The Psychology of Luck
By April Clay, Psychologist
Horse sport enthusiasts can be as superstitious as other athletes. There are the faithful, and the faithless.
An informal poll of riders from a few different disciplines revealed both camps are alive and well among the equestrian set.
The faithful have their charms and lucky rituals, and swear by their use. They tend to be reluctant to talk about them, whispering their wisdom in hushed tones. The non-believers speak pretty firmly, and sometimes pretty forcefully, about that “silly nonsense”.
Who is right anyway? Can being superstitious hurt or bolster your performance?
What’s Lucky? Your lucky weapon of choice seems to relate to both your horse sport and your personality. Or is that personal quirks?
Western riders have a tradition of superstition, firmly entrenched in cowboy lore. Yellow shirts are shunned, as are eating peanuts in the arena, putting your hat down on a bed and competing with change in your pocket- it might be all you win. And don’t even mention the horrid suggestion of changing a horse’s name (shudder).
Calgary Stampede Rodeo manager Robin Burwash is pretty convinced the hat thing is really a matter of safety, not luck. “You wouldn’t want some big guy coming along and squashing it for you, would you?”.
Six time RMQHA Cowhorse Champion Darren Miller from Colorado is into numbers, among other tricks, although he insists he is not that superstitious. “The numbers 3, 7 and 15 are good. If you see a lot of these on the way to a show, like in highways signs, then that’s good”.
But the yellow shirt thing just may have been de-bunked, thanks to Canadian Dean Brown. Brown of Ontario won the 2003 NRBC championship aboard Tinsel Nic, sporting what he called a “rather loud” yellow shirt. He claims he had no idea he was wearing a potential fashion luck faux pas, until one of his fellow competitors exclaimed “get away from me with that shirt”. Fortunately, he was able to put this distraction aside and nail the winning ride.
English riders are a tougher bunch to pin down. The most infamous purveyor of lucky rituals is well known to many of the veterans of show-jumping. “Mark Laskin, now he did some weird things”, recalled trainer and rider Alan Brand. Indeed, early on in his riding career, while competing on his famous mount Damuraz, Mark was associated with a whole slew of lucky practices. “We had to take two tack trunks to shows full of his lucky stuff”, recalled rider Rodney Tulloch, who used to work for Laskin. “But I hear he is much better now”.
Does “luck” work?
Some riders said yes, like junior rider Kyla Herman. Her practice of riding with change in her pocket came from a good win. “I won a class that day, and then the next day didn’t have change in my pocket and it was terrible. Ever since then, there is always change in my pocket when I ride. It really seems to help”.
Some riders say- no way. Brian Anderson fancies himself “scientifically oriented” and therefore cannot buy into superstition. He said try as he may, he never saw any clear patterns emerging out of lucky practices like wearing a certain shirt. “Superstitious riders are no more consistent than me or anyone else”, he speculated. “That’s just the way it is in this business”.
Anderson may be referring to the gamble inherent in the sport of riding, there is a lot seemingly out of your control. Like the fact that you are saddled (pun intended) with a non-English speaking teammate. Is this extra stress a reason to go pray to the gods of luck?
In short, yes. Riding is one of those sports where you do have many many variables out of your influence: the weather, your horse’s mood that day, the footing, the judge’s personal biases, the course layout to name a few. Using an item or ritual that in effect says to you “its going to be ok, go out there and do it” can effectively clear your mind of worry and get you focused back on the task at hand.
Engaging in a pre-show ritual or carrying something that makes you feel good can go a long way to taming show-ring butterflies as well. If you put your faith in something you have told your brain you have taken care of every thing you can - so lets get on with the riding. This of course is a whole lot more preferable than getting ensnarled in negative self-talk about what might go wrong or how you will perform.
Finally, lucky charms can act as powerful emotional cues. Joan Adler likes to wear a tie pin passed down to her from her father. “He was a very outgoing and positive person”, she reflects, “Sounds strange, but when I go into the warm up ring I feel an aura of 'I belong here' ...a feeling of extreme positiveness.”. Tracy Russell recalls how she came into the possession of her most coveted lucky charm. “My coach at the time Jonathan Asselin gave it to me. It was a crop he carried when he won a big derby class at Spruce Meadows that year. Because it came from my mentor it meant so much to me, I don’t think he even realized how powerful it was”. So if you have an object that reminds you of a good feeling, it can be a bonus. It can help you recreate that emotional state, a sure advantage in the ring.
So there is good news for all you superstitious types: lucky charms and rituals are by and large good for your performance. They enable riders and other athletes to better deal with the uncontrollable, to enter into preferred mind sets, and get in “the zone”.
Can Luck Hurt? There are a few ways superstitions can adversely affect your performance. For example, if you tend to use elements in your ritual that are beyond your control. So if you think being last in the ring is lucky, you have to rely on whoever draws the numbers. Or if you think your horse has to step out of his stall right foot first you will likely end up causing yourself and your teammate more stress than luck.
Rituals that interfere with others don’t always produce the best results. Even though most riding events are individual in nature, there can be times when lucky practices negatively affect those around you. If you have to be the first one to the warm up ring and so does another rider, that bad energy is not going to be good for either of you. Or, your coach may find your lucky practices interfere with his ability to assist you and others at the competitive site.
Lastly, an over reliance on luck can cause you to inadvertently give away your power and leave you feeling helpless. The most extreme example of this are people who perform such elaborate rituals (like those that suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder) that they become paralyzed. They come to believe more in the ritual or object than they do their own skill, or become so entangled in the length and complexity of their rituals they are unable to perform. A lucky ritual should always have the place of being an adjunct to your own abilities, a reminder or cue. It should also be quick enough to apply in a pinch, when you really need a boost.
Getting Luck on your side If you want to cultivate your luck by investing in the power of charms and rituals, there are a few considerations. Resist the urge to mindlessly buy into some superstition. Decide if you like it and if it makes you feel good. The emotional content of a ritual is what is really important. You can bet that by now the sight of a yellow shirt gets Dean Brown pretty jazzed, and that feeling will have a positive impact on his performance.
Secondly, choose something that is more within your control. Charms work great for lots of people but the thing about them is they can be forgotten or lost. This is just why Calgary based rider Jenn Serek does not engage in lucky practices “I tend to lose all my lucky charms, so I had to give up!” Consider using a ritual that can be applied easily in your own head. Come up with a theme song, repeat a lucky incantation or tip your hat. In the end, it doesn’t really matter if your ritual is turning around three times and clucking like a chicken, if it helps you get into your “game face”, then great (although its impact on your social life may not be quite so predictable).
Finally, recent research suggests that learning the art of being lucky may be possible. This is exactly what psychologist and researcher Dr. Richard Wiseman argues in new book, “The Luck Factor”. He studied those that labeled themselves lucky and unlucky hoping to find the answer to the mystery of luck. He did indeed find that so called lucky people do possess different mental attitudes and behavior. So for example if you practice cultivating your openness to new possibilities, your ability to relax and have flexible expectations, and in general expecting good luck to befall you- then likely you will end up “luckier”.
This seems like pretty sound advice. If you perceive yourself to be fortunate, so shall you be. When it comes to the game of luck, I think of a new spin on Forrest Gump’s words pretty much sums it up: “Lucky is as lucky does”.
By April Clay, Psychologist
Horse sport enthusiasts can be as superstitious as other athletes. There are the faithful, and the faithless.
An informal poll of riders from a few different disciplines revealed both camps are alive and well among the equestrian set.
The faithful have their charms and lucky rituals, and swear by their use. They tend to be reluctant to talk about them, whispering their wisdom in hushed tones. The non-believers speak pretty firmly, and sometimes pretty forcefully, about that “silly nonsense”.
Who is right anyway? Can being superstitious hurt or bolster your performance?
What’s Lucky? Your lucky weapon of choice seems to relate to both your horse sport and your personality. Or is that personal quirks?
Western riders have a tradition of superstition, firmly entrenched in cowboy lore. Yellow shirts are shunned, as are eating peanuts in the arena, putting your hat down on a bed and competing with change in your pocket- it might be all you win. And don’t even mention the horrid suggestion of changing a horse’s name (shudder).
Calgary Stampede Rodeo manager Robin Burwash is pretty convinced the hat thing is really a matter of safety, not luck. “You wouldn’t want some big guy coming along and squashing it for you, would you?”.
Six time RMQHA Cowhorse Champion Darren Miller from Colorado is into numbers, among other tricks, although he insists he is not that superstitious. “The numbers 3, 7 and 15 are good. If you see a lot of these on the way to a show, like in highways signs, then that’s good”.
But the yellow shirt thing just may have been de-bunked, thanks to Canadian Dean Brown. Brown of Ontario won the 2003 NRBC championship aboard Tinsel Nic, sporting what he called a “rather loud” yellow shirt. He claims he had no idea he was wearing a potential fashion luck faux pas, until one of his fellow competitors exclaimed “get away from me with that shirt”. Fortunately, he was able to put this distraction aside and nail the winning ride.
English riders are a tougher bunch to pin down. The most infamous purveyor of lucky rituals is well known to many of the veterans of show-jumping. “Mark Laskin, now he did some weird things”, recalled trainer and rider Alan Brand. Indeed, early on in his riding career, while competing on his famous mount Damuraz, Mark was associated with a whole slew of lucky practices. “We had to take two tack trunks to shows full of his lucky stuff”, recalled rider Rodney Tulloch, who used to work for Laskin. “But I hear he is much better now”.
Does “luck” work?
Some riders said yes, like junior rider Kyla Herman. Her practice of riding with change in her pocket came from a good win. “I won a class that day, and then the next day didn’t have change in my pocket and it was terrible. Ever since then, there is always change in my pocket when I ride. It really seems to help”.
Some riders say- no way. Brian Anderson fancies himself “scientifically oriented” and therefore cannot buy into superstition. He said try as he may, he never saw any clear patterns emerging out of lucky practices like wearing a certain shirt. “Superstitious riders are no more consistent than me or anyone else”, he speculated. “That’s just the way it is in this business”.
Anderson may be referring to the gamble inherent in the sport of riding, there is a lot seemingly out of your control. Like the fact that you are saddled (pun intended) with a non-English speaking teammate. Is this extra stress a reason to go pray to the gods of luck?
In short, yes. Riding is one of those sports where you do have many many variables out of your influence: the weather, your horse’s mood that day, the footing, the judge’s personal biases, the course layout to name a few. Using an item or ritual that in effect says to you “its going to be ok, go out there and do it” can effectively clear your mind of worry and get you focused back on the task at hand.
Engaging in a pre-show ritual or carrying something that makes you feel good can go a long way to taming show-ring butterflies as well. If you put your faith in something you have told your brain you have taken care of every thing you can - so lets get on with the riding. This of course is a whole lot more preferable than getting ensnarled in negative self-talk about what might go wrong or how you will perform.
Finally, lucky charms can act as powerful emotional cues. Joan Adler likes to wear a tie pin passed down to her from her father. “He was a very outgoing and positive person”, she reflects, “Sounds strange, but when I go into the warm up ring I feel an aura of 'I belong here' ...a feeling of extreme positiveness.”. Tracy Russell recalls how she came into the possession of her most coveted lucky charm. “My coach at the time Jonathan Asselin gave it to me. It was a crop he carried when he won a big derby class at Spruce Meadows that year. Because it came from my mentor it meant so much to me, I don’t think he even realized how powerful it was”. So if you have an object that reminds you of a good feeling, it can be a bonus. It can help you recreate that emotional state, a sure advantage in the ring.
So there is good news for all you superstitious types: lucky charms and rituals are by and large good for your performance. They enable riders and other athletes to better deal with the uncontrollable, to enter into preferred mind sets, and get in “the zone”.
Can Luck Hurt? There are a few ways superstitions can adversely affect your performance. For example, if you tend to use elements in your ritual that are beyond your control. So if you think being last in the ring is lucky, you have to rely on whoever draws the numbers. Or if you think your horse has to step out of his stall right foot first you will likely end up causing yourself and your teammate more stress than luck.
Rituals that interfere with others don’t always produce the best results. Even though most riding events are individual in nature, there can be times when lucky practices negatively affect those around you. If you have to be the first one to the warm up ring and so does another rider, that bad energy is not going to be good for either of you. Or, your coach may find your lucky practices interfere with his ability to assist you and others at the competitive site.
Lastly, an over reliance on luck can cause you to inadvertently give away your power and leave you feeling helpless. The most extreme example of this are people who perform such elaborate rituals (like those that suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder) that they become paralyzed. They come to believe more in the ritual or object than they do their own skill, or become so entangled in the length and complexity of their rituals they are unable to perform. A lucky ritual should always have the place of being an adjunct to your own abilities, a reminder or cue. It should also be quick enough to apply in a pinch, when you really need a boost.
Getting Luck on your side If you want to cultivate your luck by investing in the power of charms and rituals, there are a few considerations. Resist the urge to mindlessly buy into some superstition. Decide if you like it and if it makes you feel good. The emotional content of a ritual is what is really important. You can bet that by now the sight of a yellow shirt gets Dean Brown pretty jazzed, and that feeling will have a positive impact on his performance.
Secondly, choose something that is more within your control. Charms work great for lots of people but the thing about them is they can be forgotten or lost. This is just why Calgary based rider Jenn Serek does not engage in lucky practices “I tend to lose all my lucky charms, so I had to give up!” Consider using a ritual that can be applied easily in your own head. Come up with a theme song, repeat a lucky incantation or tip your hat. In the end, it doesn’t really matter if your ritual is turning around three times and clucking like a chicken, if it helps you get into your “game face”, then great (although its impact on your social life may not be quite so predictable).
Finally, recent research suggests that learning the art of being lucky may be possible. This is exactly what psychologist and researcher Dr. Richard Wiseman argues in new book, “The Luck Factor”. He studied those that labeled themselves lucky and unlucky hoping to find the answer to the mystery of luck. He did indeed find that so called lucky people do possess different mental attitudes and behavior. So for example if you practice cultivating your openness to new possibilities, your ability to relax and have flexible expectations, and in general expecting good luck to befall you- then likely you will end up “luckier”.
This seems like pretty sound advice. If you perceive yourself to be fortunate, so shall you be. When it comes to the game of luck, I think of a new spin on Forrest Gump’s words pretty much sums it up: “Lucky is as lucky does”.
Want more luck and more toughness? Try the Resilient Rider Online Course today! More confidence? The Confidence Factor. Need to fear bust? Riding Through Fear. Go to www.outofyourmindcourses.com for more information