canadian eventers to a surprise team silver at the 2010 Alltech fei world equestrian games and united a bitterly divided equestrian community as the first president of the u.s. eques- trian federation, serving from 2004-2012. roughout his career, o'Connor has earned praise for his holistic, methodical approach to training both horses and riders and his ability to turn theoretical concepts into concrete objec- tives. And he can help you do the same. First, A Quiz ink you're ready to move up? first, o'Connor says, you need to complete this mental checklist. Better yet, schedule a sit-down with your trainer and discuss it as you would a performance review at work. it's a great opportunity for a swot analysis, pinpointing your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. when you can answer yes—honestly and confidently—to these questions, you've got the green light. ☐ Am I consistent in competition? It sounds simple, but this first, basic step is one many riders ignore or fudge. Being consistent doesn't mean you have to hold yourself back to the point of boredom, nor that you have to be winning every competition you enter. But your comfort level should be rock-solid, and your results record should reflect that. "You need to feel like the level you're doing is very easy," says o'Connor. "You need to be jumping clear and easily doing the speed. when you start a new level, it doesn't mean that you have to beat the speed, but certainly you have to be very comfortable at the speed." ☐ Am I always schooling the level above? The "teach to the test" syndrome is rampant in America, but a true horseman aims to be over-prepared. In fact, these first two boxes are a bit of a chicken and an egg, because it's almost impossible to achieve one without the other. "everybody should always be training at a higher level than what they're competing at," says o'Connor. "if you want to move up from training to preliminary, there's no question— you should be jumping 1.10-1.15 meters [about 3'6"-3'8"] all the time." so bear in mind that if you're considering stepping up in coVEr storY move up AnD KiCK buTT kaT neTZler PHoTo no matter your sport, the decision to move up a level is as much a mental game as it is physical.

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