What do rugby and horse riding have in common? They are both sports.
Rugby and horse riding: like all sports they require a significant commitment and preparation
Practised at a very high level, any sport of any kind requires a significant commitment and preparation – both physical and mental – of the athlete. If it is atypical, it is an interesting parallel that Charlotte Ponsard, Horse Pilot ambassador and cousin of Antoine Tichit; left pillar of the rugby team of the Olympic Castles has proposed us to make… After one of the many victories of the season, the player confided in Charlotte in an attempt to adapt his rugby speech to the riders. If the biggest difference lies in the opposition between collective and individual sport, we will see that the frontier is not so far away…
Game on
To get into a match, players use a short formula with the galvanising effect they will need. “Game on.” It’s a starting point, a signal like the start of a 100 m race. « This term gets us into the game». Do your coaches have an element of language that reminds you of the order before you get on the track? Who has never been reproached for starting out on a lap in a working gallop, the flower with the gun? Maybe a way to adopt the right gallop and maximum concentration before the starting fleas?
How to take a step back after a game?
“Next job. It means “move on”; sometimes it’s a way to to take a step back after a defeat, a collective and/or individual fault for which you can no longer do anything. “In a course like throughout a season, “ making a mistake should not prevent you from moving forward. understanding your mistakes to correct them, yes, but having regrets, no. The next time, the counters will be reset to zero. »
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
Nelson Mandela
We are capable of succeeding
« In sport in general, fear should not overpower motivation. Athletes are always led to be afraid for a while, even if they don’t admit it. Fear is different for each individual.» In the case of riders, it can be an obstacle with a particular profile, an unusual horse, a deadline as a whole… ” We must never forget that if we are there at that moment, it is because we are capable of succeeding. It is important to have a good self-esteem and to know how to define one’s objectives. You have to know how to take your place. If you leave it, someone else will take it. »
In a match or on a course, it’s important to enjoy yourself but that’s not all: 
“you have to imagine yourself winning for the victory to become real.”
In daily life as well as in training, Antoine Tichit insists on self-requirement and therefore the one that will naturally impose itself on teammates – or the horse, in the case of riders. “To be 100% at each training session! This allows them to reap the fruits of their labour at important events. »
So, how far away is this parallel?
“Rigour and mental preparation are the hallmarks of all sports. They give you courage and self-confidence; two essential points to excel in your field. “Conclude the Castrais pillar to whom we wish good luck for the final of the Top 14, this Saturday, June 2! If we see him one day on an obstacle course… We will have to find the horse already !
Photos Credit: S. Moronval – Unsplash – Wikipédia – C. Ponsard
