I think when people think of equestrian coaches, there is definitely a traditional stereotype: a scary, autocratic, not to be messed with kind of individual, with a booming voice and an ability to intimidate that is almost worn like a badge of honour. I think...

As both an equestrian coach and a sport psychologist in training, I've experienced the coach-rider relationship from several different perspectives. I've been the rider, the coach, and more recently the practitioner supporting...

Do dressage judges play a role in rider motivation? In my professional life I wear three hats: I’m an equestrian coach, a sports psychologist (in training) and a dressage judge. I think we can all appreciate the role of dressage judges in the promotion of correct...

Finding Focus I’ve spoken previously about the concept of flow, often referred to as “being in the zone.” It’s that feeling of being totally immersed in the task, where you experience a loss of self-consciousness and performance feels effortless. This is, of course,...

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...