What can Event riders teach businesses about overcoming adversity?

Ginny Howe, our sponsored Event rider, had a great start to her 2018 season last week. Despite the recent challenging weather conditions and the cancellation of her first planned event of the season, Ginny ran three horses at Oasby Horse Trials in the Intermediate section. Two of those horses (Cruise on Inny and Trendy Captain Clover) placed in the top 10.

Preparing for the Eventing season at this time of year does not come without it's challenges. Trying to keep horses fit for competitions can be a nightmare, particularly with the weather ranging from Siberian snow to torrential rain and flooding within a matter of days! But continuing in the face of adversity is often what Event riders do best.

In difficult situations, what could we learn from Event riders?

Forbes magazine, explains five powerful steps to overcoming adversity:

• Remember the overarching goal you hope to achieve- recognise the benefits of accomplishing the objective dramatically outweigh the negative situations that you may encounter.
• Seek assistance from others- wise entrepreneurs know that they can’t win the battle alone. Similarly, even top riders still continuously seek advice from coaches and other riders.
• Maintain a positive attitude- in both business and sport, if you love what you do then you choose to not let negative thoughts overrun your work and you view the future with a positive attitude.
• Keep your composure- successful businessmen and woman keep their composure and do not panic in the face of adversity. Much like successful athletes, as there will always be another day.
• Try, try and try again- quite literally ‘get back on the horse that threw them’. Don’t quit or give in, consider the lessons learnt and how they can improve for the future.

When you next find yourself in a challenging situation, why don’t you give these five steps a try? Let us know how you get on.

Hopefully Ginny’s preparation will get easier as the season goes on – we’ll follow her progress in the coming months and maybe join her at an event or two as well.

Good luck Ginny, wishing you (and your horses!) all the best.