How do I handle show-time nerves? How do I get myself to perform with consistency? How do I cope with my overbearing trainer? How do I recover my confidence after a bad fall? Until Dr. Janet Edgette began addressing these issues in the pages of Practical Horseman magazine, most equestrians were left to struggle with them on their own. Now, with this book, you can have concentrated and specific advice that will help you win the riding "head game."
Heads Up! addresses all the issues that face riders at every level of the sport, from the weekend pleasure rider who just needs enough confidence to venture farther from the barn, to the elite Grand Prix competitor trying to relax before a big event. With a special section on managing interpersonal relationships in the context of one's favorite sport, Heads Up! presents a comprehensive program that all riders can employ again and again to resolve the issues that interfere with enjoyment and performance.
Dr. Janet Sasson Edgette is an equestrian sport psychologist and child/adolescent psychologist practicing in the western suburbs of Philadelphia. She is author of Heads Up!: Practical Sports Psychology for Riders, Their Families, and Their Trainers and The Rider's Edge: Overcoming The Psychological Challenges Of Riding. Janet was a consulting sport psychologist and columnist forPractical Horseman magazine for eight years, and has spent the last twenty five years developing a philosophy of performance enhancement that departs radically from traditional notions of relaxation and imagery in favor of a permissive approach that allows people to accept their internal experiences and ride well in spite of anxiety, self-doubt, or negative thinking.
Janet's work has been featured in USDF Connection, Horse and Rider, Hunter & Sport Horse, Horse Illustrated, Western Horseman, The Morgan Horse, Quarter Horse Journal, Turn, The Chronicle of the Horse, and AHSA Horse Show, among other magazines. She also has spoken for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, American Horse Shows Association, Virginia Horse Shows Association, International Centered Riding Symposium, American Hunter-Jumper Foundation, United States Combined Training Association, American Riding Instructor's Association, American Morgan Horse Association, and the American Saddle Horse Association.
Janet is an accomplished hunter/jumper rider who competed successfully as a junior under the tutelage of Wayne Carroll. She has since trained for periods of time with such excellent instructors as George Morris, Chris Kappler, Neal Shapiro, Mark Leone, and Emil Spadone. Janet continues to ride and show, and currently competes in the jumper divisions. You can find out more about her by visiting her website, janetedgette.com.
