Dr. Haefner's Advice
Dr. Haefner's Advice
Dr. Haefner is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Northern Virginia with more than 25 years of professional experience. In his practice, he provides sport psychology consultation, equine facilitated personal and professional development. His blog posts and videos will be free for everyone, while specific questions will be for members only. If you have any questions or requests for topics, please send them to either: admin@MyVirtualEventingCoach.com or info@RidingFar.com
Dr. Haefner's Advice
Dr. Haefner's Blog post # 7: The Plain Of Possibility - Increasing the Probability of Peak Performance
One of the things that many people don’t know about me is that I hold Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. I have always been interested in the scientific knowledge of our natural world and how the insights from advanced scientific study enrich our understanding of ourselves, our horses
Dr. Haefner's Advice
Dr. Haefner's Corner "Ask the Doc", Question # 3
Dr. Haefner's Advice
Dr. Haefner's Blog post # 6: The Importance of Fundamentals
I had the pleasure of auditing the William Fox-Pitt Clinic at Morningside Training Farm last week. While I was struck by many things I heard and observed, the most striking for me was his focus on the fundamentals of good horsemanship. Whether he was working with 3*/4* riders and
Dr. Haefner's Advice
Dr. Haefner's Blog post # 5: Essential Ingredients for Positive Performance States: Discomfort Tolerance
Clients ask me great questions about a wide range of issues. They want to to know how to achieve positive performance states, deal with anxiety, accelerate their learning, regulate their energy, strengthen their motivation, and manage their behavior, just to name a few. It is relatively easy for me to
Dr. Haefner's Advice
Dr. Haefner's Blog post # 4: Are You Ready to Learn?
Are You Ready to Learn? Building a solid psychological foundation in equestrian sport This post was first published in 2013 and remains as relevant today as it was then or eighteen years ago when I first starting talking about the Pillars of Success and helping riders build a solid psychological
Dr. Haefner's Advice
Dr. Haefner's Corner "Ask the Doc", Question # 2
Dr. Haefner's Advice
Dr. Haefner's Blog post # 3: Who is Judging Whom?
How many times have you entered the arena to compete and found yourself obsessing about what someone else was thinking about you? Sure we worry about what the judges think, but we also worry about what almost everyone else thinks. We worry about the judgments of our trainers, other people’
Dr. Haefner's Advice
Dr. Haefner's Corner "Ask the Doc", Question # 1: I struggle when my horse bolts. I go straight to my hand and get in the waterski situation. Is there any way I can train my brain to be quicker to use my seat? (Claire)
Dr. Haefner's Advice
Dr. Haefner's Blog post # 2: Courage
While I understand the importance of "mental toughness," I have never liked the phrase. One problem I have encountered is that it often evokes images of pushing through no matter what, without any consideration of context. In my career as a sport psychologist, I can honestly say that
Dr. Haefner's Advice
Dr. Haefner's Blog post #1: "Why Do You Take Riding Lessons? Don't You Already Know How To Ride?"
Why Do You Take Riding Lessons? Don't You Already Know How To Ride? Recently, I have been following the reports about David O’Connor’s approach to the USEF Eventing High Performance training sessions. It got me thinking about coaching and mentorship and how it relates to attitudes