Mental Aspects Of Competition II

Does the subject of mental preparation apply to horses. First, what in brief, is being discussed? I'll avoid writing a book. Post what comes to mind. In human competition does this involve the following:

personal motivation and ambition, and priority, determination
the individual quality of competitiveness
mental qualities of focus and concentration
the individual quality of accurate perception
intelligence and learning ability

Allow one e.g. of the last--over the course of 60,000 chess games over the last 10 years, has yours truly improved his game? Answer--somewhat, but I make the same lousy mistakes over an over. Why?

With horses add the following:

compliance
happiness, contentment and security with their situation.

We know also that the horse's physical state will dramatically affect its mental, much more so than humans as the horse lacks our mental coping mechanism to get through any temporary discomfort or distress.

Phew! That's a bundle! And the above likely touches on less than half of it. How does any of this apply when our horse gallops midpack along the back stretch of a mile 70 yd. race? Give it some thought, next post.

Training:
Thurs. 7/20: Off
Fri. 7/21: light riderless w/o in heat for 10 min. despite best efforts, late to bed, late to rise and ridiculous situation--given the leg injury-- of locking myself out of bedroom at 1 a.m. Coil the injured tendons through the window to get in, with a 4 ft. drop on the inside, and slight reinjury to point I declined getting on today. Hopefully tomorrow.