Overcome anxiety about riding in front of other people
I know lots of riders who really struggle to ride their horses when other people are watching. Collecting rings can be the most intimidating places for riders! My favourite advice in relation to this issue is ‘control the controllables’, which I think originated from...
Overcoming anxiety and overthinking around your riding
Are you an ‘overthinker’? If you are, bet the niggly, negative voice in your head never shuts up. I bet it’s filled with a whole heap of ‘what ifs’, ‘shoulds’ and ‘can’t’. Maybe your mind is spinning with those hurtful thoughts like a washing machine on a spin...
What do you want to do?
What do YOU want to do? Not what everyone else thinks you should do. Not what your yard buddies think. Not what your coach tells you. Not what your friends and family think you ought to do. Not what you think you SHOULD do. What do YOU want to do with YOUR horse? ...
So what are you afraid of?
So come on, what are you really afraid of… Falling off? Getting hurt? What other people think? Looking like a fool? Upsetting or hurting your horse? Being out of control? All of the above?? As humans, fear is an entirely natural and important emotion, as it is...
You’re one decision away from being a confident rider
It’s easy to forget, but in any given moment, you can choose to think, feel and act differently. Those stories that you’ve told yourself for years? They’re not real. Lacking self-belief because someone in a position of authority 10 years ago once told you that you...
When you’re a confident rider
When you’re a confident rider, you feel empowered. You can proactively make decisions based on facts, rather than being reactive, emotional and a victim to the circumstances. When you’re a confident rider, you are in control of yourself, your thoughts, emotions and...
What makes a confident rider?
“Confidence is a belief in oneself, the conviction that one has the ability to meet life's challenges and to succeed—and the willingness to act accordingly. Being confident requires a realistic sense of one’s capabilities and feeling secure in that knowledge.”...
6 simple breathing techniques to reduce anxiety and nerves when riding your horse
If you’re a rider who suffers with anxiety or nerves when you're riding your horse or getting ready to ride your horse. I've got some really simple, straightforward techniques around breathing that are going to help you to feel a little bit more relaxed, a little bit...
10 tips for building Rider Confidence
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6 top tips to find the time to get riding this winter
Intro: Hi there, I wanted to talk to you about something I hear and have felt quite a lot at this time of year. We're coming towards the end of January and we're into the depths of winter, which is just the hardest work with horses. I wanted to talk to you about...
Creating Monsters
As freelance coach, I go to a lot of yards, and speak to an awful lot of riders, and there's one thing that I hear repeatedly... people's stories of how horrendous a fall/spook/incident was. Stories are told and retold. Other liveries embellish and describe events in...
Real or Imagined?
Have you ever really thought about how your mind works? The principles of NLP consider there to be two different parts to our minds; the conscious mind, i.e. the logical and rational part, and the unconscious mind, i.e. emotional, contains deeply held beliefs, and...