I have heard it being said that sports psychology is the art of stating the obvious and to many the idea that our horse feeds off our emotion state is certainly not a new one. However, the question is, do we give it as much...

I think, as riders, we are all aware of how our emotions impact our behaviour. I imagine that if I were to show a group of riders a silhouette of a nervous rider and one of a confident rider, they would be able to identify which was which purely...

Finding Flow  Have you ever had a ride where you completely lost track of time?  Your horse felt tuned in, your body moved without overthinking, and everything just worked. You weren’t worrying about who was watching or whether you...

When my daughter was younger and learning to tie her shoelaces, it wasn’t me who turned out to be the best teacher—it was my 13-year-old niece. Cognitive scientist Sian Beilock describes this phenomenon as “expert induced amnesia.” ...

Implicit vs explicit learning  In my years as an equestrian coach, I have taught a huge range of riders from a range of different back grounds, from beginners to experienced riders, from happy hackers to competition riders. One conversation I have had...

We all have ups and downs; it's all part of the process. You want to progress, you have to step out of your comfort zone, you step out of your comfort zone there's always going to be a chance things won't go perfectly every time. But whatever the outcome of a...

“If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs you, but your own judgement about it”  Marcus Aurelius  If you have a goal something you are working towards you will enviably face some adversity. We can’t achieve...

Practicing pressure  I think most people would agree with me that the ability to perform under pressure isn't a fixed personality trait but rather something that can be developed over time, like most things, through...

A few weeks ago, I attended with my SEPAR supervisor, an event for referees hosted by the Officiating Growth Hub at the University of Gloucestershire. I had some really great conversations with the referees, and it has given me a lot to...

Have you ever thought to yourself, “If I get to ride at that level, then I’ll be happy,” or “If I compete at that championship, I’ll finally feel like I’m a good rider”? You work hard, push yourself, and eventually reach the milestone you’ve been chasing, only to find...