The event rider – who scored his best five-star result yet at Burghley last year – talks about returning to the top level after losing his mojo, the “chalk and cheese” friend who taught him to breathe across country and making the most of life after losing close friends, in this exclusive interview for H&H subscribers

“Not that I’m saying I’m a top sportsperson, I’m an also-ran,” grins Simon Grieve as he finishes talking about all the elements of sport and business event riders must juggle.

An also-ran? I want to stop him and say no, no, you’re not, you’re much more than that. But on paper, I know what Simon means. He’s started 19 times at five-star and had his best result last season when he finished 18th at Burghley on Autograf. With that profile at 44, it’s unlikely he’s going to win at the top level or ride at the Olympics.

Yet just competing at five-star puts you in eventing’s elite top tier and it is the stalwarts like Simon Grieve who make up the lifeblood of the sport.

“When I was younger I went to Badminton and Burghley and I was inspired. I always wanted to compete there. I always wanted to go and jump a good clear round, be part of the buzz, really enjoy it, but I never dreamt about winning it,” he says, naming eventing vet Tim Randle as an early hero.

“More than the winners, I was inspired by people like Tim, with Legs Eleven, or Helen Bell and Troubleshooter – those sorts, who weren’t super-famous and didn’t win everything, but did quite well. It’s weird, that’s kind of how it’s materialised for me.”

Does Simon want to go and do better at Badminton now, after that Burghley result?

“Of course. I’d love to be top 15, if not top 10 at Badminton – that would be insane. But as long as the horse has gone as well as I hope he can, then we’ve had a great time,” he says.

“It goes back to a conversation on my first day of my first job, with Debbie and Patrick Edmundson. I went hacking with one of their owners. She said, ‘To be honest, as an owner, what I want is to go to an event with somebody I like, watch my horse and hope that it goes as well as it possibly can that day. Then I’m going to have had a great day. And if it wins a prize, then that’s an added bonus.’

“It has always stuck with me that it’s about enjoying it and that’s even more in my head now.”

The road to Burghley 2025

The more five-stars you report, the more you realise it’s not always the winner who has the best story (though Ros Canter’s pregnancy was a pretty good yarn at Burghley). Sometimes, the best stories come from the self-styled “also-rans” and Simon Grieve’s tale of progression to Burghley is a fascinating one.

The background is that after his then most recent five-star in 2021, the Leicestershire rider thought his days of top-level competition were over.

“I thought I’d lost my mojo – I was getting very nervous and I was doing more showjumping, coaching, media, presenting,” he explains.

“I carried on eventing but my attitude changed – before it was very intense and I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. I’ve been eventing since I was 16 and spent most of that time chasing my tail. Doing this as a job is all-consuming and it takes over to the detriment of everything else in your life. My family, my partner’s family, my friends, they’ve all taken a back seat at times, which is not how it should be.”

Autograf (Buster) belongs to his breeder Gerry Torr and her niece Evie Mackel. Initially produced by Samantha Hobbs, he had stints with a few different riders “because he was a bit tricky at times” and then competed with Evie. When she went to university, Gerry rang Simon Grieve and asked him to showjump him to improve that phase, with a view to selling him. One thing led to another “and all of a sudden we were qualified for five-star”.

In the spring last year, Simon headed to Thoresby for the CCI4*-S.“I was going down to the cross-country on Sunday with Buster and I was really nervous. I came out of the start box being quite drippy and didn’t jump through the first water very well. And then he had a run-out, which is unlike him. We came back to the water, he jumped in amazingly and jumped the first corner, but I was pulling and not riding well at all.

“So I pulled out of the second corner. I was like, ‘You are not even going to try that as you’re riding like an absolute moron.’ So I retired and thought, ‘You’ve lost it mate, you can’t do this anymore’.”

Deflated on the way home, Simon realised that he had driven for 12 hours over the previous four days, as well as teaching non-stop the previous week. He was exhausted. He also hadn’t had much training recently.

“I know I need help with the dressage but I thought I knew what I was doing with the jumping phases, but it obviously wasn’t working. And I also thought, ‘Your mindset’s rubbish, so let’s speak to a sports psychologist’.”

He booked a session with Chris Bartle, which ended up being with Chris and Ros Canter, and with sports psychologist Charlie Unwin.

“I hadn’t spoken to Charlie Unwin before, though I did go to school with him and he gave me lines once when he was a prefect,” he remembers with a smile.

In the week before his next big event, at Burnham Market, Simon didn’t teach, focusing instead on his headspace.

“And honestly, it was a revelation. I was a completely different person. I was confident. I was happy. I was really looking forward to it. I enjoyed the whole weekend and the horse went brilliantly.

“Performance is like an onion – there are so many layers to it.”

He cavorted through the summer with a string of good results.

“I rode really well – and that’s another thing, I’m trying to change my vocabulary, because I’m so good at being negative about myself. I’m trying to be like, ‘Actually, I did a good job,’” he says.

When he was at Burghley, he spoke to mindset coach Evie Llewellyn-Smith on cross-country morning: “But to be honest, I’d already got my head in the right place,” he says. “There have been multiple times at five-stars when I’ve wondered on Saturday morning how I can withdraw without looking really stupid, but this time, I literally couldn’t wait. I was really excited about the whole prospect. But it was the most prepared I’ve ever been for a three-day event.”

He jokes at one point that this article might just be “a list of people who’ve helped Simon Grieve” and names a group of friends who were at Burghley in Marie Osborne – “one of my best friends who’s a psychologist who works with young offenders” – showjumper Josie O’Leary and Alison Leonard.

“I also speak to Izzy Taylor most days. We’re like chalk and cheese – I help her with social media and she helps me with focus. I said to her, ‘When I’m at a big event, I get to halfway and I start to do random things and get defensive and don’t ride as well as I can.’ And she pointed out, ‘You’re not breathing enough and you’re basically starving your brain of oxygen and therefore you can’t function as well.’

“So she said, ‘When the starter says ‘one minute’, I want you to take as many deep breaths as you possibly can.’ So I was hyperventilating approaching the start box at Burghley.

“And then she said, ‘When you’ve got a long gallop, do the same thing.’ I spoke to my mindset coach about that and she did a little hypnotherapy session to try to remind me to do it.

“As a result, I was a lot more focused all the way and I’m hugely proud of our Burghley round, it’s just how I imagine cross-country to be. My horse had his ears pricked the entire way and I was loving it.”

Simon Grieve: ‘Life’s so bloody delicate’

Simon Grieve’s attitude has also been shaped by losing friends, including Caroline Moore. He says: “It makes you realise that life’s so bloody delicate and fragile and we’re not here for long. Caroline was amazing at getting us to go and do things and not feel guilty about it – she was always saying there’s more to life than horses.

“She said she had a massive wobble when she was first diagnosed with cancer and bawled her eyes out and then was like, ‘Come on, let’s make the most of what we’ve got here’. We went skydiving, gliding, ziplining, we climbed Snowdon.”

Those adventures encouraged Simon to do more hiking, including the Three Peaks Challenge, climbing the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales in 24 hours, which he used to raise awareness of suicide prevention.

“My farrier and friend took his own life and I always felt bad that I didn’t check up on him,” he says. “So I made up a little campaign called #LetThemKnow. I did a video for my followers and said, I’m doing this challenge and rather than giving money, what I’d like you to do is look through your phone contacts, find somebody that you haven’t spoken to in a while or the last time you saw them you thought were a little bit flat and then message them and let them know you’re thinking of them or that they’re special.”

In 2024, he climbed Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso for the British Eventing Support Trust.

“After three days on each, we got back to the bottom of Mont Blanc and went out for a celebratory meal. The next morning I left at 3am and flew to Gatwick, drove straight to Hickstead, met Drumbilla Metro there and did the trot-up.

“The steward asked, ‘Why are you so lame?’ – because coming down mountains is really bad for your knees. I said, ‘I climbed Mont Blanc yesterday.’ She thought I was completely insane. And then I did the speed derby and finished eighth.”

What a story. And Simon Grieve has a gift for the way he tells it, which is no doubt helpful in his other career, because he’s a popular media presence as well as being a five-star rider and coach.

He presents for Horse & Country TV, on the Shut Up and Ride podcast and at events, as well as having a YouTube channel with 16,000 subscribers. In January he rode Becky Moody’s Jagerbomb at a podcast tour date and he has some “road to Badminton” lecture demos coming up, alongside high-profile grassroots rider Megan Elphick.

With all his other commitments, Simon Grieve doesn’t want many more than the eight horses currently in work at his yard in Wymeswold, Leicestershire. Among them are Best Escapade, who went to the seven-year-old World Championships at Le Lion last year, his year-older half-brother Best Trick – both owned by The Best Syndicate – and six-year-old Pemmely, as well as Patricia Pytches’ Golden Recipe, who previously competed at five-star with Matthew Heath.

“The yard belongs to the Shields family and it has everything I could possibly need,” says Simon, who lives a 45-minute drive away with his partner, shepherd James Horswell.

“It’s a lovely house… I’m just not here that much,” he says. “It’s a good thing James is independent. I’ll say, ‘I’m leaving at 3am to go to an event’ and he’s like, ‘OK cool, have a nice time.’ Because of his background with animals he understands, and when it comes to lambing, the hours are unsociable.”

Climbing Mont Blanc, completing five-stars, the speed derby, 3am starts, being behind the mic, riding an Olympic dressage horse – if being an event rider is about being able to succeed at lots of different things, Simon Grieve’s definitely a winner, not an also-ran.

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The ideal warm-up will be perfectly executed to produce success in the ring – but horses aren’t machines. Ellie Hughes finds out how to cope when the warm-up throws you a curveball in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

As hard as we might try, not all warm-ups go to plan – and some go really wrong – even for the elites of our sport. Becky Moody and Jagerbomb were minutes away from dancing into the main arena at last year’s London International Horse Show when the big bay stepped one foot onto another and wrenched off a shoe.

“One of the founding principles of sport psychology is to control the controllables, and I’m not sure pulling off a shoe falls into that category,” says Becky, reflecting on the moments leading up to their grand prix test.

By the time the shoe had been nailed back on the pair barely had time to draw breath. But, cool as cucumbers, they went on to deliver a plus-75% score and take third place.

No matter how well-honed your warm-up routine, sometimes a crisis can unfold when you least expect it. From lost shoes and practice-fence tumbles to weather disruptions and tack malfunctions, there are myriad ways your last-minute preparations can go pear-shaped. How do top riders deal with these glitches? And how can you minimise the impact of a crisis on your own performance?

Becky was given the option to slot in at the end of the grand prix class, but decided against it.

“I didn’t think that would have suited Bomb either. I was happy with my decision even though our normal routine went out the window and I knew it wouldn’t be our best test,” she explains. “Usually, I get on 45 minutes beforehand and give him a couple of breaks. The last 15 minutes is important as he doesn’t naturally rev himself up ready to go into the arena – I have to do it for him – and we missed that window.”

Keeping a cool head when warm-ups go wrong

Having the mental strength to deal with glitches takes practice, which is why professional riders, who have years of experience to fall back on and are generally well-versed in sports psychology, can keep a clear head when circumstances conspire against them.

Hickstead Derby winner Trevor Breen recalls a particularly eventful warm-up while preparing for a five-star ranking class at Gijon, in Spain, several years ago.

“The horse I was riding completely misjudged a practice fence and we both ended up clean upside down,” he says. “We had to dust ourselves off and more or less go straight in and jump round a 1.55m track. Amazingly, we jumped clear. Situations like that are never ideal, but these things happen and you need to try to stay calm and not panic.

“If something goes wrong it’s always worth speaking to the steward to see if they will give you a little more time,” he says. “Most are very accommodating and will allow you to take a moment and jump a couple more fences if you need to. If things aren’t going to plan you need to stop, take a breath and work out what you need to do to be able to go into the ring in a confident place.”

Equestrian mindset and performance coach Janine Lamy explains that it is important to have a mechanism of recovery to get you back on track if necessary, and explains some of the tools and techniques that can help.

“The warm-up is the place where your mind can wander as there is so much else going on,” she says. “Horses tend to mirror our energy and nervous system, so it’s important to stay as grounded and present in the moment as you possibly can.

“Slowing your breathing and using grounding techniques, like feeling your hands or massaging your earlobe, can work well,” she continues. “Like anything, you need to have practised these to find out what works for you. The idea is that you activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which tells your brain to communicate with your body so that you can respond to a situation, not react to it.”

If another rider falls off in the warm-up area, for example, and there’s a loose horse causing chaos, it is important to be able to redirect your focus back quickly onto you and your horse.

“The really good riders have tunnel vision,” continues Janine. “They have a blueprint of what they want to achieve and a process they need to go through to get themselves there.

“You need to ask yourself whether you can have a positive influence over a situation and if you can’t, then you need to let it go.”

International event rider Storm Straker was given little choice in the matter when she hit the deck over a practice fence moments before starting the cross-country at Ballindenisk CCI4*-L in 2024.

“I decided to string a line of fences together as my final prep, but my horse was distracted by something, left a leg and I went straight out the front door,”

she recalls. “We were both fine, but Fever Pitch galloped off back towards the stables, my air jacket had gone off and before I knew it, I was being marched off to see a doctor. I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to start.”

Storm was eventually given the all-clear and ultimately went on to secure her first win at the level.

“In hindsight, it was probably a good thing I didn’t have too much time to think about the fall as it made me ride in the moment,” she says. “Once I was allowed back on board, I jumped the fence that I fell at, so that I could put that behind me, but then I just had to trust that Fever Pitch would do his job. We both knuckled down and went on to have a brilliant round. I would say the fall sharpened us up.”

The uncontrollables

The weather is something that is completely outside your control and yet may exert a considerable influence over your warm-up. Former World Class performance manager Yogi Breisner recalls day two of the eventing dressage at the London 2012 Olympics when a monsoon-like thunderstorm descended on Greenwich Park moments before British team member Tina Cook was due in the ring.

“There was no better person to have to deal with a difficult situation than Tina because she was so cool, calm and collected,” he recalls. The competition was held briefly to allow the worst of the storm to pass over, leaving those in the collecting ring completely drenched and with their carefully considered warm-up routines disrupted.

“We had prepared our horses the best we could for the challenge of a home Olympics – during team training we had even bussed in some local school children to wave banners and flags to try to recreate a bit of the atmosphere – but we couldn’t control the weather,” he continues.

Yogi explains that although it is crucial to have a warm-up plan, it is also important to be able to adapt it.

“It is always worth looking at the weather forecast because that might dictate how long you warm up for,” he says. “If it is very wet or very hot, you might not want to spend as much time on board before your test. If it’s very cold you will likely need an exercise blanket, so make sure you have someone on hand to help take it off.”

Taking care of the factors that are within your control will leave you more able to deal with other issues should they arise.

“Sometimes there is more than one warm-up area, so do a recce before you ride and make sure you know where you need to be at what time, and also where the steward is,” advises Yogi. “Both you and your groom should locate the farrier in advance and know where to find spare tack, so you’re not wasting more time than is necessary if the worst happens and you lose a shoe or have a tack malfunction.

“At a championship we make sure the only people in the warm-up are the ones who are part of a rider’s close team,” he adds. “This helps minimise the chance of outside distractions and helps riders focus on what’s most important.”

Ultimately, that means peaking in the ring itself. While the warm-up is designed to set you up for success, a bad dress rehearsal can still lead to a polished show.

Can warm-ups go too well?

Psychologically, having to deviate from the best laid plans just before a big moment can be unsettling. But what happens when plan A goes too well and you feel your horse has peaked too early? This was exactly the conundrum last year’s Burghley runner-up Austin O’Connor faced before his dressage test on Colorado Blue. Fifteen minutes before his test, Austin hopped off and rolled up his stirrups.

“I’d already worked ‘Salty’ in the morning and had gone up to the warm-up 25 minutes before my test,” recalls Austin. “After about 10 minutes he felt great and was exactly where I wanted him to be.

“It wasn’t the plan at all to get off, but at that moment I felt he was exactly at the point where I wanted in the ring. If I’d have stayed on board I would have been tempted to carry on working him, which could’ve led to him being over the top. I took a gamble and jumped off so we could both just take a breath.

“At this level, with an established horse like Salty, it’s all about fine lines and small margins. I knew I was taking a bit of a risk getting off and if it hadn’t worked out I’d have looked like a bit of an idiot, but fortunately for me it did and we went in and did a great test.”

The duo went on to record a personal best five-star dressage score of 27.8.

More examples of top warm-up recoveries

Champion unshipped at Dublin Horse Show

Germany’s former world eventing champion Sandra Auffarth, who is now a top-draw showjumper, was unshipped from Quirici H in the warm-up just before her first round in Nations Cup showjumping at Dublin Horse Show in August 2025. She was permitted to take a little extra time to recover, so jumped a couple of horses later than the original running order, and went on to record an impressive clear round, ultimately helping Germany to second place.

A snapped stirrup at Boekelo

New Zealand five-star eventer Amanda Pottinger suffered a snapped stirrup iron while warming up for cross-country at the final leg of the FEI eventing Nations Cup series at Boekelo on Good Timing.

“It’s part of the sport – there are pressured situations and things don’t always go to plan,” she said at the time. “You learn to adapt to get the job done.”

Testing the nerves before Blenheim Europeans gold

Moments before she was due to canter down the centre line at the 2025 European Eventing Championships, eventual individual gold medallist Laura Collett had to contend with her often comedic partner, London 52, trying to scupper her last-minute prep by grabbing the bit and trying to run off.

“He does test the nerves in that respect,” she said afterwards.

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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They say growth begins at the edge of your comfort zone, but how can riders successfully move up the levels without overstretching themselves or their horses? Catherine Welton investigates in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

The psychology of moving up a level in equestrian sport might not be something you think about until you’re faced with the challenge. When amateur eventer Gemma Atkin returned to riding after an 18-year break, she found 60cm showjumping courses terrifying. But, over five seasons, she moved up the eventing levels and last year completed her first four-star.

“I was nervous at every level but crossing the finish line at Scone Palace, clear with only a handful of time-faults, was a moment I’ll never forget,” she says.

Her advice? “I believe in pushing slightly beyond your comfort zone but there is a balance to be had.”

Finding this balance is key to successfully moving up the levels, as Leonie Lightfoot, a sport psychologist for the British Equestrian World Class Programme, explains: “There needs to be a match of what you’re doing and the skill set required. It needs to be just challenging enough but not too far, because then you tip into the fear and anxiety zone.”

Leonie encourages riders to plan their progression based on facts rather than emotions.

“With our brain, there are two systems, one of which operates with feelings and emotions,” she says. “The problem with that is the emotional thinking system is not very reliable. Its job is to keep you safe, so it will never feel ready to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable.

“With dressage, there can be a reticence not to go until it’s perfect but you’d be potentially waiting forever. With eventing, if the rider starts thinking too much about the risk then the emotional system kicks in, which can be fear or excitement.”

So Leonie encourages riders to use the other thinking system, which is based on evidence and operates logically, rather than relying on emotions.

“To compete at that level, what are the facts?” she asks. “Which movements are you able to perform competently, or what heights are you comfortably jumping at home?”

Is there a right time to move up a level?

British Horse Society Fellow Danny Anholt has a few rules of thumb to help assess when the time is right to move up.

“Consistent plus-65% scores in pure dressage,” he says. “In jumping, you’re looking for consistent double clears at the current level – not rosettes, that’s determined by the opposition.

“It should also be consistent with your long-term planning. Slow, steady steps are needed to achieve both the technical skills and the confidence.”

The right partnership of horse and rider is fundamental and, as someone who coaches a lot of younger riders, Danny always advises gaining mileage on a horse that’s not only experienced but also happy being ridden by a less experienced rider.

“If the horse has been accustomed to clear signals and a confident approach, when he finds himself under the guidance of an inexperienced jockey, the pin can very quickly drop out,” he warns.

An amateur rider who has produced their own horse may fall into a slightly different trap.

“There’s a real danger of a ‘blind leading the blind’ scenario,” says Danny. “An objective view at this stage is essential. The best decisions are made through a collaboration between the rider, the coach and the horse himself.”

Leonie says this is another area where thinking logically is important.

“Riders will be emotionally attached to their horse, so it’s harder to look at the situation objectively,” she says. “Get someone you trust, with knowledge about what the horse needs to compete at that level, to give you honest feedback.”

When Alice Pullem thought she might have an unlikely grand prix dressage horse on her hands, she asked her trainer Eilidh Grant for a second opinion.

“Cheeky Wee Red is a barely-15hh former racehorse I bought as a project,” says Alice. “After a month I took her to her first competition at novice level and she scored 68%.”

As “Rosie” continued to progress in her dressage training, Alice continued to move her up the levels of the sport.

“We had a leg-yield so we went off and tried elementary. We mastered shoulder-in and half-pass so we tried medium. I asked Eilidh if she was up for the challenge of taking us to grand prix, and she took us seriously. In March 2023 we cantered down the centre line in our first one and scored just under 63%.”

Once the decision has been made to step up, Leonie explains how the right mindset can help the transition go smoothly.

“Look at the things you can control and identify the ‘key processes’, some of which will be the same, which is quite comforting,” she advises.

“For example, the fence might be higher but your jumping position is pretty much the same.”

She also says to be prepared for some discomfort.

“That’s just your body getting ready to meet a new challenge. It’s a positive thing, you’re going to jump those higher fences, let’s get some blood to the muscles – you’re not nervous, you’re ready.”

Preparing to move up a level

There’s a lot of practical preparation a rider can do too.

“With dressage, if you’ve learnt the new test, do an arena hire and if that goes well that’s the evidence that you can do it in a competition,” says Leonie.

Danny also advises considering the venue for your first outing at a new level.

“For eventers, we all know that there are stronger courses and softer courses; more or less technical; bigger atmosphere versus quieter events,” he says.

Doing some background research can really pay off.

“In showjumping, it’s worth finding out the methods and style of the particular course-builder, the size of the arena, the footing, the atmosphere,” he adds.

The same goes for dressage.

“Choose a familiar venue where you’ve competed happily at the lower levels, a welcoming atmosphere, a good-sized warm-up arena with good footing,” Danny suggests. “You can even seek out judges who have been favourable to you and your horse in the past.

“It’s also worth checking out whether it’s a venue frequented by professionals with strings of horses, as the less-experienced rider can find this quite intimidating at first,” he adds.

Event rider Rupert Hyde, 18, is currently competing at two-star and looking to move up to three-star this season. The first time he stepped up a level, choosing the right venue for him was part of his strategy.

“I had an Andalusian pony who was amazing at dressage and had been showjumping at 1m but she wasn’t so confident across country,” Rupert says. “So we did a lot of cross-country schooling with her, especially ditches, and then chose Mendip Plains for the first competition as it was a venue she knew well having trained there.”

It paid off, and although the pair were slightly down on the time, the ditches caused no issues.

Riders should be prepared for some steps up to feel more challenging than others, however.

“Going from BE100 to novice is a difficult one,” says Rupert. “The movements in the dressage become more complicated, the courses become more technical, plus the height. My mindset changed for novice; I was more focused and practised a huge amount.”

When things don’t go to plan

Of course, even the best-laid plans sometimes go awry. When this happens, Leonie returns to the idea of the two thinking systems.

“The emotional one is about expectation and how things should be,” she says. “Everyone’s version of that is seamless and easy, you start here and get better and better. Then the world doesn’t live up to that and you get unwanted and unhelpful emotions like frustration.”

Instead, Leonie says to work with reality: “Progression isn’t neat and linear. You might step up and think, ‘Oh, the evidence now is that it wasn’t the right time. I’ve got more information now, so I’ll go away and work harder.’

“Keep your perspective – just because you’ve not done it when you thought you would, doesn’t mean it’s never going to happen,” she continues. “You just need to think about what you’re going to work on before the next time you try.”

Gemma’s step up to intermediate coincided with three falls in the space of a couple of months.

“I questioned whether I was ready to be at that level at all,” she says. “I lost all confidence in my ability and very nearly gave up. But over the winter I watched hours and hours of video footage of top riders alongside my own competition footage, and realised the mistakes I had been making.

“I worked with my trainer to correct my rein length and made the decision to step back down to novice to practise the new technique and rebuild my confidence.”

For Gemma, these videos were the “evidence” she needed.

“Understanding why it had happened and how I could prevent it in future was key, and that’s why video analysis has become one of the most valuable tools I use. It’s done wonders for improving my technique and confidence.”

In fact, even if your first outing at a new level goes well, there can be an advantage to dropping back a level.

“I’ve always found that ‘toe-dipping’ is a wise strategy,” says Danny. “It’s worth going back to the previous level next time out to confirm confidence. We can’t always be sure how the horse is feeling and the first upgrade outing can be overwhelming mentally, even if the technical performance was satisfactory. One of my maxims is: ‘You can never make a horse too confident.’”

Finally, Leonie advises making sure to celebrate what you’ve achieved.

“The mind has this tendency to go, ‘When I reach this level, I’ll be happy,’ and then when you get there, instead of celebrating success, you think, ‘I need to be better,’” she says. “Build in time to reflect on how far you’ve come, and the hard work and effort that has gone into it.”

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Joe Stockdale talks about mental toughness and how he has developed his mindset in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

Winning a six-bar or a puissance requires an ice-cool temperament. The pressure ramps up as the field whittles down to the final contenders for the prize. When British showjumper Joe Stockdale cleared 2.13m on Its Confidential (Rolo) at Spruce Meadows, he not only won, but set a new six-bar record (joint with Czech rider Vaclav Stanek).

But the mark of a great rider is how they respond to that pressure, and in Joe’s case it was very much “bring it on”. He had meant to jump only a couple of rounds, but as Its Confidential was jumping so well, he decided to go for the win.

“I got a bit excited, he kept jumping better and better, and I ended up going all the way,” says Joe. “I wasn’t going to pull out once it was a two-horse race.

“When I went in and showed Rolo the fence, that made me nervous. It doesn’t even look like a jump when it’s that big. But Rolo is so brave; he didn’t blink an eye.”

But Joe recognises that thriving under pressure is a symptom of being on form.

“That’s when you know you’re confident, because you’re not thinking of what could go wrong,” he says. “Pressure is a nice thing to be a part of. If you’re under pressure, it comes down to being the last person to jump and having to go clear. That’s what you dream of – and pulling it off.”

Joe explains that this kind of good pressure is a result of the hard work that’s delivered you to a winning position – and that readiness is something you can lean into.

“When you’re feeling under pressure, you have to think about the preparation, the work you’ve done to get to this point,” he says. “The horse is ready, you’re ready, you’ve ticked every box and you’re in the best position you can be in at the time. Obviously it’s a worry if you’re not well prepared, but if this is your big goal, you’ve trained to be ready for this moment and you try to do the best you can.”

Dealing with pressure when the results aren’t coming

But pressure can exert negative forces in showjumping. The pressure of the winning round might be a privilege, but there are other times when the burden of just keeping your head above water in a highly emotive sport can weigh heavily.

“Mentally the sport is very difficult, there are lots of ups and downs,” says Joe Stockdale. “Any sport is tough, but ours is particularly tough. We have massive highs and then have big troughs, lows when things aren’t working out.

“It’s very difficult to deal with. You feel under pressure, because you want to do well, and the people around you want you to do well and they’re part of that team.”

Joe’s tools for diffusing that pressure when the rosettes aren’t coming is to remember what motivates him in the first place.

“I just try to find what I enjoy about it,” he says. “I enjoy being with the horses, I enjoy working with them day to day trying to improve them, even if it’s a little a time. It’s taking it step by step, a day at a time, keep turning up and doing what you can. Hopefully, eventually you get the result you deserve but it might take time.

“I’m lucky to have a great team of people around, who’ve been with me a long time and we’re all working towards the same goal. They understand that if it’s not going well, I’m still trying my best and vice versa, they’re giving 100%. That’s all you can ask for and hopefully the results come.”

If he has a horse that loses confidence in a show environment, Joe immediately works to build back the trust.

“The best thing is to slow things down, drop down in height to take the pressure off yourself and the horse, and make it easier for everyone,” he says. “Then get them confident before you go up the levels again, not rushing to go to bigger shows. Take it in the horse’s time, so that only when they’re ready can you pull the trigger and move up.”

How Joe Stockdale developed his mindset

In terms of mindset, Joe Stockdale has various mentors that have shaped him into the rider he is today, but the main drive has been his work ethic.

“There’s not one piece of advice I’ve been given that’s made the difference but there are a lot of people in the sport and around me I look up to,” he says. “My dad [Tim Stockdale] was one: very hardworking, very determined, worked extremely hard to get to where he wanted to. That’s something I think about every day.

“When I’m struggling or finding it difficult he’d be giving me a rollicking, telling me to buck my ideas up and get stuck in and get on with it!”

William Funnell is another.

“William’s a mentor and a very good friend,” Joe says. “He’s got the biggest breeding operation in the UK, a massive set-up with so many things going on at once, and he’s run that and gone to the top of the sport. I look up to him and his work ethic at lot. These are the things that inspire me and keep me going every day.”

As for the little hacks that help him along the way? Don’t mention Lady Luck.

“I was always told you’re not allowed superstitions,” Joe says. “My dad always said that then you have an excuse when things go wrong. I once had a lucky set of cricket gloves I always used to bat in, and Dad told me it was nonsense, because one day I’d forget them and it wouldn’t go well and I’d say it wasn’t my fault because I didn’t have my lucky gloves.

“So I have no superstitions but I have my routine and I stick to that. I’ve got a system, and I try not to rely on luck, though I could do with a bit every now and then!”

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Equestrian sport has always prized grit and resilience. But more riders are realising mental health isn’t something you can leave at the stable door. The pressures of work, relationships, finances or top-level competition follow us into the saddle and flow straight into our horses.

“It’s a misconception that mental strength is about ignoring how you feel,” says equestrian psychology coach Charlie Unwin, who has worked with elite riders and now shares the tools used with them with grassroots equestrians, via Peak Rider’s bank of practical resources. “Real resilience is about awareness – knowing when your internal world is helping or hindering you, and having tools to shift it.”

Horses, he explains, are emotional barometers.

“They don’t listen to words – they read your body language, micro tensions, even your breathing. You might think you’re hiding stress, but the horse has already picked it up. They’re in effect living in your nervous system.”

He adds that this connection is measurable. Scientists can track how a horse’s heart rate variability mirrors the rider’s, revealing the state of both nervous systems.

“When we become dysregulated,” Charlie says, “the horse also becomes dysregulated. We breathe differently, we think differently, and we make more threat-oriented decisions – fixating on what the horse might shy at, instead of the task we’re trying to do.”

It’s a message echoed by Linnea Aarflot, who runs Mind.Body.Dressage and has spent more than two decades helping riders, from amateurs to Olympic hopefuls.

“We behave about 5% from our conscious mind and 95% from our subconscious,” she explains.

“If you’re carrying tension from work or old emotional wounds, your horse feels it, even if you’re smiling on the outside. They respond not to your intentions, but to your true internal state.”

And that, Charlie and Linnea agree, can change everything – not just for performance in the arena, but also for the wellbeing of our horses.

Mental health in riders: the constant struggle of life’s demands

Nicola Bell, a grand prix dressage rider, knows how personal turmoil can slip into the saddle.

“It was the year I turned 40 – my annus horribilis. Divorce, my parents’ ill health, and more,” she says.

“At the same time, I had an Oldenburg stallion I loved and thought he’d keep me going. But the relationship soured, which makes me so emotional because we’d had such a strong bond. I wish I’d sent him to someone else for a while.”

Nicola’s story is personal – but far from unique. Many riders find that everyday life quietly spills into their time with horses, sometimes with heartbreaking consequences.

Megan Lane, a doctoral candidate at Liverpool John Moores University, found nearly half the dual-career equestrians in her study were experiencing high levels of burnout, far above the 5-10% typical in other sports.

Riders described the constant struggle to balance the demands of work, family life, and caring for their horses, leaving them exhausted.

“Sometimes you just want to go home after work, but you can’t. And the enjoyment level goes out of it,” Megan adds.

Equestrian sport’s cultural mindset can also make riders hesitant to seek help.

“It’s ingrained from when you’re young that if you fall off, you get back on, even if you’re hurt,” Megan explains. “People feel they have to carry on no matter what.”

Yet the consequences can be serious, ranging from physical exhaustion to mental health struggles such as depression.

“I wish people weren’t scared to ask for help, because that’s when it can get a lot worse,” she says.

“I felt like I was living two lives”

If that paints a rather bleak picture of equestrian sport, Megan’s research also highlighted something many riders instinctively know: that horses can also offer protection against stress and provide an escape from life’s worries.

For five-star event rider Mollie Summerland – who won the CCI5*-L at Luhmühlen Horse Trials in 2021 at just 22 and has since spoken with remarkable openness about her mental health struggles – this has certainly been true.

“When everyone thought I’d come home from Luhmühlen celebrating, I was actually back in hospital,” Mollie shares. “No amount of good results took away the sadness. I felt like I was living two lives: pretending everything was fine at shows, while privately struggling.

“At one point, hospital admissions became routine. I’d be discharged, then soon be back at high-level competitions.”

Yet even in her darkest moments, Mollie’s horses kept her tethered to hope.

“My horses were my saviours during that time. Knowing I had them waiting for me at home, and big competitions drawing closer while I was in the hospital, gave me the strength and focus I needed to get better and go home to them. I felt I was letting them down if I went to a show lacking preparation.”

It’s a sentiment many riders echo: horses are both a lifeline and, sometimes, an additional source of pressure. Because while horses can soothe and heal, they also demand our very best – and that expectation can become overwhelming for some when life gets heavy.

Amateur rider Rhiannon Davies balances a corporate job with life alongside her seven-year-old Irish Draught, Harley, sharing their journey on social media and through her podcasts – The Equestrian Money Diaries and This Equestrian Life, which she co-hosts with horse trainer Miri Hackett.

“He’s the part of my day I look forward to the most,” Rhiannon says, “but that also means I attach an emotional element to riding.

“I want to show up well for him, which adds pressure. And horses are so intelligent, it makes total sense that they’d pick up on how we’re feeling and respond accordingly. It’s important we’re aware of that.

“I wish I’d reminded myself more that this is supposed to be fun, for both of us.”

Mollie’s story shows that even riders who keep performing at the highest level can carry a heavy emotional load behind the scenes. For others, like Rhiannon, the desire to “show up well” can sometimes turn a beloved hobby into an added source of pressure.

How to handle our mental health as riders

That’s where sports psychologists and mental health coaches step in, helping riders handle not just performance demands but the hidden emotional weight of caring for horses.

“If we know that horses’ heart rates can sync with their riders – and that a rider’s spikes with anxiety, even if nothing external is happening – it’s clear why learning to regulate your own state is one of the most powerful skills any rider can develop,” explains Charlie.

“We’re not trying to avoid stress, we’re trying to get better at handling it.”

The first step, both Charlie and Linnea agree, is self-awareness.

“Before you even approach your horse, check in with yourself,” Charlie says. “Ask: how am I feeling right now? Am I anxious, angry, or distracted? That’s not weakness – it’s crucial data.”

He gives a powerful analogy: “It’s like walking on the edge of a pavement. You can do it all day, one foot in front of the other, but if the pavement were three stories high, you’d walk completely differently. Yet people blame their walking. They go away and practise walking, but it’s not the walking that’s the issue. It’s how you manage your mental state in that situation.”

It’s a reminder that riding more or drilling technique won’t fix an out-of-balance mental state.

Linnea frames it this way: “If your nervous system is already close to its limit, adding the demands of riding can push you over into fight-or-flight. It’s then your subconscious takes over, and you lose the ability to problem-solve calmly.”

Signs that you’re nearing your limit might include:

• Feeling impatient or frustrated over small mistakes
• Fixating on things that could go wrong
• Shallow breathing
• Holding tension in your shoulders, jaw or hands

The good news, Charlie stresses, is that riders have tools to regain balance.

“Breathwork is your fastest route to shifting state,” he says. “It’s how we move from threat mode to connection mode.”

His go-to technique is the 4-7-8 breath: inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight.

“That lengthens the exhale, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system – your body’s calm-down system.”

Meanwhile, Linnea focuses on helping riders identify emotional patterns and train their nervous systems.

“The nervous system is like a muscle,” she explains. “You can train it to tolerate more pressure without tipping into stress. It’s not a quick fix, though – it’s like going to the gym or improving your diet. One day won’t change your life.”

Miri, Rhiannon’s podcast co-host and founder of Hackett Equine, a holistic, horse-first training centre, says: “A lot of the work I do is uncovering unconscious motivations and emotional patterns – and that can have a transformative effect on how we ride.”

“Being brave is stepping back”

But sometimes, the most powerful choice is simply to stay on the ground.

“There are times I decide that riding isn’t the right thing to do,” Miri adds.

She’s also been open about balancing mental health with life around horses.

“If I’m not feeling my best, I try to bring the pressure down and ask, ‘What can I do in this situation that will be a positive experience for both horse and rider?’

“Slowing down is one of the best ways we can regulate our nervous systems – rushing is so chronic, people don’t even notice how fast they’re going. It’s also important to remember that a horse’s behaviour is never personal – they’re just responding to what’s happening around them or within you.”

Nicola has learned a similar lesson. “These days, I’d step back instead of pushing through. The horse doesn’t need to go out and do 20-metre circles if I’m in bits inside.

“Being brave can mean stepping back. You’re not weak if you decide not to ride. You’re being intelligent. I’d tell any rider now: listen to your gut. It’s the best horseman you’ll ever meet.”

Mental health in riders: let’s talk!

Everyone we spoke to agreed: talking about mental health matters. Staying silent only makes struggles feel heavier, while opening up can be the first step toward real change for riders and their horses.

“I struggled with feeling a lot of shame for a long time – it felt taboo to me,” Mollie says. “But now I’m so passionate about normalising open conversations around mental health. I’ve come to a place where I feel no shame at all in being transparent if it can help others.”

She adds: “Everyone has things going on behind closed doors. Helping people feel they can speak openly – even to trainers – means we can support each other and factor that into how we work with our horses.”

Rhiannon’s advice for other amateurs juggling life and horses is simple but powerful: “Learn to recognise your emotions and limits, and figure out what helps in tough moments. Surround yourself with people who encourage you and call you out when you’re too hard on yourself or your horse.

“Reframing my ‘why’ has helped. I love competing, but enjoying my horse as a whole means not putting too much weight on riding alone.”

Miri also emphasises the value of speaking up: “Don’t be alone – because you aren’t. When we are feeling overwhelmed or struggling, reaching out to a friend and acknowledging that things are hard can be healing.”

For riders like Miri, Rhiannon, Mollie and Nicola, mental health has become part of good horsemanship itself.

As Rhiannon puts it: “There’s so much more to time with our horses than being in the saddle. Some days, a cuddle is enough – and your horse might thank you for it.”

Because in the end, our horses care not about our competitive record but rather how gently we show up for them each day. And perhaps that’s the truest definition of success.

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Commentator and broadcaster Adam Cromarty on New Year’s resolutions and how small choices, made continually, can change everything

As I write it’s that brief, magical time between the last mince pie of 2025 and the first show of 2026.

The tack room is spotless, rugs are clean and for a few glorious days, we actually go to the gym. We’re also approaching the date when most of us will abandon our New Year’s resolutions.

The grey skies and freezing temperatures don’t make it easy, but we must remember that the habits we form today will shape the success we enjoy tomorrow.

Studies have shown we have an autobiographical memory and that we reflect on our lives as a story – one that features chapter breaks of varying sizes. The fresh-start effect makes us more motivated to make a change at the beginning of each chapter. New year is a big one, but who’s ever started a diet at midday on a Thursday? It’s always a Monday, or at least the next day.

The good news is that when people continually eat the right food or always show up on time, this repeated good behaviour isn’t usually genetically gifted self-control; it’s simply a habit loop. Building habits is a great way to bring about change. We need to decide what we want the automatic behaviours in our life to be.

Pave the way to success

Resolutions relating to our sport tend to be results-focused and can be hugely ambitious. Who doesn’t want to win every class, move up the height and never miss a stride again?

Moving the focus onto establishing the habits that would help achieve the end goal gives a greater chance of success.

We know competition results come from the work that no one sees: the flatwork on dark nights after work, the polework exercises you do when you would rather be jumping and the fittening work to ensure you have enough left in the tank by the end of the round.

Planning is important, but it’s just as important to ride the horse and not the calendar. With two hearts involved, there’s always a chance that things won’t go exactly to plan. Setting up for success is often focused only on the horse. Their diet, tack and fitness are all hugely important, but it doesn’t mean that the human in the equation should be forgotten.

Self-care is usually last on the priority list, behind children, horses, work, finances and anything else that creeps in. Maybe this is the year it could be a focus.

For me, travelling abroad to shows so often has made it difficult to make healthy choices. Then last year, I discovered boxing as a way to keep fit. Getting into a routine and working with a personal trainer to provide accountability has brought about some manageable lifestyle changes and I’m feeling great.

Research suggests that if we tackle our goals alongside someone else, we are 30% more likely to stick to a new behaviour. If you’re having to ride after work and the cold, dark nights aren’t very appealing, why not agree to meet a friend to ride with? You’re much less likely to let them down than yourself.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

One change that should be at the top of our list is asking for help earlier. Showjumping can be a lonely sport and as a community, we’re not the best at asking for support.

Have an honest conversation with your coach about your goals and make sure you are open to building new connections. On average, we lose a percentage of our friends every seven years, so it’s easy to become isolated if we’re too busy to make new ones.

If you’ve often felt that you may be neurodivergent, why not make this the year to get a diagnosis and learn some coping mechanisms?

If you have periods when you feel low, put yourself first and find time to speak to someone and get the support you deserve. If you’re at a show and see someone on their own, don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation – we’re all in this together.

It’s never too late to commit to how we want the year to look. Just remember to build in flexibility and stay positive when things don’t go to plan. If you can be just 1% better each time you ride, it soon adds up. Consistency always beats brilliance.

Enjoy the process, feel prepared when you hear the bell and remember that small choices, made continually, change everything. Start where you are, do what you can and let the season unfold.

Wishing you all the best for 2026!

● What are your equestrian New Year’s resolutions? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your thoughts to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Five-star showjumpers Trevor Breen and Jodie Hall McAteer share the tools that help them stay calm under pressure, while equestrian mental performance coach Poppy Blandford explains how to harness those pre-round jitters and turn them into a winning performance in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

You know the feeling of showjumping competition nerves. The bell rings and suddenly your legs turn to jelly and your brain hits the panic button. Before you know it your horse, sensing your change in tune, has ground to a halt at the first fence.

Nerves are not necessarily a bad thing – unless your riding nerves are preventing your enjoyment – rather they’re a sign that you care and are ready to perform. The professionals always seem so calm under pressure – so how do top riders stop nerves negatively affecting their performance in competition?

“Everyone gets nervous, it’s how you turn those competition nerves around and use them to your advantage that matters,” says former Hickstead Derby winner Trevor Breen, whose cool clears under pressure have helped Ireland to wins on the world stage, including in the Nations Cup in Abu Dhabi in 2025.

Thanks to modern pressures, in particular social media, the mental aspect of elite level sport has skyrocketed over the past decade or so and rider mindset is something that today’s top riders take very seriously.

Grand prix winner Jodie Hall McAteer has worked hard on this aspect of her performance with equestrian mental performance coach, Poppy Blandford.

“Nowadays, everyone knows exactly how your round has gone even before you even leave the arena,” Jodie says. “I’ve had to learn how to deal with pressure and manage all the distractions by staying in my own little bubble. I have learnt what works for me and what gives me confidence on the day.”

How to stop competition nerves affecting performance

Trevor, Jodie and Poppy share their advice and top tips for beating showjumping competition nerves.

1. Stick to your plan

The key, says Jodie, is to have a plan and stick to it.

“I don’t like to be rushed, so I work out my timings very carefully. I plan how I will spend my time leading up to going in the ring — how I will work my horse in the morning, what time I need to walk the course and when I need to get on. Once I’m on board I try and stay in my own bubble, focusing on my connection with my horse and blocking everything else out.

“When you have a system in place and you start getting consistent results, momentum takes over and that allows you to become more confident on big occasions.”

2. Ride the course, not the occasion

According to Poppy, the riders who perform best under pressure are the ones who can keep their focus on themselves and their horse.

“When problems occur in the ring it is usually because riders have allowed their focus to shift,” she says. “If you start worrying about the result or who’s watching you, it pulls your focus away from doing the things you need to do to achieve a clear round.

“We often talk about riding the course, not the occasion, and that’s exactly what the very best riders are able to do,” she continues. “They are so focused on what they need to be doing at that particular moment that everything else that’s going on is just noise.”

3. Control the controllables

“Control the controllables” is a much-quoted mantra in elite sporting circles — for good reason.

“There is so much more that goes into a winning performance than those 90 seconds in the ring,” continues Poppy. “If you’re riding at a championship, for example, and you’re not jumping your first round until 5pm, how are you managing yourself throughout the day?”

• How many rounds will you watch?
• Who will you walk the course with?
• Who will you listen to in the warm-up?
• How will you deal with distractions?
• How will you spend the 45 seconds you have after the bell goes before you need to start your round?

“All these things are within your control,” Poppy confirms. “The likes of Scott Brash and Ben Maher will have all the answers to these questions. They have such a strong understanding of their own behaviours, their own routines and how they peak from a mental perspective that they are able to move through the process without being sidetracked by distractions.”

4. The rule of three

Reproducing the training you do at home in the ring is easier said than done, but Trevor Breen has a top tip to help.

He suggests narrowing your focus to just three things.

“When you’re training at home, you’re concentrating on what you need to do to jump a clear round — staying straight, looking ahead, keeping the canter through the turn, and so on. In the ring it can be easy to lose focus on these things and that’s when things can go wrong,” he says.

“The three things will be different for different riders, and probably different for different horses, too, but if you can concentrate on doing fewer things well in the ring it can make life a lot easier.

“Later, once you feel ready, you can add in a fourth thing, and a fifth, and so on. Try to focus on improvement rather than doing everything perfectly.”

5. Build self-awareness and identify your triggers

Poppy explains that building self-awareness and recognising the triggers that cause reactions in your mind and body is a crucial first step to managing them in the ring.

“Ask yourself what causes your heart rate to spike, or what makes you to hold your breath,” she says. “Is it your horse misbehaving? Is it because someone in particular is coming to watch you? Or is it the fact that it’s a bigger occasion than usual? Different people will have different triggers.”

Once you’ve recognised the source of your competition nerves, rather than trying to banish them, you need to redirect them.

“When you notice you’re doing too much thinking, try and redirect your awareness to just feeling what is going on underneath you,” says Poppy.

6. Reframe negatives into positives

Even when things don’t go to plan in the warm-up — which can often happen where space is tight and emotions are running high — it is important to mentally reset before entering the ring.

“For example, instead of getting anxious because you don’t have enough space in the warm-up to establish the canter you want, turn it around and tell yourself that once you’re in the arena you’ll have far more room so you can canter a couple of big circles without anyone getting in your way,” says Poppy, pointing out that it is this kind of mental reshaping that will allow riders to perform at their best.

“Finally, if you have a bad day remember that your skills haven’t disappeared overnight,” she says. “They’re still there, it’s just that your focus might have shifted momentarily.”

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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The annual World Menopause Day (18 October) was founded to raise awareness of menopause and improve the experience of women across the globe. Although perimenopause and menopause remains one of the least discussed topics in women’s sport, it presents unique challenges for riders at every level.

Former advanced event rider and veterinary physiotherapist Antonia Bealby used to think nothing of squaring up to gaping ditches or schooling flighty racehorses. But that suddenly changed five years ago. Menopause is common to nearly all women of a certain age, but the impact of menopause on horse riders is specific to the unique demands of the sport.

“It came like a bolt out of the blue. I started getting horrific anxiety and palpitations,” reveals Antonia, who was 45 at the time. “I’d always been a reasonably laid-back person, but I was shaking and sweating. My core felt like it had deserted me and I didn’t feel safe or confident on a horse any more.”

Antonia’s symptoms had all the hallmarks of perimenopause, although at the time she didn’t realise it.

“Once I had a diagnosis and I knew what I was dealing with I could start doing something about it,” she says.

A combination of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and some simple lifestyle changes gave Antonia back her mojo. Now, aged 50, she says she is feeling as “strong and confident as ever”.

Menopause, which signals the end of a woman’s reproductive years, and perimenopause, a phase that can last for 10 years before the menopause itself, with similar debilitating symptoms – is rarely talked about as often as it should be, especially in sporting circles. Initiatives such as British Equestrian’s female health campaign are seeking to address this, but there is still a way to go.

The fact that in equestrianism, more so than in almost every other sport, athletes are still competing at an elite level well into their 40s, 50s and even 60s means there is a substantial window of time where athletic performance has the potential to be significantly affected by perimenopause and menopause.

So, what are the main symptoms that affect riders? And, more importantly, what can we do about them?

Understanding menopause in horse riders

Knowledge is power, according to female health and fitness specialist Dr Jenni Douglas, who is a senior lecturer in exercise physiology at Hartpury University and runs her own online coaching programme, Empowered.

“Once you understand how your body is changing, there is plenty you can do to optimise your performance,” she says. “If you go into the menopause with a scientific understanding of what is going to happen, you can then do your best to offset these changes for as long as possible.”

Perimenopause can begin as early as your late 30s or early 40s and is characterised by fluctuating hormone levels and irregular menstrual cycles. During this time, the main sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, start to go haywire before they eventually fall right away.

“HRT, which replaces dwindling hormones, has its place and can be incredibly effective at relieving symptoms and protecting bone and muscle health, but it doesn’t suit everyone and nor should it be thought of in isolation,” says Jenni, who highlights the importance of exercise and diet as key management tools.

“Muscles, joints and ligaments are particularly affected by hormones and when our oestrogen levels start to deplete, this has a big impact on bone density and muscle mass,” she explains.

With reduced bone strength comes a greater risk of breaks and fractures.

“This is especially important in relation to riding and the effect of trauma,” says Jenni. “You are at much greater risk of breaking a bone if you fall off in your 50s than in your 20s, and you’re not going to bounce back as quickly.”

Exercises for horse riders to help offset the challenges of menopause

Although living a horsey lifestyle has many health benefits, riding itself is a relatively non-weight bearing sport.

“You don’t get the same bone adaptations as you would if you were doing land-based exercise like running or lifting weights,” explains Jenni. “This is where strength training comes in.”

“People think it’s going to be hard and scary, but it doesn’t have to be. Strength training can include anything that involves pushing, pulling, twisting or turning against resistance, such as gravity or weights.

“To enhance muscle mass you need to increase the load gradually – whether this is through more reps or adding weight – and this is where riders can really benefit from a structured training plan.”

Jenni adds that going to the gym is not essential – and there are plenty of exercises you can do even out of the saddle to build strength.

“There are lots of little workouts that you can incorporate into your day-to-day routine,” she says. “You could do 10 to 15 squats while you’re filling water buckets, or 10-12 inclined press-ups on your tack room counter while you’re waiting for your kettle to boil, for example.”

Oestrogen also has a protective effect on the heart, so when levels fall it can affect our long-term cardio health.

“Sometimes, riding alone isn’t enough to protect heart health during menopause,” says Jenni, who recommends incorporating 10–15 minutes of brisk walking, short bursts of skipping or running uphill into your routine.

“Start by doing this a few times a week and gradually build up so that you are doing around 150 minutes of moderate cardio exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, alongside strength training.”

The right diet for menopause

Like bone and muscle health, fat distribution affects men and women differently, and changes as we age.

British Equestrian’s human physio and athlete health lead Ash Wallace, who works with numerous elite female riders across the disciplines, says: “Riders sometimes complain that they are eating the same things as they have always done, yet they are putting on weight. This is because the body is no longer able to process carbohydrates as effectively and so it stores them as fat.”

The best way to manage this is through making simple diet changes.

“Aim to get your carbs through vegetables and try to cut down on pasta and starchy foods,” advises Ash. “And if you’re someone who eats a lot of fruit try to stick to berries, and avoid fruit that is high in fructose, like bananas and mangoes.”

Calorie reduction should not be the aim – if you’re not eating well but still working as hard, then you’re not giving yourself a chance to recover properly. Instead, focus on eating well, incorporating a variety of foods, including those that support bone and heart health, like high-quality protein, plenty of fruit and veg, omega-3s, plus plenty of calcium.

“It can also be a good idea to take a vitamin D supplement for bone health, especially in the winter when there isn’t much sun,” says Ash.

“Although I’m not big on taking supplements, increasing your magnesium intake can help with sleep, as can drinking a shot of tart cherry juice – which is high in sleep-inducing melatonin – just before bed.”

Painful joints, arthritis and old injuries often flare up in menopause, as oestrogen protects joints and decreases inflammation.

Ash explains that intolerances can change with time and affect the body’s inflammatory processes.

“A lot of people find their bodies can’t tolerate highly processed foods or alcohol as well as they used to,” she says. “We become a little bit more sensitised to things that cause inflammation, which can then affect all sorts of body processes.”

Cognitive changes, from confidence to brain fog

Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Tracy-Louise Appleyard, who is also a keen rider, says that cognitive changes, including anxiety and a loss of confidence, are very common.

“They can manifest in different ways – some people might lose their nerve in the saddle, while others suddenly decide they don’t want to drive their lorries anymore,” she says.

“Recognising that the cause could be hormone changes, as opposed to a mental health issue or ‘just old age’, is crucial so that women can get the right support and treatment.”

Tracy-Louise’s observations as a clinician are backed up by the results of a study carried out by British Equestrian level four coach, University of Gloucestershire student and saddle fitter Steph Bradley, who looked at the effect of perimenopause and menopause on riders.

Around 75% of the 1,600 female riders who took part in the study said their enjoyment of the sport had been affected by anxiety and confidence issues.

“It’s not only riders who need to understand that their hormones might be behind their symptoms, but coaches need to recognise this, too,” says Steph. “They need to be prepared to say: ‘It’s OK that you’re not up for this today, let’s focus on something else.’

Brain fog can be a particularly frustrating problem in menopause for competitive riders.

“Forgetting your dressage test is annoying, but sudden mental blocks can also have serious repercussions,” points out Steph. “At top-level eventing, for example, you need to be mentally on your game. It’s important that riders recognise when to seek help.”

Action plan

While subjects like forgetfulness and weight gain can make for relatively easy lorry park banter, other menopause-related symptoms are less openly discussed.

“Pelvic and genital discomfort is something that women don’t like to talk about, but it’s a very common problem among female riders – as it is for cyclists,” says Tracy-Louise.

“Problems like dryness and irritation in the genital area can make sitting down anywhere exceptionally uncomfortable, let alone in a saddle.

“There has been a lot of discussion on the subject in women’s cycling, but while cyclists can get some relief by wearing padded clothing, this is not an obvious option for riders.”

There are some padded underwear options for equestrians, but many riders don’t know they exist.

For some, medical intervention may be the best course of action.

“Discomfort can be greatly improved with the application of topical vaginal oestrogen, which is absorbed locally,” says Tracy-Louise.

Paying attention to clothing can make a big difference to temperature regulation and comfort, especially where hot flushes are concerned.

“Hot flushes and horses don’t mix well, especially when you’re weighed down with all the protective gear,” points out Tracy-Louise. “I always advise people to wear layers which they can take off, and to choose modern, breathable fabrics.”

When it comes to offsetting the effects of perimenopause and menopause, small changes can make a big difference.

“It is important to remember that menopause is not a disease, but a natural stage of life,” concludes Dr Jenni Douglas. “And while it comes with its challenges you have the power to influence it.”

Case study: “We’ve got each other’s backs”

When company director and former three-star eventer Emily Brodrick-Stewart found herself hurtling towards a surgery-induced early menopause at the age of 37 she admits that she was “floored” by the symptoms, which “just kept coming”.

“I was exhausted all the time and I really struggled to keep on top of work and competing,” recalls the now 48-year-old, who made the decision to switch from eventing to showjumping.

“I liked the challenge of trying something new, plus I found only having to concentrate on one discipline easier to fit around work.

“I also used to be a real gym bunny and go really hard on cardio workouts, but my body started telling me that I needed to do things a bit differently. Now my workouts are gentler and focus on strength and flexibility.”

While Emily acknowledges the contribution that exercise, diet and hormone therapy have made to restoring her riding mojo, she says that having the support of friends going through the same thing has been “the biggest game-changer”.

“There are three of us who go jumping and we call ourselves the ‘Dorset girls’ because we met at a clinic in the West Country,” she says. “We remind each other to send in our show entries, pack our breeches and take our vitamin D.

“We have a WhatsApp group where we plan our training and stay-away shows, and we help each other once we get there,” she says. “To know I’m not the only one struggling to remember the course or how many strides there are in a combination is really reassuring. We’re all going through the same thing, and we’ve got each other’s backs.”

If you would like more support, here’s where you can find more menopause advice for horse riders.

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Riding instructor and founder of The Power of Walk, Diana Waters, explains the benefits that can be enjoyed by you – and your horse – by learning to be fully present in the moment

Riding offers a powerful opportunity to tune in to your horse and your own body. When you use mindfulness techniques to become more aware of how you’re sitting, breathing, and moving in the saddle, you create the conditions for a deeper connection and synchronisation with your horse.

But as busy equestrians, exercising our horses can be something that we have to fit into our extremely busy lives around juggling work and doing the essential horse care tasks – this means slowing down can feel hard, almost impossible.

If you’re aware that a sense of urgency has a tendency to creep into your riding time, then here is an exercise that will give you an opportunity to notice what’s happening in your body and how it relates to your horse’s movement.

For maximum benefit, don’t try to “do it right”. Simply work through the steps and focus on the feelings you notice, without any judgement.

What you need: A quiet space to ride at walk, ideally on a long rein or with someone leading your horse so you can focus on your body.

Time: 5–15 minutes, or longer if you’d like to explore further.

Instructions

1. Let the walk carry you
– begin by allowing your horse to walk freely. Give them the space to choose the pace while you turn your attention inward.

2. Breathe into being present
– notice your own breathing. Is it steady? Shallow? Begin to breathe more fully into your diaphragm. Let this rhythm help you arrive fully in the moment.

3. Check in with your feet and legs
– notice your feet in the stirrups. Are they resting lightly, or pushing down hard? Let your ankles, toes, and calves soften. Feel the contact your legs make with the horse’s sides. Is it even and light all the way from thighs down to calves? Allow that contact to be relaxed and responsive.

4. Feel the motion
– as your horse walks, their ribcage swings beneath you. Can you feel the swing of the belly left and right? Observe what’s happening and allow your legs to move side to side with the belly.

5. Soften into your seat
– bring your attention to your seat. Are you holding tension in your back, hips or seat? Try to soften and allow yourself to rest more deeply into the saddle. Can you sense the movement of each side of the horse’s back? See if you can allow your seatbones and hips to move alternately in time with the horse’s back.

6. Lift gently, with ease
– now bring a little awareness to your upper body. Without stiffening, gently lengthen through your spine and lift your ribcage. Can you find a feeling of lightness without tension?

7. Relax your arms and face
– check in with your shoulders. If they feel tight, shrug them up and drop them. Let your upper arms hang freely, elbows soft. Notice your hands, wrists, jaw. Can you let go of any extra tension? Allow your arms to move naturally with the motion of your horse’s head.

8. Stay curious
– throughout, keep returning to what you feel without judgement. You’re not trying to fix anything, just noticing what’s there. The simple act of awareness can begin to create change.

9. Finish softly – before you dismount or move on, pause. Take a breath. How do you feel now compared to when you began? Has your awareness shifted? Has your horse’s walk changed?

The benefits of being truly present when in the saddle can extend to your horse too. Horses are highly sensitive to human energy and the more calm, clear, and grounded you are, the safer and more settled your horse is likely to feel. Relieving tension in your body can help the horse to move more freely too.

Photography by Belinda Taylor

Location: by kind permission of C Horses Equine Assisted Therapy

• To enjoy more expert advice on how to improve your relationship with your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Riding instructor and founder of The Power of Walk, Diana Waters, explains the benefits that can be enjoyed by you – and your horse – by slowing down and learning to be fully present in this article on how to introduce mindfulness into your equestrian life

As horse people, we often have two things in common: a deep love for horses and extremely full lives. Whether it’s juggling work, mucking out stables, or preparing for the next outing, slowing down can feel hard, almost impossible. But adding mindfulness techniques when you are with your horses can have a profound effect on both of you.

When time is tight and stress levels are high, it’s understandable that a sense of urgency seeps into our time with our horses. It might show up as a lack of patience during grooming, tension during schooling, or simply a feeling of being mentally elsewhere while tackling yard jobs. We all have those days.

But even a short pause can help us reset. Taking a moment to notice your horse’s movement, the sound of their breath, or the feel of their coat under your hand creates a small window of calm and connection. Mindful moments like these have proven health benefits, reducing stress, improving clarity and focus and helping us feel more grounded and calm.

The benefits can extend to your horse too. Horses are highly sensitive to human energy and the more calm, clear, and grounded you are, the safer and more settled your horse is likely to feel. It’s one of the most powerful training tools you have, and it doesn’t cost a thing.

How to introduce mindfulness with horses

Here are three exercises to help you become more present with your horse in your mind, as well as your body.

Breathe with your horse

Breathing is a simple yet powerful way to calm the nervous system and bring ourselves into the present moment. Horses breathe more slowly and deeply than we do, making them natural guides for regulating our own breath. By tuning into your horse’s breathing, you not only calm your body and mind, but this can also strengthen the sense of connection between you.

What you need:
Your horse, a headcollar and leadrope, and a quiet spot where your horse feels relaxed and is free from distractions or food.

Time:
3 minutes (or longer if you like)

Instructions

1. Begin with stillness.
Stand beside your horse and place a hand gently on your own chest. Take a few moments to let your body settle and your mind slow down.

2. Tune into your horse.
If your horse is comfortable with you doing so, place your hands gently on their ribcage. Pause and feel the gentle rise and fall of their breath beneath your hands. If your horse prefers not to be touched in that area, simply watch the movement of their flank instead.

3. Match your breathing.
Let your own breathing begin to follow the rhythm of your horse’s breath, inhaling as they inhale, exhaling as they exhale. Keep the breath soft and relaxed.

4. Notice the shift.
As your breath begins to align, you may notice a sense of calm spreading through your body. You may also find your horse becoming more settled and still. Allow yourself to stay with the rhythm for a few minutes, simply enjoying the shared quiet.

Mindful grazing

Spending quiet time beside your horse as they graze can be surprisingly calming. Horses naturally move slowly and deliberately when grazing, and this simple rhythm can help settle your nervous system too. Mirroring your horse’s movements is a gentle way to tune in and feel more present.

What you need:
Your horse, a grassy area, and a headcollar and leadrope. Alternatively you can do this with your horse loose in the field if it’s safe to do so.

Time:
3–5 minutes

Instructions

1. Stand beside your horse while they graze. Take a few calm, steady breaths. Let your shoulders drop and soften your focus.

2. Watch their front feet. Try to match your steps with theirs—when they take a step forward, you do too. You might find they step in a rhythm that’s easy to follow.

3. Notice their grazing pattern. Do they eat in an arc? Favour one side? Try gently moving your head as they do. This soft mirroring helps you stay connected to the moment.

4. Stay relaxed. There’s no pressure to “get it right”. If your horse walks away, either follow at their pace or let them be. You can always try again later.

5. Reflect on how you feel. After a few minutes, pause and notice any changes in your own body or state of mind – is your breathing calmer? Are you feeling less tension in your body? Or have you felt a shift in focus? Don’t place judgement on these changes, simply notice and acknowledge them.

Mindful grooming

Grooming can be a valuable opportunity to slow down, connect, and tune in with your horse. Mindful grooming is about shifting your focus from getting the job done to being fully present, observing your horse’s responses, noticing their body, and allowing both of you to settle into a calmer state together.

What you need:
A grooming kit, your horse in a safe space and ideally a quiet environment without too many distractions.

Time:
10 minutes (or longer if you can)

Instructions

1. Take a moment before you start. Stand quietly by your horse for around 20 seconds. Notice your breath, soften your shoulders, and let go of any tendency to rush or tension in your body. This helps you arrive fully in the moment.

2. Begin with intention. As you reach for the brush, remind yourself this isn’t just about getting the job done. It’s a chance to check in with your horse and yourself.

3. Focus on the physical connection. As you groom, pay attention to the feel of the brush in your hand, the texture of the coat, and how your horse responds. Notice areas where they lean in, twitch or flinch. Take your time.

4. Match your breathing to the rhythm of your grooming. Try to breathe slowly and evenly. Let your breathing guide your strokes. If you catch your thoughts drifting, gently return your focus to the present moment.

5. Stay observant. Use this time to scan your horse’s body for any changes—tight muscles, heat, swelling, or signs of soreness. This can help you spot issues early and adapt your training accordingly.

6. Finish softly.
When you’re done, take another slow breath. You might place your hand gently on your horse’s neck or shoulder and just stand with them for a few seconds before moving on.

You can also practise mindfulness with horses when you’re riding, as Diana will explain in a follow-up article.

Photography by Belinda Taylor

Location: by kind permission of C Horses Equine Assisted Therapy

• To enjoy more expert advice on how to improve your relationship with your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘The more time you “waste”, the better your relationship’: how less is more for Olympic ‘mare of all mares’

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Have you ever shared a warm-up with a Whitaker, or perhaps your eventing section includes a British Olympic medallist? Equestrian sport is unusual in that you can find yourself competing alongside your idols, which in one breath can feel awe-inspiring, and in another a curse when that leads to self-doubt. If you have ever found yourself at a show and questioning your right to be there, it could be that you’re experiencing impostor syndrome.

Clinical psychologist Dr Krissie Ivings of Aspire Rider Confidence & Hypnotherapy and author of Tame the Chimp, Shoot the Parrot & Silence the Mouse explains that while impostor syndrome is not a clinical condition, it is a well-recognised experience that can be very common in athletes and certain professions.

“Impostor syndrome is the term used when people do not feel as though they’re qualified to be doing what they’re doing, or a feeling that they’re not in the right place,” Krissie explains. “You might feel like a fraud, or a fake, and that you’re going to get found out.

“In riding it might be that you feel like you shouldn’t be entering a certain competition, or that level. When it goes right you might feel like you’ve fluked it or gotten away with it – but if it goes badly then you feel like you were never good enough in the first place.”

Impostor syndrome can feel like an ongoing negative conversation taking place in your head.

“I use the metaphor of the parrot which sits on your shoulder and says negative things in your ear like, ‘Everyone’s laughing, I’m embarrassing myself, I shouldn’t be here’,” says Krissie.

“Those thoughts are not true, they’re an unhelpful conversation. No one would ever say those things to you, and a rule of thumb to go by is, if you wouldn’t say it to your friend then don’t say it to yourself.”

Dealing with impostor syndrome: “I had to learn to be kinder to myself”

Dentist and successful amateur eventer Jodie Neill has struggled with impostor syndrome. Jodie was competing at CCI3* level and was training towards four-star prior to her mare Quantum Clover Gold (Pops) needing some time out to recover from an injury, while Jodie went on to have a baby.

“I didn’t start eventing until around 25 and Pops was my first horse – she didn’t cost a lot of money and I never really had expectations of getting up the levels,” says Jodie. “But we did, and all of a sudden I was at the big events warming up with Olympic riders and professionals.

“On one occasion at Gatcombe, the cross-country course had caused carnage and I was hearing on the commentary that big names were retiring and walking home. I remember thinking ‘What on earth am I doing here?’.

“Thankfully I had support from my coach James Oakden, because otherwise I’d probably have driven the 10 hours home. I just didn’t believe we were going to be capable, I felt like, ‘If they couldn’t do it, how on earth could I? I’m a dentist, they’re professionals’.”

Jodie says having support around her was key.

“I think without those people in your life, that sort of mentor-type people, it’s really hard because you can get lost in your own head and think you don’t deserve to be there and that you’re going to get caught out,” she says, adding that she also sought help from a sports psychologist and had hypnotherapy.

“I never cured the impostor syndrome, but I felt more comfortable and started to believe that we could do it,” adds Jodie, who is now producing a young horse to event.

“For me, it was having some acceptance that I’m not the same as a professional rider. Someone once said to me, ’Could an eventer go and be a dentist from Monday to Friday?’ – I had to learn to be kinder to myself and not expect to necessarily be able to ride and produce horses the way a professional might.”

Freelance coach Fiona Iszchak competes in showjumping and often finds herself in classes with professional well-known riders.

“I have impostor syndrome regularly, and one of my clients once said ‘But aren’t you a professional?’” she says. “It made me stop and think, ‘Well, I suppose I am’. I hadn’t thought of myself that way because I don’t showjump for a job or have fancy horses.

“You can find yourself thinking I don’t deserve to be here; I haven’t got the big lorry or designer saddle, but you can still go and win the class, so sometimes you need to give yourself a reality check.

“It can be easy to presume you’re the only one feeling like that, but there’s probably lots of people in the same boat as you.”

Impostor syndrome can happen to anyone

Dr Claire Bennett of Riding Mindfully, a clinical psychologist and UKCC level 2 dressage coach, says impostor syndrome can occur in all walks of life and often stems from where there is a pressure to perform.

“The brain perceives the thought of being found out as highly threatening,” Claire explains. “It’s not a choice to feel anxious, but an automatic fight-flight-freeze response.

“Anxiety often feels overwhelming and unmanageable when it arises, so it is more than just pre-competition nerves. This collection of thoughts and intense anxiety continues to happen even when evidence shows that the person is competent.”

Amateur home-producer Olivia Bushell, who has a full-time job in interior design, is no stranger to the biggest stages in showing, competing at Royal Windsor, Horse of the Year Show and the Royal International. And with these big occasions has also come moments of self-doubt.

“There’s times where I’ve felt impostor syndrome,” says Olivia. “It’s hard when you’re doing the horses on your own and you question yourself, especially if you have a bad day at a show.

“At big county shows I’ve gone through the catalogue and I’ve said to my mum in the past, ‘So and so is here, so we’ll just have a nice day out because there’s no point in expecting us to win and qualify’. But it’s about remembering why you do it, and thinking of anything else as a bonus.

“For me it makes those good days extra special too. We took supreme hunter at the Royal Highland in 2022 with my lightweight Double Mocha, and we’d beat all the professionals. It meant so much because I’d had him since he was four and it had been all my own work, and it’s those days you’ve got to remember, ‘I did this’.”

And it’s not just amateur riders that can experience these feelings. Olympic dressage rider Laura Tomlinson recalls struggling with impostor syndrome in her young rider days.

“I had it hugely in my under-21 years, and it was probably Alf [Mistral Hojris] that helped me out of that,” she says.

“I’d had so much opportunity given to me; my parents were able to get me nice horses and I was always supported and had good coaches, so for a long time I felt like that when I did well that, ‘So I should’ – and if I didn’t do well, then I must be a complete failure.

“Alf being the amazing but completely chaotic horse that he was gave me, certainly among my peers, the respect in terms of what we managed to achieve. People saw the journey from the start to where we ended up. That gave me a little bit more ability to put that impostor feeling to bed and like I’d earned my stripes.

“Nowadays it’s a little different in the world of social media and how cruel the internet can be, and I think that can be quite intimidating for riders.”

Practical tips for dealing with impostor syndrome

Dr Krissie Ivings says one tactic to deal with impostor syndrome is to “ignore the parrot”.

“When I work with people with impostor syndrome we identify what it is that they tell themselves,” she says. “Then you’re forearmed and you understand when that thought of ‘I’m useless’ or whatever it might be arises, you’re forearmed.

“You know that ‘Here is that pesky parrot giving me a grief, but I’m just not listening’, and then you refocus on the job at hand.

“Another useful tool is to ‘stop, drop and breathe’. As soon as you notice that you’re spiralling, stop everything you’re doing at that moment. Then drop the story that you’re telling yourself, because it’s just a story – it’s not true. Take a breath and let it go.”

Dr Claire Bennett advises using coping strategies that centre around the body’s “soothing system”. One technique she suggests is breathing in for three seconds, and out for five.

“The idea is that you breathe out for longer than you breathe in, which is really regulating,” she says.

“If we then link it with a proprioceptor activity – anything that uses muscles – like raising your arms while you breathe in, and lowering your arms as you breathe out, those two things together can help calm the nervous system. You can also use proprioceptor activity like pushing or pulling, so push the palms of your hands together or push your hands into your leg muscles.”

Claire also suggests using mindfulness-based activities like focusing on a safe place – and practising techniques away from competition.

“Using imagery of a place that we feel relaxed can help activate the soothing system, the same way thinking of your favourite food can make you salivate or feel hungry for that item,” she explains.

“If you’re in a collecting ring and you start to feel that wave of anxiety, use the breathing technique and focus on that safe place.

“The more we practice these activities in non-stressful situations, the quicker we can train our brain to relax and the quicker the body responds, so when you’re stressed it becomes easier to remember them and they’ll be more effective than if you don’t.”

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There are many components that make up a successful competition season. Horse and rider fitness and nutrition, sufficient training and preparation, and perhaps one of the biggest factors for ensuring a great season: being clear on what you want to achieve. Goal-setting is key in how to be a successful horse rider.

If someone asked what you are going to do with your horse when you ride today, what would you say? Having goals can make the difference between riding around aimlessly for 30 minutes, or making the most of your time and dismounting feeling like you’ve made progress.

“Goal setting is good for motivation because if you know where you’re headed, then it’s a lot easier to put in the work that you need to get there,” explains clinical psychologist Dr Krissie Ivings of Aspire Rider Confidence & Hypnotherapy and author of Tame the Chimp, Shoot the Parrot & Silence the Mouse.

Of course goals and aspirations can come in all shapes and sizes – one rider might be aiming for qualification at next year’s Badminton grassroots or a Horse of the Year Show ticket, another rider might be aiming to score plus-65% at prelim dressage – or their first win at county level showing.

Krissie says it’s important when choosing goals that you pick things that light you up personally.

“They shouldn’t be goals that you think you ought to do, or other people are pressuring you into,” she says. “They have to be really personal and the best way to choose is to be clear about what you want to achieve with your horse.

“It’s useful to be realistic, be honest and talk to your coach about what would be reasonable for you both. Goals should be achievable but challenging; they’re exciting enough to get you inspired, but they’re not so completely out of reach that you feel overwhelmed by them.”

Krissie recommends having a range of goals over short and longer time periods such as four weeks, six months, and the season.

“In eventing you might aim for a BE90, the next part might be aiming for a regional final, and the next could be qualifying for Badminton grassroots – that gives you an A, B, C,” she says, adding that for her horses she maps out a month’s plan broken down by weeks on a wall chart in her kitchen.

“You then might want to set interim goals, for example practising showjumping on grass by entering some competitions, or if dressage is your weakest phase, then getting in some extra training sessions with your flatwork coach.

“It’s being specific and saying, ‘If my goal is X, what are the steps I need to take?’ and then mapping out your timetable. Many people work on what they enjoy doing and don’t work on the things that they find the hardest, which is human nature, but it’s about being willing to work on the things that are holding you back.”

Avoid drifting

Many riders have found themselves leaving the yard having not ridden or completed a task, blaming it on running out of time.

“Drifting is so incredibly common, where you haven’t got clear goals and you haven’t got a plan, you just do things as you feel like each day, which is fine – if that’s what you want,” says Krissie.

“Then you have the people who want to get out and do stuff but they go to the yard, they don’t have a plan, they maybe run out of time. Sometimes that’s down to simple lack of planning, but sometimes it can be avoidance and your subconscious saying you don’t really want to do it.

“Goal setting is helpful for that because it means you have to be honest with yourself and recognise if it’s on your plan, why isn’t it happening?

“Avoidance is usually hidden and it’s kind of a little whispering in your head. Life can get in the way and that’s OK and you get back on track, but if it hasn’t happened ‘because, because, because’ and it’s all vague or not based on real reasons, this forces people to confront it.”

Modelling how to be a successful horse rider

Dressage rider Laura Tomlinson has won Olympic, World and European medals – including team gold at London 2012. Laura is now campaigning her exciting up and coming rides Soegaards Bon Royal, Full Moon II and Issey.

“When I was at the top of my game with the likes of Mistral Højris and Andretti H I would set goals and have a competition plan, and obviously in the back of your mind you’re dreaming of top six placings and medals and stuff,” says Laura.

“Now where I’m on upcoming horses that are a bit more of an unknown quantity, my goals are performance-driven rather than based on marks and placings. I’ll set them based on where my horses are at the moment and what I think I can make a difference to in a certain amount of time, focusing on things I can control, rather than things that I can’t.

“I’ve just competed at Addington CDI and my goal for the next show isn’t placings or score-related because it’s a different panel of judges and so it focuses the mind on the wrong stuff.

“My goal with one horse is to improve his balance and make the piaffe a little bit stronger. For the other, he still gets a bit jittery in the canter and mistakes can creep in, and it’s about getting a more consistent mistake-free test.

“So my goals are much more based on things I can work on, and then I can measure whether I’ve achieved my goals.”

Top showing producer and judge Vikki Smith says it can be trickier to choose goals in showing because you don’t have scores or percentages to improve on.

“I used to event and I’d say in eventing, dressage or showjumping it can be a bit more black and white with personal bests or double clears, but with showing it’s harder to measure goals,” Vikki says. “For me it’s more about setting a goal for each horse in their training and way of going, and being more specific that way.

“I will talk to my owners and set goals on what shows we think will suit and do it that way. For example, I’ve got a four-year-old and the target for her is to do an unaffiliated dressage as a stepping stone. Then she will go to her first show, then a show without a ride judge, then she’ll do her first show with a ride judge, and we break it down like that.”

Set intentions rather than outcomes

Clinical psychologist and UKCC dressage coach Dr Claire Bennett of Riding Mindfully recommends adopting an “intention setting” approach.

“Focusing on an intended action rather than an outcome allows for the flexibility needed with horses,” she explains.

“Some people like setting a very practical goal like ‘I will go to five shows at this level’ or ‘by the end of the season I will have achieved this’ – which is all very well on paper, but then your horse might have an injury and that goal is no longer achievable.

“The idea of intention setting is that you can still have practical and measurable ideas, but it’s the journey you take to get there that is important, rather than the only important thing being the outcome.”

Example:

When it doesn’t go to plan

No one needs to tell an equestrian that things can change at the drop of a hat. Lost shoes, sudden injuries, a lorry not starting on the morning of the show can all test the most patient rider, and we all know someone who has suffered an early mishap in the ring just moments after the bell has rung.

But Claire says it’s how you deal with these setbacks.

“We know that with horses the ups and downs are often totally out of our control – one minute you could be going to Badminton and then you’re not. Horse sport particularly, is really open to that ‘all or nothing’,” she explains.

“Suffering is part of being human and a setback is a source of suffering. Our tricky brains can be very unhelpful when setbacks happen – they can trap us in negative cycles and knowing how we respond to setbacks will help us tolerate the suffering.”

When it goes wrong, Laura maintains motivation by focusing on her love of horses.

“Often with horses you feel so close and yet so far, and I think that’s where your day-to-day love of the horses and the life you live with your horse has to be the focus and almost partly the goal,” she says.

“I’ve got family and a lot going on at home, so my time with my horses is golden and that’s my ‘me time’. I have to see it like that, and then the rest of it is a bonus. My day-to-day spending time with them, seeing them progress, knowing their personalities inside out, that’s as much of the enjoyment and why I do it as going to the competitions.”

But if your season is thrown into disarray, Krissie says setting a new goal can still be useful.

“It might mean having a lot of resilience and saying, ‘My horse is going to have six weeks off so my goal now is to rehab my horse’. In the meantime if your horse is out of work, what can you do for yourself? That might be schoolmaster lessons, going on a mechanical horse to work on your position, so that when you can ride again you’re ready to crack on,” she says.

How toxic positivity can undermine your efforts

If you’ve ever experienced a horsey setback and been met with a response from a well-meaning friend of, “Well, at least…”, you’re not alone, explains Claire.

“You’re all prepared for that championship, you’ve loaded the lorry, you’re about to set off, and then your horse has gone hopping lame, and your friend at the yard says, ‘Well, at least you qualified’.

“Toxic positivity basically denies the person who’s experiencing something negative any feeling other than positivity, and that just isn’t the truth,” she says.

“A lot of the time we feel many emotions, and therefore only focusing on the positive denies us the opportunity to express, share, and understand our own real reaction to these problems.

“What we need when something goes wrong is connection with others, and if somebody else is denying you that feeling, all it leaves you with is feeling like you’re a bad person,” adds Claire.

“It’s really common, especially in the age of social media, to see all these posts that imply the person wouldn’t feel so bad if they just thought about it a different way. In times like these it can be useful to talk to a professional or a coach.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Sometimes clear rounds and red rosettes are easy to come by, but if our confidence jumping horses takes a knock, it can take a lot of work to rebuild our nerve. As part of this series on confidence for riders, experts give their tips for getting back in the positive zone over fences in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

Outsiders to the horse world tend to think riders are so brave jumping fences, but the reality is often quite the opposite. Confidence is a delicate attribute, which can easily be shaken. It only takes a couple of bad rounds, a few missed strides, a fall or overfacing ourselves or our horse. And when it ebbs, we may look back at photos of us soaring over jumps and wonder how we ever found it so easy. But a knock to our confidence jumping horses can be carefully rebuilt with the right approach and mindset.

5 ways to regain confidence jumping horses

1. Back to basics

International showjumping coach and Hong Kong Jockey Club showjumping performance manager Corinne Bracken says the first thing she does with any rider who is having confidence issues is takes them back to basics.

“It’s so important that they fall in love with the basic work that they do on a horse, so pole work, focusing on their own position, and doing tiny jumps,” Corinne says.

“If you go back to basics it gives you a good security to fall back on, should it happen again. For me the basics are the most important thing for any horse and rider.”

2. Repetition is key

“Once we’ve re-established those basics and we’ve got a good solid foundation, the next is repetition. I want somebody to do something 100 times well, before they try to do something new,” says Corinne.

“You want it to become second nature; so the mind doesn’t have to think about what you’re doing on the horse and it just does it naturally. You’re retraining all those muscle memories and neuro pathways into just reacting to what’s underneath you, because the minute it becomes a conscious thought, you’ve probably forgotten about 10 other things you should be doing as well.”

3. Assess your work-life balance

Corinne says that when you’re trying to regain your confidence your mindset has to be in the right place.

“Think about why you’re doing it? If you’re someone jumping for pleasure, and it isn’t a pleasure anymore then ask yourself why. And consider what is going on in your work or school life,” she says.

“I find a lot of youth riders lose confidence when they are doing exams because often the brain is so overloaded that they’re mentally tired and therefore physically they can’t do the task at hand. The same happens when people are very busy at work and they find their riding starts to deteriorate.

“While you might not be able to cut back on work, you can back off the intensity of your training or competing, and spend time riding for pleasure. I also encourage young riders to keep it fun during exam time and to focus on training rather than competing until their exams are over.”

4. Pick a keyword

Tina Canton of Tinderbox Sport Horses, a BHSI, UKCC level three coach, and Centre 10 advanced coach recommends using a memorable word to encourage a break in the thought process when building confidence jumping horses.

“I like to use keywords with my riders where I ask them to pick a word and if they are going round a course and their horse gets a little bit keen and they’re getting run off with, I’ll ask them to say their keyword,” explains Tina. “It might be something simple like ‘reset’ and it just means half-halt and put your canter back to where you want it.

“You might jump a fence and say ‘reset’, jump another fence and say ‘reset’, and so on. The rider will then feel like they have a plan and they’re in control.

“I always ask the rider to pick their own word, because it makes people think about it, and you understand what it means.”

5. Choose three points to focus on

Equestrian mental performance coach Poppy Blandford, who works with top riders including Jodie Hall-McAteer encourages riders to pick a number of processes to focus on during jumping sessions.

“If I was going into the ring on your horse, think about what instructions would you give me?” she asks.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re jumping 60cm or 1.60m. When we have a relationship with a horse it can become incredibly complex and emotionally driven, and we’re having so many experiences at once that it can be hard to siphon it down into what we should be focusing on in the moment.”

“When we’re trying to achieve something it’s incredibly important that we can take all the information that’s flying around our heads and really filter it down into three or four key focus points.

“When you’re under pressure the mind can only focus on that many things at once – so it might be, ‘Can I keep my body tall, can I focus on my breathing, can I keep the canter?’

“Therefore we have a process to follow, and the brain relaxes because it’s got a solution. When you simplify and become calm, your subconscious will kick in.

“It sounds simple, but no matter what level you’re at it’s really important that you remember what you’re supposed to be doing.”

• Did you find these tips helpful? Let us know by emailing hhletters@futurenet.com with your name, nearest town and county, and your letter might be published in Horse & Hound magazine

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Riding in groups isn’t always the joyful camaraderie we want it to be. On the one hand, training alongside others can provide a boost to our enjoyment of the sport as we share the highs and lows of horsey life, compare experiences and tips, and support each other.

Conversely, it can become a hotbed of unhelpful comparisons, a feeling of failure to live up to the group dynamic and a fear of performing in front of our peers. We can worry that our partnership with our horse is not progressing as fast as it should, looking at friends who are flying up the levels. Perhaps you’re panicking that your horse might misbehave, or will be tricky and need extra time at a certain fence.

Nerves come into it, too, hampering our ability to ride as well as we should, diverting our focus into simple fight-or flight rather than being receptive to learning and making progress.

4 tips for making the most of riding in groups

1. Don’t be ashamed to drop down a level

If you’re nervous about riding in a group setting, five-star eventer and BHSI coach Georgie Goss says it’s ok to opt for a lower height or level at a clinic.

“If you’re jumping 80cm at home confidently then when you go to a clinic go for the 70cm lesson, and that way you know it’s well within your capabilities if you’re struggling with nerves,” she says.

“You might finish and think you didn’t progress as much because the fences weren’t as big as you normally jump. However, it’s much better to come away thinking, ‘I’d like to go up a bit next time’ and have a confidence boost, than enter the 80cm, feel out of your depth and so make mistakes, and leave that lesson feeling like you can’t do it.”

2. Tune into your breathing

Whether you’re nervous about a lesson, or a busy warm-up at a show, Changing Minds senior sports psychologist Dr Chris Beaumont says focusing on your breathing can help.

“It’s really normal for people to feel nervous about something, and sometimes just remembering that this is a normal process can help. Breathing exercises and cognitive distraction can help to calm you down, and remind you of the thing you actually need to go and do,” he says.

“The useful thing about breathing is that it’s something that you’re constantly doing, so it’s something simple that you can focus on regardless of the situation.

“Focus on the sensation; what does breathing feel like when you breathe air in through your nose, what happens to your body, how does it feel? Really describe to yourself what the process feels like.

“It will pull you back into the moment, as well as helping you to improve your breathing if this has quickened, at the same time.”

3. Progressive muscle relaxation

Changing Minds consultant clinical psychologist Dr Duncan Law says relaxation is key to performing well in nerve-wracking situations. Progressive relaxation involves tuning into different parts of your body, tensing them and relaxing them one by one.

“By relaxing our muscles, we relax our minds,” says Dr Law. “We become calmer if our muscles are less tense.

“The other thing you’re doing in relaxing your muscles is distracting yourself from some of those unhelpful thoughts like, ‘Am I good enough?’ You’re concentrating on something useful rather than something that isn’t.”

4. Stop comparing yourself

Equestrian mental performance coach Poppy Blandford says even riders at the top level are guilty of comparing themselves, but focusing on yourself allows for progress.

“I work with a number of riders aiming for teams and even at this top level they are eyeing each other up, watching each other’s results and comparing.

“Instead of trying to prove yourself right now, your focus needs to be on improving yourself. In your mind take the next three months and think about what you need to do to improve mentally, physically and technically by 1%,” says Poppy.

“Comparison is really just a distraction, it affects your body and your mind, and you need to be in control of those two things when you’re riding.

“When we notice that we’re distracted by comparison we need to take a moment to relax our body, breathe, and refocus our mind back on the skill and to think about the things you need to do to improve your 1%.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

You can guarantee that every equestrian has, at some point during a competition, had that sinking feeling when something hasn’t gone to plan. Poles fall, unexpected run-outs can happen, or not nailing a still square halt can lose valuable marks. If this means missing out on a top placing, or a win, this can result in a long drive home thinking of the “what ifs” and a shattered competitive mindset.

Riders know more than most that things don’t always follow the script – and while one unfortunate result might be put down to an unlucky day and brushed off, when these start to become regular occurrences it can soon become disheartening.

Consultant clinical psychologist with Changing Minds Dr Duncan Law, who has worked with top sports athletes, explains that when people are driven in sport, losing can be emotionally difficult.

“That’s not what you go into the sport to do,” he says. “But it depends on what you define as losing. For some it might not be about whether you’re on the podium or not. It might be your view that you’re competing against yourself rather than against other people. If that’s your drive, then that’s easier to manage.

“However, if you perceive loss as failure, then there will usually be a negative emotional response. At its extremes, the negative emotional response can become intolerable and you become highly avoidant.

“But if you don’t reflect on the loss, then you can’t learn from what you didn’t get right in the competition and maybe the one before that, leading to thinking you’ve had a losing streak, and you can’t improve.”

And Duncan says the other extreme is where people think too much about the loss.

“They do the learning bit, but carry on worrying about it, rather than using the learning to help them perform better,” he says. “We might call those people overthinkers – they can’t leave it behind and it’s there with them when they start the next competition.

“The ones who do well are those who are between these two extremes – they can manage the emotional pain of loss to reflect and learn in order to focus on what they need to do to perform better in the next event.”

Competitive mindset fluctuations “are normal”

Winning in horse sport is rare – take any top rider’s record and you’ll likely see far more losses than victories, and dressage rider Gareth Hughes says runs of bad luck are common at all levels.

“We put our heart and soul into horses, so when it goes wrong, you can sometimes get into a dark hole,” he says. “We all have days where we have a great ride and think ‘That’s it, I’m off to the next Olympics.’

“And the next day you think, ‘I can’t even canter, it’s too difficult and I don’t know why I’m doing this.’ It’s normal to go through these periods.”

“Confidence comes through getting things right; when you have more bad rides than good, it’s very hard to get your confidence back. And with horses, it’s a sport that you as a rider can get everything right and it still goes wrong – that’s where horses are extremely grounding.

“If you find you’re not doing well all the time, there is a point where you just sort of think, why bother?”

When this happens, Gareth believes taking a step back can be necessary to move forward.

“Step back until you find a place where the confidence comes back, then move forward again. Training horses is like a graph that’s going up and down, but you’re hoping through time, you just get that gentle improvement,” he says, adding that it’s helpful to focus on that improvement, rather than the placing.

“In dressage, if your personal best is 65% and you come out and score 66% and place 15th, that’s still your gold medal. If you’ve been averaging 70% but you win the class on 65%, that’s not an improvement,” he says.

Success, controllables and processes

Dr Chris Beaumont, a senior sports psychologist with Changing Minds who has worked with Olympic and Paralympic athletes, asks people what they define as success.

“Sometimes people can go into competitions without being really clear about what they are trying to achieve,” he says. “Having clarity on your goals and expectations is really important to help the performance.

“Sport is about outcomes, but the thing about outcomes is that they’re not controllable. Often, people allow these uncontrollable things to have a huge impact on their emotions, which can be positive and negative.

“If you win, you get a great high, but when you lose you can have great lows, but those emotions are both connected to an uncontrollable factor.”

To combat this, Chris recommends thinking about the factors you are in control of and to focus on the “three Ps”: preparation, planning and processes.

“I will ask people, ‘Are you really clear on your preparation and what do you need to be as successful as possible? That might be in your training. Then, ‘What’s your plan – are you clear in what you are trying to achieve?’

“Then think about processes; the things that you can do that you’re in control of to give the best chance to be successful. That could be focusing on how you start in a competition, to the various phases.

“If you nail your preparation, be clear on your plans and understand your processes, you set yourself up in the best position for success.”

Preparation leads to a confident competitive mindset

Event rider Pippa Funnell, who describes herself as an overthinker and has been open about confidence issues during her career, places a huge emphasis on preparation.

“What gives me the most confidence is trusting my system, and that system is leaving no stone unturned,” she says. “For example, I know my horses all at some stage have experience of running in the wet ground, because I don’t want to go into a big three-day where the going is tough and I think this horse has never experienced this.

“During a competition you don’t want to be going, ‘I wish I’d done that in the preparation.’ If you know that’s covered, then you can go in with so much more confidence.

“But there are also situations where you have to turn things into a positive. I had a fall and had a plaster on my leg for two-and-a-half weeks before the first Badminton that Supreme Rock won. I had completely the wrong preparation, but you have to turn things into a positive rather than dwell, my positive was that I was going into Badminton well rested.”

But Pippa says it’s human nature to lose confidence at some stage.

“You can lose your confidence in many ways. It might not be from a bad result or a fall, it might be that you’ve had an injury and you’re riding in pain, or you’ve had a run of horses with soundness issues, and you lose confidence in the way you ride them,” she explains.

“When I’ve lost confidence, which I have many times, I’ve fallen into the trap of losing belief in my judgement. It can be easy to ask lots of people for advice and you go away from trying to work it out for yourself.

“But I’ve found huge strength in analysing why something’s gone wrong, or it’s consistently going wrong, and very often that links back to somewhere in your training or the basics.”

Australian five-star event rider turned coach, Paul Tapner, enjoyed plenty of highs during his competition career, but he experienced his share of challenges. He believes a common factor among successful riders is having resilience.

“Anybody who is successful has this in bucketloads,” he says. “You might only remember a famous rider for all their successes, but statistically they’ll have been more unsuccessful.

“One example is jockey AP McCoy. He might have been the most winning rider for how ever many years, but if you look at it from the other perspective, he was also the rider of the most losers in as many years. It doesn’t matter how successful you are, you have to have that resilience to be able to look at it positively.”

Paul says being adaptable to different situations is key to overcoming hurdles.

“I would start on plan A, but normally end up at plan Z by the end of every season,” he says. “I have many stories where things haven’t gone to plan, but it can make you stronger, if you’re willing to learn from it.

“There’s a famous saying: ‘The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over but expecting different results.’ You have to be willing to constantly assess and tweak what you’re doing to get a little bit better every time.

“It doesn’t need to be massive changes, but don’t be so stubborn that you get stuck in your way of doing something and think that that should get results.”

“No failure, only feedback”

Sports psychology coach Debbie Hill of Ahead For Life, who works with equestrians across disciplines including Olympic dressage rider Abi Lyle, practises a “no failure, only feedback” approach. And when helping riders, one technique she uses is the “mental strength triangle”.

“This triangle is made up of motivation, focus and emotional balance,” Debbie explains. “Motivation is around your values and beliefs; if you believe you’re going to be rubbish or fall off, that’s what’s going to happen. So believe that you are able to do this, because you’ve done the training for it. And the value is that it makes you happy.

“Then if we consider the focus part, that’s knowing what you want to achieve and the process to do it. For example, knowing how you’re going to ride the course, or test, and visioning linking the fences or movements together.

“The emotional balance is about what went on in the past and what’s going to happen in the future. We need to stay in the present and believe that we can do that today, by focusing on that process.”

When feeling nervous, Debbie recommends focusing on your peripheral vision.

“We tend to focus on what’s in front of us and this kick-starts that fight, flight or freeze mechanism. Try allowing your eyes to slide out to the side and think about everything you can see. This helps the body believe that everything is OK,” she says.

Showjumper Jodie Hall McAteer has been working with mindset coach Poppy Blandford for the past four years.

“It’s made a massive difference to my outlook. When I started competing on the Global Champions Tour, I got exposed to the top level very quickly, and it was a new kind of intensity and pressure,” she says. “Getting mindset help gave me the tools I needed to manage that and not to get fixated on the results.

“You can get a bit despondent when things aren’t going your way and if you’re struggling at any point, it’s so important to get help.”

How to deal with the unique mindset demands of showing

Showing exerts different pressures to the Olympic disciplines. In showjumping, for example, an unlucky pole down might be comprehensible in a rider’s head, but not being placed in showing can feel more personal. Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Krissie Ivings of Aspire Rider Confidence & Hypnotherapy – and author of Tame the Chimp, Shoot the Parrot & Silence the Mouse – says that subjective sports can be more challenging.

“It’s one person’s opinion on the day – and it is hard, especially if you think that’s unfair or biased. But there’s no reason to assume it’s deliberate bias just because your type of horse isn’t the one the judges are looking for,” says Dr Krissie.

“If you are going to do showing it’s really important that you don’t link your worth to your results. You need to be able to focus on process and let go of outcomes.

“The process is turning your horse out to the best of your ability, showing off his attributes, making sure they are well schooled for the ride judge – focus on all the different elements that make up what makes a good show horse.

“If you put all the pieces together as well as you possibly can, and you ride as well as you can on the day, then whatever happens happens – if people are better than you on the day, they’re better than you. You can still do really well and not place.

“Letting go of outcomes is even more important in disciplines where it’s subjective as the outcome is someone’s opinion. But it’s also useful to be open to feedback, because judges will have a reason for the decision they make.”

Top showing producer and judge Vikki Smith encourages riders not to focus on the placing or qualification.

“My motto is that I’m really happy with my horses in the yard, I know where they are at in their training and experience and I go to a show with the target that as long as my horse goes well on the day, then the result is an added extra,” she says.

“I had a recent result where one of my horses was second, but I think ‘I still only want to take him home’. As long as you’re happy with your horse that’s all you can do. People can become obsessed with chasing a ticket, and sometimes you’ve got to think, ‘Why did I start riding?’ and remember why they enjoy it.”

Horses will be horses, and when those unfortunate moments do happen in the ring, Vikki says it’s important to remember that it’s likely to have happened at some stage to those watching too.

“We all think that because we’re being judged inside the ring, that we’re being judged outside it too. You’ve got to have quite a thick skin to be involved in showing,” she says, adding a rider’s back-up team is just as important in showing as other disciplines.

“I have a dressage trainer, and I have my mum who is good on the ground and a good critic for me. I think everyone needs some help and backup.”

3 tips for dealing with competition nerves

Box breathing: a relaxation technique. Inhale through your nose for a count of four, hold your breath for four, exhale through your mouth for four, hold your breath for four. Then repeat.

Cognitive distraction: using your mind to think about neutral things to keep out negative thoughts at bay. As an example, pick a colour and count how many items of this colour you can see around you.

Progressive muscle relaxation: to help reduce stress and anxiety. Tune into different parts of your body and practise tensing and relaxing your muscles one by one.

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

We all start out our riding ventures in the company of other people and horses. Having the confidence to ride alone isn’t a given. Whether we’re used to the riding school, coaches, or having our parents and siblings around, it can feel like a big deal when you first start riding without the support of other people.

There are also riders who may have spent years never doubting their confidence to ride alone, but perhaps an incident or traumatic event has scuppered their self-belief. And let’s not forget, our horses, being herd animals, have to build their own confidence to go out without other equines alongside.

However, it is very limiting not to be able to ride on our own. We cannot always have a coach barking out instructions and correcting every mistake. There aren’t always people to ride with at a convenient time. Even though it may be fun to go out with others, it opens up many more opportunities and develops skills to have solo riding in your repertoire.

Out hacking, you’ll be helping your horse be more independent, while in the school, you’ll be able to focus single-mindedly on honing your technique. Sometimes, you can learn a lot more working through exercises that a coach has previously set you, because you have the time to practise without pressure. It gives you the chance to try things out without being concerned about “getting it wrong”.

Plus, once you’re all set, there’s sometimes nothing better than enjoying the big outdoors with just you and your horse.

Develop self-coaching

For those who struggle to know what to do in a schooling session without instruction, equestrian mental performance coach Poppy Blandford encourages them to embrace riding alone and to be their own coach.

“You learn so much about yourself and experience when you’re moving through the processes alone,” she says. “Of course working with your coach is extremely helpful, but if you’re having to ride alone then by having a set structure you can still get a lot of feedback that way.

“The big thing is trying to stay process-focused and understanding what you’re doing. I ask riders of all levels, if I was to get on your horse what three things would you tell me? It might be something like, ‘He falls out through his shoulder or he gets too fast on that rein’.

“From there, think about what you would tell me to do about it. Whether that’s get him up in front of my leg, or sit in the saddle and encourage him to work from behind – it’s having a clear understanding of what you’re trying to create.

“When we have clarity in how we’re supposed to do something, it really opens up our potential to coach ourselves.”

Make a plan

Five-star eventer and BHSI coach Georgie Goss says riders should approach each session with a clear idea mapped out.

“Coaches will usually have a lesson plan, and it’s no different from an individual riding point of view,” she says.

“If you know you go into the arena and end up trotting around on one rein and panicking about what could happen, you need to set some plans: ‘I’m going to ride for 30 minutes; I’m going to do 10 minutes of this, 10 minutes of that, 10 minutes of the other’.

“Or plan your exercises. For example ‘I’m going to do a 10m circle in every corner’.

“It’s no different to going to the gym and following a regime so you have a plan of what you’re going to do in that session.”

Get your counting hat on

George also recommends tackling nerves by counting out loud to build up your confidence to ride alone.

“If you find yourself getting nervous then try counting the trot or the canter,” she says. “So in trot you will be thinking, ‘One, two, one, two, one two’ or for the canter, ‘One, two, three, one, two, three’.

“It instantly gives you something else to think about and concentrate on.

“Another example is doing things like riding four strides of collected canter, then four strides of working canter, followed by four strides of medium canter. You become so busy thinking about the ‘doing’, that you won’t be worrying about what might happen.”

Share your location for peace of mind

Mindset coach Debbie Hill of Ahead for Life says sometimes a lack of confidence to ride alone can stem from worrying about nobody being aware if something was to happen to you.

“It’s catastrophising or thinking there will be an outcome by riding alone. To help make you feel more secure in this, it could be sharing your location on your phone with someone who could come and help and telling them what time you will be riding,” she says.

“But sometimes you also need to give yourself a break. So many people think they have to ride alone, but give yourself permission not to if you really don’t want to.

“If you want to ride alone, then risk assess before you do. Maybe it’s wise not to force yourself to do it in the pouring rain and howling wind if you know that’s going to make your horse unsettled.”

Listen to your favourite podcast

Tina Canton, BHSI, UKCC level three coach and Centre 10 advanced coach, says riders can help relax their mind while riding alone by listening to a podcast or audiobook. Obviously, this should only be done while riding at home and not on any public byways where you will need all your hearing instincts.

“When I ride alone I love listening to a podcast or a book,” she says. “I will only use one earpiece, and you also get hats with speakers, because it’s important to still be able to hear around you.

“Listening to something helps a lot with riders who struggle with breathing or relaxation because it takes a little part of the brain away from what you are doing.”

There are some podcasts that actually talk you through a riding session, so it’s a little like having a coach in your ear directing you along the way. They may encouraging you to focus on your position or specific parts of your horse’s performance, so your brain keeps its focus on the things that matter.

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Showjumping commentator and broadcaster Adam Cromarty on why “getting on with it” is no longer a healthy mindset

Next month is the UK’s mental health awareness week (12–18 May). This year, the theme is community.

We’re lucky that the world of showjumping has a huge sense of community. Whether our sport takes you a few miles from home or around the world, you don’t have to look too far to find a friendly face. No matter the level of competition, no one is dismissive if you ask for an opinion about a line or a distance.

With the widely discussed social licence issues our sport faces, we need to protect our community. We all have our part to play, and I feel British Showjumping is ahead of other national federations when it comes to evolving rules with this in mind.

It’s widely accepted that social media is an incredible tool. At no other time in history could you press a button and have the potential to reach a global audience, free of charge.

For many reasons, it’s so important to be careful of what and where we post. Things can turn quickly from being a useful discussion to a less constructive blame game or witch-hunt. It can be detrimental to the sport and have the potential to damage individual careers or businesses.

Being kind and accountable should be a focus whether in person or online. The online disinhibition effect describes how people feel free and less restrained when interacting online. We are more likely to open up about issues and to offer help to strangers.

The lack of physical presence and, in some cases, a detachment from reality mean we can speak our mind without much thought about the consequences.

As someone who was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during Covid, the brain has become a real hyper-focus for me. While no data exists, I think the horse world likely has a disproportionately high number of neurodivergent members. The mix of routine and variety is attractive to “neurospicy” minds.

Positive mental habits

“Just get on with it” was an equestrian mantra for decades. However, many top equestrian athletes are now working with sports psychologists to improve their performance. I think this number is only going to increase, and with very good reason.

For some riders, tackling one specific issue, such as fear, may be the motivation to explore sport-related mind coaching. This is probably one of the most common.

Although there is no magic wand, there is a set of skills to learn that can help you reframe nerves by building confidence through preparation, positive mental habits and knowing how to recover from a mistake without spiralling.

Something I’ve heard a lot of riders have success with is visualisation when walking the course. These masterful minds aren’t out there just walking, they are visualising (while walking).

Imagining what it will look and feel like to ride that perfect rollback turn. Picturing the feeling of closing their fingers around the reins to take a check down a distance. These vivid thoughts get the neurons firing and can be a useful preparation tool.

We’re stuck with the brain we have, and investing time into building a toolkit to help with our performance could be life-changing. No matter how important the competition, imagine standing at the in-gate being completely present in the moment, focused on the task in hand and able to cope with whatever happens in there.

Fuelling our brain is important too. It’s difficult when I’m at shows abroad, but when I’m home, I try to cook as much as I can from scratch. I know it sounds boring, but I do feel better.

I used to drink alcohol socially and although I don’t claim to have stopped altogether, I am mindful of my consumption. A new study in the journal Neurology suggests that eight alcoholic drinks per week can lead to an increased risk of brain injury.

For some this is a topic that raises a dismissive eyebrow. I may have been part of that group in the past. Now, I think that an athlete’s mind could be the difference between being on or off the podium.

Clear minds help with clear rounds. I may trademark this; anyone know a good T-shirt printer?

● What has been your experience around maintaining a healthy mindset? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The idyllic image of galloping along a beach or across empty moorland may be a dream scenario – but for some riders it’s a nightmarish prospect. While most of us start our riding lessons in arenas, and may feel quite secure within an enclosed space, the thought of the freedom of horse riding in open spaces can be daunting.

Providing the horse itself is used to the sight of an expanse ahead and not liable to get over-excited, riding in open spaces – whether walking, trotting or cantering – should be a thoroughly enjoyable and exhilarating experience for both horse and rider.

However, it can be shrouded in fear due to the rider’s trepidation or past negative experiences. Let’s take a look at how to build our confidence up to the stage where you’re ready to take on the challenge.

4 ways to build confidence horse riding in open spaces

1. Be present

Mindset and performance coach Jenni Winter-Leach of Flying Changes explains that worrying about riding in open spaces is often because riders don’t feel in control when there’s not a “barrier” around them.

“Maybe a rider has had issues like their horse taking off, or just feeling out of control,” says Jenni.

“From there, when we get worried we go into ‘what ifs’, but ‘what ifs’ are in the future – they’re not now in this moment.

“We need to stay present in the moment, because when we project things into the future our bodies start doing things which are never helpful in our riding like tensing up or not breathing properly, and we go into a freeze response.

“The best place to be in the present moment is in our body and physical feeling; so think about your breathing, and your position on the horse.

“By doing this you’re aiming to change the pattern and prevent yourself from going into the ‘what if’ mode, and you can then be effective in the moment.”

2. Elevator breathing

Equestrian mindset and confidence coach Debbie Hill of Ahead for Life recommends practising breathing exercises before you set out.

“One of my favourites is to imagine that you’ve got an elevator inside and when you breathe in the elevator stops at your belly button, then it stops at your mid chest, then the top of your chest,” she explains.

“Then you watch it slowly descend back down towards your tummy. By using the image of an elevator, you’re using your conscious mind to stay in the moment,” she explains.

“When doing this you should breathe in through your nose, and gradually out through your nose, and the reason this is important is because it tells the rest of your body through your nervous system that everything is OK.

“As soon as we breathe through our mouths it can cause stress, because we would usually breathe through our mouths when we’re running or fighting to get as much breath in.”

3. Take in your surroundings

Debbie also recommends immersing yourself in nature and admiring the view.

“Practising mindfulness when you’re on your horse can be really helpful and remind you to enjoy being out,” she explains.

“Think about what you can see: are the trees changing colour? What new flowers have come up? Have you spotted a buzzard? What do the clouds look like?

“Looking up is really important because when we look up and we use our peripheral vision, it relaxes our mind. When we’re in ‘focus’ vision, like when we’re staring at something thinking, ‘That’s going to spook my horse!’ that sets us off, because going back to tribal times we’d have only been in focal vision when we were hunting or being hunted.

“To widen our vision and look around us is useful to calm the mind, and also helps us to balance. If we’re crossing the road for instance we wouldn’t just focus on one spot on the other side, you’re aware of the traffic coming and going because it helps us to judge speed and balance when we step off the kerb.

“Enjoy your surroundings; we tend to forget to enjoy it because we’re so worried what might happen.”

4. Turn the dial down

Debbie says a useful tool is using the “arousal dial” to help bring calm to a situation.

“Imagine there is a dial between your horse’s ears – and you can turn this up and down,” advises Debbie.

“If we say that at number one you’re completely relaxed, and number 10 is you’re so nervous you can’t ride.

“When you’re riding consider what level you would like to be at. To work this out you can think of something that went well, and think about where on the dial you were, was it maybe a four or a five?

“When you are riding and you start to feel overwhelmed and that dial is creeping up, take a moment and picture turning that dial back down to that time it went well.”

So whether you’re planning a beach ride, or are going to head out into the open countryside with your horse, using these techniques can help ensure you are in the best possible mental place to enjoy the experience.

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Handling horses with confidence doesn’t come naturally to everyone, especially if you have a horse who is tricky to manage or you don’t have the necessary experience. Fortunately, building confidence on the ground is usually a case of increasing competence and expertise, which comes from good guidance and preparation as you tackle this area.

There are degrees of the extent to which you may want to handle a horse from the ground, from leading horses in and out of the field to long-lining horses over poles. Regardless of the level, anyone with anything to do with handling horses needs to be competent. This applies to non-riders, too – for example the parent or other half who is roped in as a helping hand at shows, loading horses to competitions or just on the yard.

Horses soon clock if their handler doesn’t know what they’re doing, and while many may adopt a nannying role, there are plenty who will take control of the situation if their handler appears unsure. Confidence and competence are key.

Good groundwork is essential, whatever your level of experience, for the safety of the handler, the horse and everyone else on the yard. If a horse is tricky to handle, the best practice is to go back to basics to establish appropriate, safe behaviour. Do not be afraid to seek help from an experienced coach.

Right from the outset, horses should be taught to lead politely, to stop when asked, to wait and to back up. Horses weigh half a tonne, and so you need to establish trust and communication, and set boundaries of personal space, because if they throw their weight around, you are going to be at risk.

4 areas to boost your confidence in handling horses

1. Remember to trust in yourself

Debbie Hill of performance coaching business Ahead for Life says when we are worried about something the conscious mind can become overloaded and people can revert back to the learning stages, but by trusting that you know how to handle a situation, you can focus on the task at hand.

“When learning to drive a car at first you get in the car and you don’t know what you don’t know, that’s called unconscious incompetence,” explains Debbie. “Then you learn about the clutch and gear stick and what you need to do, and that’s called conscious incompetence and you’re aware of what you don’t know.

“Once you pass your test you have reached conscious competence, where you’re aware of what you’re doing but you still need to think about. Then when you reach expert level in something, it becomes unconscious competence, for example you drive to work and don’t really think about how you got there.”

“To be able to perform anything really well we need to be in that unconscious competence because we need to be able to trust that we can do it. If you start thinking that something bad is going to happen then you can start believing it, and that’s all emotional thinking.

“You need to change that belief set and trust that you know what you’re doing, and in doing so you move towards logical thinking which allows you to move forward clearly.”

2. Take appropriate safety steps

Five-star eventer and BHSI coach Georgie Goss says simply being prepared and properly equipped for a task can instil confidence around handling horses on the ground.

“When you feel safe, you’re naturally more confident,” she says. “If your horse can be difficult to lead you’re going to feel safer using a bridle or a lunge line instead of lead rope, and wearing a hat and gloves, so you’re putting yourself in the safest scenario.

“If your horse is a bit fresh when turning them out for example and you’re not prepared, that’s often where things can go wrong. If you’re ready for these things, then if they spook or do something silly, you’ve got the right kit from a safety point of view, and you’re going to feel more confident in how to handle that situation.”

3. Learn to understand horse body language

Tina Canton of Tinderbox Sport Horses, a BHSI, UKCC level three coach, and Centre 10 advanced coach, recommends learning from others and not being afraid to ask for help.

“If you are struggling with confidence then spend some time with someone experienced in handling horses and get them to explain how they are reading them. A lot of people who have major problems on the ground don’t read the horse’s body language, because they don’t really understand it,” she explains.

“They might anthropomorphise and put human emotions onto the horse, but we’ve got to remember that they are herd animals and they read our body language a lot.”

“Some people try to deal with their horses by feeding them titbits or allowing them to run over the top of them and we have to remember that they are half a tonne of animal that could do us damage, so we need to understand how to handle them safely. By doing some research on what is the natural way of a horse, what is their herd instinct, and the owner can start to understand why the horse is reacting in a certain way and adapt accordingly.”

4. Put your CEO hat on

Tina says taking a step back and assessing things from a different perspective can also help.

“When people are lacking confidence with their horses, I ask them to look at how they perform in other parts of their life,” she explains.

“They might have a job where they have to make really big decisions, but when it comes to their horses they turn themselves inside out making decisions about what rug to put on. If you put your CEO hat on, or team leader hat, or whatever that role might be, then consider how you would make a decision if it was another aspect of your life.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Successful riding has never been simply about talent of horse and rider. Ability and even sound horsemanship can only take you so far. One of the fundamental keys for riders is to build confidence to enable them to fulfil the potential of both sides of the partnership. Naturally, confidence is essential in the horse as well, but a positive and assured approach from the person in the saddle is a large part of the equation.

Whether your confidence has been shattered by a bad experience such as a fall, a string of poor results or an inappropriate horse, or you have felt out of control for whatever reason and unable to enjoy riding at all, there are measures you can take to get back in the saddle, so to speak.

6 steps to build confidence for riders

1. Set goals for every session

Equestrian mindset and confidence coach Debbie Hill of Ahead for Life, who works with riders across the disciplines and levels and includes Olympic dressage rider Abi Lyle among her client base, encourages riders to have something to aim for every time they ride.

“We need to set goals because they give us direction,” explains Debbie. “If you went down a football pitch and there weren’t goal posts at either end then you wouldn’t know what it is that you’re trying to aim for. Approach each session by thinking about what you would like to achieve, and what you need in order to do this.

“When setting a long-term goal think about working backwards from it; think about where you are now and where you need to be a year from now, six months from now and three months. This helps you to feel that you have control and allows you to think about what you’re doing now, and what level you need to be at to achieve your goals.”

2. Use cue words

Changing Minds senior sports psychologist Dr Chris Beaumont says the key to confidence is in the three Ps; preparation, plan, and process – and using cue words as reminders.

“Be really clear on your preparation and what you need to do to be as successful as possible, that could be your warm-up for example. Then think about your plan, what is it you’re trying to achieve? Next think about the process to reach that, what are the fundamental things in your control that you need to execute? This gives people something concrete to put their energy into,” he explains.

“Part of this is also having reminders to keep you focused on what you need to do, and in psychology we talk about them as ‘focus cues’. They can be short, sharp, punchy phrases that remind you of your processes, those things you are in control of.”

3. Keep a journal

Equestrian mental performance coach Poppy Blandford, who works with top riders around the world including Jodie Hall-McAteer, recommends writing your thoughts and feelings down.

“I ask all the riders I work with to keep a journal, and it’s something Jodie is passionate about. It gives you the opportunity to sit down and reflect, but in a structured way. Often when we try to reflect our thoughts are spinning and there’s emotion there and we fall into attack mode and judge our ability,” says Poppy.

“When doing this I ask people to write down three skills that did work in that experience, because there’s always positives to take away, and then you have feedback to build improvement on. That’s how you build a champion’s mindset, by letting go of the judgement and really disciplining yourself to stay focused on the skill itself.”

4. Breathing basics

BHSI and UKCC level three coach Tina Canton of Tinderbox Sport Horses is an Centre 10 Advanced Coach, having completed an applied psychology course in equestrian coaching. Tina recommends focusing on breathing at set points.

“I ask riders to take a big deep breath down into your tummy whenever they cross the centre line. This can be especially useful in a dressage test in a long arena when someone has a medium trot across the diagonal, and it can feel like they’re going on forever. Or when you’re jumping and you’ve got a longer corner take that conscious deep breath before the approach to the next fence,” she says.

“Taking a breath before any kind of transition is also useful, it’s like a reset for your body and in that moment it allows a little bit of preparation time for the transition.”

5. Un, deux, trois

Tina also recommends polishing off your singing voice – or counting in French.

“I once did a grid lesson where we had the riders count in a different language, so they had to be very cognitively aware as they were jumping the fence. It was amazing that those who were quite tense about the jumping really relaxed when I said you’ve got to jump down the grid counting one to five in French,” explains Tina.

“Verbalising something when you are riding can be really helpful so there’s a bit of cognitive awareness going on and you’re not getting tunnel vision. That can also be singing a song, or talking to your horse. I usually have riders sing something like Nellie the Elephant, because it’s a great canter rhythm song.”

6. Channel your inner Ros Canter

Tina says the art of mimicry can be another way to boost confidence.

“I get riders to do impressions of riders that they really admire. I’ll ask them how would Ros Canter ride this line, or how would Becky Moody work this change? Then I get them to do an impression and it’s like it gives them permission in their head to develop,” she says.

“With some of my clients I’ll call them that name for the rest of the lesson. I’ll say ‘Come on Ros, we’re going to jump this fence now’, and they completely change their body language and it becomes a little bit of fun, and suddenly they realise that they can perform in that way.”

• Did you find this article useful? This is part of a series of articles to help riders improve their confidence, whether they want to hack around the block or compete at the highest level, so keep visiting for more expert advice to help improve your riding life.

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Transform rider nerves into positive energy with Charlie Unwin’s expert tips

7 ways top riders deal with nerves

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Welcoming a newborn into the family is a major life change and it’s not uncommon to feel an impact on your riding confidence after having a baby – whether you’re mum or dad. But why can this happen?

“So much changes for a new parent,” says sports psychologist and equestrian confidence coach Alex Fleming, founder of Coaching 4 Confidence. “There are mindset changes, physical changes and parents can feel pressure in their new role from all areas, be that from other family members, societal expectations, or even themselves.”

Alex, a mum of two boys who loves to event, says her own relationship with riding was affected by becoming a parent.

“I felt like I rushed out and tried to prove to myself that I could still do the same stuff with my horse, Fonz. We were working towards stepping up to novice, so I got back out and entered an event very quickly. I got a babysitter for the day and remember driving to the venue exhausted and in tears. I thought ‘who are you trying to prove this to?’ The answer was: myself.”

Alex “backed off” competing for a few months, and riding became more enjoyable again. Her second son was born in February 2025, and she’s planning a more relaxed approach this time.

“It’s very easy to put that pressure on yourself, but I’ll do things differently this time,” she says. “I have an ex-racehorse, who’s coming back from medical issues. He’s ready to start long-reining, so we’ll get fit together.”

Feeling pressured to prove yourself is just one possible effect on your riding confidence after having a baby. As Alex explains, a lot is going on for new parents who ride – let’s look at some of the challenges of parenthood as a rider in more detail.

Riding confidence after having a baby: changes in the brain

“A scan of your brain before becoming a parent is completely different from a scan after the baby arrives,” says Alex. “You’re experiencing hormonal changes, you’re probably sleep deprived, and all this feeds in how you might be feeling about riding as a new parent.”

According to Alex, hormonal changes and lack of sleep help activate the brain’s stress centres, and this can have a huge impact on how we feel about riding.

“In very simple terms, and using Professor Steven Peters’ easy-to-understand model, you have a chimp part of your brain, which is like the emotional side, and the human, rational-thinking side. Your decisions, and thus your actions, originate from one side or the other.

“Primitive needs activate the chimp part of the brain, such as hunger or tiredness. If you’re running on too little sleep, the chimp side is triggered and you’re operating in a state of high alert.”

Alex explains that being in this state of fight-or-flight can reduce a new parent’s capacity to manage even ordinary situations in their lives, let alone a horse.

“It’s literally like that old Snickers advert: ‘you’re not you when you’re hungry’,” she continues. “Something that wouldn’t have triggered an emotional response ordinarily might suddenly set you off much more easily. For example, you might never have thought twice about your horse napping or spooking before, but suddenly find yourself in tears.

“It’s important to remember there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you for feeling this way, it’s just your capacity to deal with day-to-day setbacks is significantly reduced.”

Identity crisis?

Lots of riders say spending time with their horses is therapeutic. But if you feel a dip in riding confidence after having a baby, it can upend how you feel about riding and caring for horses generally.

“I hear lots of hobby riders who are new mums or dads say they’ve lost the one thing that felt like their ‘me’ time,” explains Alex. “Suddenly, they’re beating themselves up – and the yard is never going to feel like a sanctuary if you berate yourself the whole time you’re there.”

Alex says becoming a parent presents a new normal, and that new normal extends to your life as a horse owner.

“The time constraints with young children are massive and maintaining your riding or competing routine from before becoming a parent is far from easy.

“I love eventing, but I also love spending time with my family. One change I made with my first son was competing in showjumping for a while because it was more time-efficient. That doesn’t take away who I am as a rider. It’s just a new thing I want to focus on.”

Alex urges new parents to treat themselves with kindness, and while your riding life might look different for a time, it doesn’t mean forever.

“It’s about using the time with your horse without any pressure to make yourself feel good. For now, that might be grooming your horse, hacking with your best friend or handwalking. Giving yourself grace helps curb negative self-talk.”

Harsh self-criticism can be a symptom of post-natal depression, as well as anxiety and low mood.

“But even without that, it’s very easy to go down a negative self-talk spiral where you undermine your own ability and dwell on worst-case scenarios,” says Alex. “Negative self-talk undermines your confidence, so nipping it in the bud will help you get back to where you want to be more easily.

“Any new parent with symptoms of post-natal depression can contact their GP as their first port of call.”

The weight of expectation

Alex says family dynamics can affect riding confidence after having a baby.

“If your family isn’t horsey, they don’t always understand how all-encompassing being a rider or owner can be,” she says. “It’s a passion, but it comes with serious time constraints. In some cases, families think new parents should forgo their hobby for a while, and if family members make that idea quite obvious, that can feed into your confidence.”

On the other hand, expectations in an equestrian family may be reversed.

“I had a client from a strong hunting background, and her family’s attitude is very much ‘get back on the horse; it’s what you do’. It’s interesting because there’s been no expectation that her riding should dwindle.”

Is confidence affected depending on whether you’re a new mum or a new dad?

“I’ve worked with fewer dads than mums, so it is somewhat biased,” says Alex. “But I think because of different societal pressures, it is more expected that a new dad would continue to pursue a hobby, so it’s easier to keep going without too much changing.”

Find your new normal

Alex says keeping her inner voice kind and positive helps her the most. “I say this mantra to myself: I want to be a role model who enjoys their hobbies. I’d like my sons to do that for themselves, so the best way to help them believe it is to showcase it.

“I’ve worked very hard on managing my inner voice, and filtering everyone else’s out – it’s about what I want for myself, not what others want me to do.”

Find out more about Alex’s work at coaching4confidence.co.uk

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Falling is an inevitable part of riding; it happens to all riders at some point. But while some riders dust themselves off and get back on, others feel scared after falling off a horse. So why does a fall affect individuals so different, and what drives fear after a fall?

“Riders are often told from early in their riding career that they ‘should always get back on the horse’,” says Alison Buttery, a stage four BHS Accredited Professional Coach and founder of The Everyday Equestrian, a rider confidence and mindset coaching organisation. “In my experience, many riders force themselves through their fear, telling themselves to ‘just get on with it’. Sometimes, this rather brutal approach works – but not for everyone.”

According to Alison, riders often foster a mental toughness that “overrides our deepest survival instincts”. This means putting themselves in situations their brains are telling them is dangerous – for example, getting on their horse.

“This triggers more tension, anxiety, stress and fear,” explains Alison. “This causes defensive riding, and could actually make another incident more likely.”

Riders feeling scared after falling off are not irrational, argues Alison. “Your brain is working precisely as it has evolved to – its primary job is to keep you safe. If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t ‘just get over it’, you’re perfectly human.”

Sacred after falling off a horse: understanding your reactions

As Alison explains, a rider’s interpretation of a fall can make them fearful. “The key thing to remember is that it isn’t the fall itself that is the problem, it’s the response to the fall that has the biggest impact on how riders feel,” she continues. “This doesn’t mean some riders are naturally braver than others – it’s simply about how the brain processes perceived threats, real or imagined, and how the mind interprets those experiences.”

Alison reveals a rider’s brain makes a quick, unconscious assessment in the event of a fall. “It asks: ‘Was that dangerous? Should I avoid this situation in the future?’” she explains. “This is a survival mechanism, which happens automatically and much quicker than we think.

“For some riders, the brain processes the fall as an isolated event, allowing them to move on. But for others, the experience triggers the flight, fight or freeze response, creating a heightened sense of caution, which can lead to prolonged anxiety.”

How trauma affects memory

Following a traumatic event, the brain can distort the memory. This can mean details are exaggerated, blurred or blocked out altogether. This can work as a defence mechanism, designed to protect the person, or, as Alison explains, it can encourage a rider to revisit and replay the memory, making a worst-case scenario out of every ride.

“This is an example of cognitive distortion, specifically catastrophising – where the brain exaggerates the potential danger, making future falls seem inevitable and far worse than they likely would be.

“Another common distortion is emotional reasoning. This is where you mistake the intense fear you feel for evidence that riding is genuinely unsafe, rather than recognising that emotions don’t always reflect reality.”

Alison gives the example of retelling the story of a fall to other riders, and how this can impact the memory of it. “Each time we relive a fall and embellish it with all kinds of emotive phrases, we simply make it bigger and more meaningful in our mind.”

Neither dwelling on why you’re scared after falling off a horse nor blocking it out helps. “Instead, work with a mindset coach or psychologist to reframe the event positively and in a supportive environment,” advises Alison. “They will help you manage your response over time so that you can get back to doing what you love.”

The psychology behind a fear of falling off a horse

Feeling scared after falling off a horse – and fearing getting back on again – is often driven by hypothetical thinking and asking ‘what if?’ questions. According to Alison, this is another case of the brain’s survival techniques kicking in. “The mind is a prediction machine; it desperately craves certainty and safety, so it tries to prepare us for all kinds of outcomes, regardless of whether they are actually real or made up.”

Commonly, the brain predicts a painful fall. “The key is to reassure yourself that you can take positive steps to reduce risk,” remarks Alison. “This includes wearing a correctly fitted riding hat, getting some lessons to develop your position and balance, working on your own fitness and training with a qualified, experienced equestrian coach.”

As well as predictions, fearful riders might become absorbed in imagined worst-case scenarios that make another fall feel inevitable. “Another form of cognitive distortion, fortune telling, means you predict negative outcomes without real evidence.

“It’s important to challenge these thoughts and replace them with more balanced perspectives. While we can’t stop thinking altogether, we can practice adjusting and replacing the thoughts we have.”

Secondhand fear?

Interestingly, you don’t actually have to experience a bad fall to develop a fear of falling. “Seeing someone else fall, hearing about an accident, or even watching a dramatic riding mishap online can trigger fear,” says Alison. “Your brain interprets these as personal threats, even if they didn’t happen to you.

“This can be linked to vicarious trauma, where witnessing or hearing about a frightening event can cause anxiety as if you had experienced it yourself.”

Alison warns that the media we consume can play a part in vicarious trauma. “I strongly suggest avoiding ‘funny’ videos online of other riders falling off on social media. It’ll simply reinforce the script your mind is running!”

Embrace steady progress

Conquering fear isn’t an overnight process, so Alison advises fostering kindness towards yourself. “Understanding why you feel the way you do, and taking proactive steps to rebuild confidence, can help you get back to enjoying the sport you love,” she adds.

“By recognising what’s happening and seeking support, you can take control of your mindset and regain the confidence you deserve.”

To find out more about Alison’s work, visit theeverydayequestrian.co.uk

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Horse and rider training

Welcome to Horse & Hound’s training hub. Whether you are looking for techniques to improve your riding skills, insight from top trainers and riders on how to prepare your horse for a specific sport, or tips to help solve specific problems, you will find useful advice from experts to help.

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Olympic showjumping champion Christian Kukuk was recently honoured with the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete Award at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi, saying: “To be called the best athlete of 2024 is incredible”.

The German rider is known for his meticulous care and sensitivity toward his horses and, although he didn’t even start riding until he was a teenager, he has gone on to become one of the world’s most successful showjumpers. The pinnacle came this summer when he won individual gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics with his great partner Checker 47, who is co-owned by German football legend Thomas Müller.

So what are Christian Kukuk’s top tips for success and what does he think makes a great rider? Here is what he has to say on everything from how to train a horse to building the foundations of trust.

Christian Kukuk on building a connection with his horses: “Our bond is built on trust”

“I have known Checker 47 for four years and, during that time, we have built a strong connection. It takes a lot of work, just as it does in human relationships,” he says.

“We have shared both success and disappointment. Our bond is built on trust – he needs to trust me, and I need to trust him – and that trust led to a gold medal in Paris. It meant everything to have my family and friends there with me. Our sport is about emotions, and it’s sad if you can’t share these moments with those closest to you.”

Christian says his partnership with the “very special” Checker “felt like it was made for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games final”.

“The course wasn’t built just for an experienced rider or an experienced horse – it required an experienced combination,” he explains. “You had to know your horse inside and out, and they had to know you just as well. That is what made the course ideal for partnerships like Checker 47 and myself, Beauville Z and Maikel van der Vleuten, and Dynamix De Belheme and Steve Guerdat – we are all experienced pairs.”

Christian says he and Checker 47 have “grown together” over the past four years, culminating in some glittering successes in the run-up to Paris 2024.

“In every grand prix we entered, it felt like he knew exactly what he could do, and he knew and trusted what I could do,” says Christian. “That trust is the foundation of a great relationship between horse and rider – when you have trust, you have everything you need.”

You’re nothing without a strong, supportive team

“Having a great team supporting you is crucial to be a successful rider,” says Christian. “In showjumping, there is so much work – managing the horses, travelling, and training – so having reliable people around you is essential. Without a strong, supportive team, it would be incredibly difficult to perform and get the best results.”

How to train a horse to the top level: physical versus mental development

Christian Kukuk says he focuses on various aspects of a horse’s training at different stages of its development.

“For example, sometimes it is more important to focus on your horse’s physical abilities, or you may work on the mental side, or simply getting to know the horse better,” he says.

“However, in the end, the most important thing is making sure the horse is following you. You can train the physical elements as much as you like – jumping big fences or practising courses – but in the end what really matters is that the horse trusts you and follows your system and style of riding. If the horse isn’t on your side, success in showjumping is impossible.

“While physical training is key, it is just as important to understand how your horse thinks and what it needs,” continues Christian. “You need to know when to provide extra support or when to ease off the pressure and give them time doing something simple like hacking or lungeing. This balance of understanding both the mental and physical aspects of your horse is what makes a great rider.”

An important lesson

The German showjumper finished third in last year’s Rolex grand prix at CHI Geneva and his fans will see him in action when he returns there in December hoping to start the ball rolling on the prestigious Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping, as well as lining up for the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final at the show.

“I have learnt that the Majors that make up the Rolex Grand Slam set the highest standard in our sport,” says Christian. “Both you and your horse must be prepared for any situation that comes from the courses.

“The CHI Geneva is one of the best indoor and special shows in the world. Each of the Rolex Majors that make up the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping is unique, and Geneva has its own distinct flare. The large arena, featuring the hill in the middle and the double of ditches in the Rolex grand prix, gives it the feel of an outdoor show, which is unique.

“However, the best thing about the CHI Geneva is the atmosphere – the crowd there is incredible. You can always feel their support. When you jump a clear round and the crowd goes wild; it is the most amazing feeling. It is the kind of emotional moment that us riders love.

“Finishing third in the Rolex grand prix last year made me both proud and happy – it was the moment I knew Checker 47 was ready for major championships. With the Olympics coming up, that Rolex grand prix result solidified in my mind that he was truly prepared, and it was then that I decided we should plan his year around the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”

All-round horsemanship

Christian says the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping is the ultimate test of horse and rider as “it is not enough to just excel in a huge grass arena with massive fences, you also have to perform well in smaller arenas”.

“Only the very best horses can adapt to any ring and any situation,” states Christian. “For instance, Checker 47 placed third in the Rolex grands prix at both the Dutch Masters and Geneva, and he also jumped exceptionally well in Aachen. There aren’t many horses that can handle it all.

“Some riders are fortunate to have multiple horses – some are suited to large grass arenas, while others perform better in smaller sand arenas – but few can do well in every setting,” he says. “So far, only one pair has won the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping – Scott Brash and Hello Sanctos. The fact that only one combination has achieved this in all of these years shows how incredibly challenging it is.

“However, this is what makes it so exciting for us riders – we all dream of winning the Rolex Grand Slam once in our careers.”

Learnings from the football pitch

Christian Kukuk is a football fan and follows the German team Bayern Munich, where Checker 47’s part-owner Thomas Müller plays.

“Thomas and I have a very special relationship. He follows my equestrian career and I am following him in soccer,” explains Christian. “I don’t think he learns from me or that I learn from him, but what makes our relationship strong is that he is an athlete who understands the challenges of top-level sport.

“Thomas knows that, in showjumping, success doesn’t come every weekend, just as I know it’s the same in soccer – it is not possible to win every game,” he continues. “This shared understanding helps us handle the disappointing moments. Our relationship is full of emotion, but it is also very rational. We feel joy when we succeed, but we accept that we can’t be successful all the time – that is just the nature of both our sports.”

Don’t dwell on disappointment – or success

Like in football, it’s important not to dwell on either disappointment or success, Christian believes.

“You always need to prepare for the next game or the next show,” he says. “Growing up playing soccer made me familiar with competition, pressure, and the need to focus while staying present.

“In showjumping, you need to be focused for a shorter period of time – spending just 60 to 80 seconds in the ring, plus 30 to 45 minutes in warm-up – but it is crucial to be fully present with your horse. I believe that having learned this from soccer has really helped me, because at the highest level, being able to focus makes all the difference.”

“Creating a relationship with your horse doesn’t come overnight”

Christian’s advice to aspiring young riders is to “take your time”.

“Creating a relationship between you and your horse doesn’t come overnight,” he stresses. “If you have a disappointing moment – and there will be these moments – try to not get stuck in it.

“Try to see the positive and learn from the disappointing experiences and just remember to take your time.”

With thanks to Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout major shows such as London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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The clocks haven’t even gone back yet and you can already feel your horse riding motivation, or keenness for any activities that require you to be outdoors, dwindling at a rapid rate. However, your horses still need tending to day and night, plus, if you’re got big dreams for the next competitive season, the effort you put in with your horse over the winter months is going to be vital.

Giving your horse a break for a few weeks over winter, especially if you’ve enjoyed a jam-packed summer, can be beneficial, but if you’re hoping to make progress and come out all guns blazing next spring, a six-month hiatus from work is out of the question.

With this in mind, here are seven ways you can keep your horse riding motivation ticking over during the colder period…

1. Get clear on your goals

Having big dreams is important, but also overwhelming. Perhaps you have an ultimate ambition that you’d like to achieve with your horse, but you haven’t taken a step back and asked yourself what it will actually take to get there.

Therefore, setting smaller and more realistic goals — along with an ideal time frame of when you’d like to achieve them — can help you make more progress in the long run.

Want to win at HOYS? How about you start by trying to get your horse into the show ring at local level. Want to qualify for the National Dressage Championships? Maybe booking some dressage lessons is a good place to kick off proceedings.

2. Plan your days and weeks

While we all wish we could play horses all day everyday, if you have a job, a family or a life to live away from the yard, ensuring that you’ve got a loose daily, weekly and even monthly schedule will definitely help you stay motivated and will hopefully go some way to reducing stress.

If you only have time to ride once or twice a week, ensure you know exactly what days you’re going to do so, using the other days to fit everything else in.

If it’s dark by the time you finish work on an evening, perhaps you can juggle your morning routine so you can get to the yard half an hour earlier to work your horse before heading into the office.

Looking at a monthly schedule, it’s always positive to have something to look forward to each month, such as a lesson, a training session or even a hack with a friend.

3. Recruit a buddy

Constantly relying on yourself to keep motivated during winter can feel like an uphill battle. If you have a yard friend in a similar position, perhaps you can keep each other fired up through winter, while keeping each other accountable and also sharing duties if that works for you both; you do one morning, they do the next. Hacking out with a friend at the weekends is the perfect chance to off load, too.

Social media can also be a great way of sharing with other equestrians who might have tips, tricks, solutions or just a bit of sympathy to offer.

4. Get some lessons in the diary

During winter, the daily routine can become monotonous and very samey, so much so that you might let bad habits slip in, something that could be costly when you get back out competing. Therefore, it’s important to keep things fresh by booking in for a few lessons with a trainer to keep you on the straight and narrow, and to relight your fire for your discipline. Plus, your trainer can give you routines and exercises to practise at home so you’ve got a plan to follow.

5. Give yourself a break

While it’s important to look ahead, don’t forget to give yourself a rest and take a break. Winter is the ideal opportunity to wind down and let go of some of the stress accumulated over competition season. Remember that there is a life outside of horses and that weekends can be used for other things aside from competitions. Connect with friends and family, try out a new hobby, or maybe just have the odd lie in. This is your permission to book that holiday for some winter sun!

6. Reassess your situation

Winter is also the time when you should be reflecting on the year gone by, and ask yourself if you and your horse are on the right track. Has your season gone to plan, and if not, why? Have your and your horse hit a tricky patch, and what could you do differently to try and rebuild ahead of next year? Have you and your horse reached the end of your journey together and perhaps it’s time to find him a new home?

7. Remember your “why”

No matter how much you feel as though you have prepared yourself for winter this time, you’re going to have days when you question your life choices and your motivation for riding your horse will be at a low. Remember, it doesn’t last forever, and there is light at the end of the tunnel (on the 31 March 2025, to be exact).

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout Maryland 5 Star, Pau Horse Trials, London International.Horse Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Sport psychologist Inga Wolframm — who specialises in equestrian sports and offers advice across the disciplines — gives her 10 top pieces of advice for success on competition day.

1. Know your level

Ideally, at home you should be training a couple of levels above the one you’re planning to compete at. Why? Because it gives you confidence. A competition is stressful enough without the additional worry of whether you and your horse are able to pull off all the movements in a test or cope with the height/technical requirements of a course. If you can be sure though that the demands of the competition are well within your capabilities, you’ll be that much more relaxed before you start.

2. Know yourself

Do you prefer to arrive at the show ground with plenty of time to familiarise yourself with your surroundings, walk around a little, have a cup of coffee – or does waiting drive you crazy and you’d rather just get on and get started? Plan your day according to what keeps you in the best frame of mind. If you’d rather leave the yard with a few hours to spare, do that. If you’re one to get there at the last minute, that’s fine too – just make sure you allow enough time for traffic. Not everyone’s the same, so don’t just copy what your friends do.

3. Plan ahead

Enough things can go wrong without your planning being one of them. So make sure you’ve got everything you need ready well before you leave. Think of things that might go wrong when you get there, such as the zip of your boot breaking or the weather changing just as you get there. While you can’t plan for every eventuality, having a “just in case” kit stored away in your car or trailer will give you additional peace of mind.

4. Distract yourself

Do you worry yourself silly about all the things that might go wrong in the ring? Can you picture everyone laughing their heads off at your poor performance? Are you convinced the judges hate your horse? Rest assured, these thoughts are normal, most riders experience them at one time or another. But they’re also unproductive and quite often end up undermining your performance. Rather than desperately trying not to think them, it’s best to simply try and accept that you do. After that, move on and find something to do to take your mind of those negative thoughts. Playing a game on your smart phone, gossiping with a friend, and, while on board, focusing on what you are going to do and breathing correctly can work wonders.

5. Ignore other people

I don’t mean all the time, of course. But while you’re on your horse, you shouldn’t be watching or paying attention to anyone else, be that fellow competitors, judges or spectators. You can’t control them anyway – not what they’re doing or thinking, nor what they’ll say to each other or how they’ll score your test. Incidentally, it’s not always a good idea to watch other competitors beforehand either. If you only end up comparing yourself unfavourably, you should leave it until after you’ve ridden.

6. Set yourself goals

The best way to stay “in the zone” is to know exactly what it is that you want to achieve and how you are going to go about it. You want to ride a quiet test? Focus on keeping your joints supple and your muscles relaxed and “off” the horse until you need to give an aid. You want to ride with more expression? Keep making sure your horse is “on” the aids. Most importantly – don’t just focus on these goals in your warm-up, but keep reminding yourself of what you want to do while in the ring too.

7. Breathe

Ever asked yourself how come you can ride for an hour at home without breaking a sweat, but a few minutes in the ring leave you completely knackered? It’s because you forgot to breathe. Many riders will hold their breath for long periods in the ring, and, when they finally do take a breath, inhale into their chest cavity. The problem is, this type of chest breathing is very closely linked to the “fight or flight response”. Breaths are short, shallow and jerky. Muscles are tight, tense and ready to jump into action – not ideal when you’re doing a sport that, first and foremost, depends on fine motor control. The answer? Learn to breathe into your belly, taking long, slow breaths. As you inhale, your belly should round a little, as if you’re blowing up a balloon. Once you exhale, your belly will shrink again. Some practice is required, especially if you’re not used to it. But in addition to relaxed muscles, you’ll also end up with a calmer mind. Focusing on breathing correctly, leaves little space in your head for any other worrying thoughts.

8. Be nice to yourself

Riders are possibly the most critical group of people I’ve ever come across. And that’s a good thing when you’re sitting on top of an animal with a mind of it’s own, you can’t afford to be complacent. But if being critical about yourself is all you do at a show, you’re missing the point. Too many riders keep telling themselves that they are “rubbish”, that they “don’t belong”, that they “might as well go home”. This kind of behaviour serves absolutely no purpose other than undermining your confidence. So try and be nice to yourself once in a while by complementing yourself: on a well-executed movement, your nicely turned out horse, or the planning with which you’ve entered the competition. And if you cannot bring yourself to come up with a compliment, at least think of something constructive to say.

9. Visualise

You might already be doing it without realising what it is – seeing yourself ride your test/course before you’re even on the horse. This is called imagery or visualisation and it’s one of the most powerful mental training techniques. Why? Because when you’re imagining yourself doing something, you are giving your brain a “blueprint” for the real action later on. The only catch is that you need to be in control of your mental images. The last thing you want is to see yourself making a mistake. By practising first with easy, non-threatening images – brushing your horse or mucking out – you’ll gain control over your mind and will soon be ready to move onto visualising yourself perform.

10. Enjoy it

You’ve trained, you’ve prepared, you’ve spent lots of money and put in oodles of time. This is your moment and so enjoy it.

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

However much we have prepared, things don’t always go exactly to plan on competition day. Top riders tell us how they stay focused when their competition plans go adrift

How do you cope when things go wrong on competition day?

Oliver Townend

“I think you just do. You learn to. You just have to! It’s going to happen all the time in eventing where things don’t go to plan and you just have to be quick thinking and change the plan. Often I’ll set off on novices trying to be competitive and they’ll go a little green and I’ll change the plan from being competitive to trying to get a double clear. You have to do that constantly. You’re always trying to have the best result possible but sometimes the best result is a different result from what your plan A was.”

Maria Eilberg

“You can often feel everyone has seen [your mistake]! You need to think that when people do really well it’s often forgotten very quickly so it’s not as big as you tend to think it is. It’s important to do the analysis and work out your next step — but not to dwell on it too long. Be constructive and productive about the analysis, and it’s good to go and watch other people.

“Watching the training and the warm up of other people is a really good idea, not just the tests. It’s amazing when you see the difference on how warm ups have gone to how the test has gone. You often see people struggling in the warm up, but they then go and do a great test. But you’ll see horses that have been idyllic in the warm up but they then mess up in the test. It can show the full picture of how professionals make sure that the horse is listening to them in the competition.”

Izzy Taylor

“Remember you’re dealing with an animal that is unpredictable. You may need to mentally box up the issue to allow you to get on with the rest of the day, and then get it out again later when you have the time to properly assess what happened and how to learn from it.”

Caroline Powell

“We all have those days! Horses develop at different stages and ages. What we tend to do is put them in situations that test them and to actually find out whether they are taking the job on or not. When you have one of those days, look at what’s wrong. If they fall out at the shoulder and you get a run out at a skinny fence, for example, you have to work out at what stage they started to go wrong and usually it’s the fence before. It’s a case of going back and rewinding through your mind where the problem actually started.”

What techniques do you recommend to overcome a setback at home?

Caroline Powell

“Repetition. When things go wrong just look at the basics as usually there’s something wrong in there. Whether they’re not straight, or in front of the leg — the silly things like that that they need to be. If you’ve had a problem at a fence, then you bring the fence right back to being quite small and making the horse understand what it is meant to be doing and then build its confidence up from there.”

Oliver Townend

“Always go back to basics. Go back to the start, figure the problem out from the basics and then go forward. Always start lower and build up. If you have a setback or the horse has a problem then you go back as many steps as you need to go back; whether that might be a pole on the floor or going back to the basics on the flat. You just have to go back to the things that are easy and make it all as simple as possible.”

Izzy Taylor

“Remember we all make mistakes. Take things right back to basics at home if you’ve lost confidence. Find a simple exercise you enjoy and is easy then slowly build up from that. Your horse has two eyes and a brain — allow them to use them!”

Maria Eilberg

“If you have the opportunity, perhaps see if your trainer can go with you to the next show. I know quite a few trainers who are happy to do that, especially if you can talk about things in advance. I’ve done that with a few people where we’ve gone through the tests at home to feel that they are confident at doing them and then we’ve gone to the show doing the same system so they’ve had me there to help them.

“I would also say always give yourself enough time. Time is a big thing that gets people stressed out. Always have plenty of practice run-throughs. That’s a big part of keeping everything calm; the horses feed off the rider. If the rider can get into a routine and stay focused then the horse can stay relaxed as well.”

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Everyone makes mistakes in dressage tests. Yes, even Olympic medallists like Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin. Part of the art of good test-riding is being able to cope when things go wrong in the arena.

Maybe your horse can’t wait to get on with the job and refuses to stand still in halt, or perhaps he loses balance in canter so changes legs or breaks. Unfortunately there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to dealing with these situations and, hopefully, salvaging some marks along the way. Every horse is different, and every movement is different, too.

The most important thing to remember is that each movement is marked individually. A mistake in one movement doesn’t have to affect the next. Through practice, you can train yourself to stay in the moment, putting errors behind you and focusing on what’s coming up.

And remember, judges don’t hold grudges. They won’t mark the next movement down because the previous one went wrong – unless the problem persists.

“Judges don’t hold mistakes in their minds,” says top international judge Isobel Wessels. “A judge will give you a low mark for a reason, but then they move on. They won’t hold it against you.”

But Isobel also points out that the way in which a rider handles problems in a test can influence the marks given for the movements in question.

In the event of a horse who won’t halt at the start of a test, “you can’t just sit there and sort it out, and no judge would expect you to”, says Isobel, adding that once the horse has moved twice, pushing on with the rest of the test is often the best course of action, even if it means sacrificing the halt mark.

But in other situations, correcting the mistake will win you favour with the judges.

“If, for example, a prix st georges horse comes out of a half pirouette and makes a flying change [instead of continuing in counter canter], and the rider makes no attempt to correct that, that’s not good,” says Isobel.

“As a judge you wonder if they know what’s going on if they’re not trying to show the movement required. If you can bring the horse back and then execute the change properly, you’re showing you can be effective as a rider.”

“Always do the best for your horse”

So, when it comes to mistakes in dressage tests, when should you try to correct the movement, and when should you accept it’s happened and simply move on with the test?

Isobel says it comes down to the impact your actions will have on your horse. If correcting the error, for example continuing to try to make a tense or overexcited horse halt, will cause or exacerbate tension that will filter into the rest of the test, it’s usually best not to. In these situations, staying calm and riding positively forward into the next movement will impress the judges and benefit your horse, too.

On the other hand, if something’s gone wrong but your horse’s relaxation is unaffected, try to produce at least some of the movement required, to demonstrate your skill and influence as a rider.

“You have to stay completely calm and relaxed – and always do the best for your horse,” Isobel says. “If you try to correct too strongly you can end up with a horse that is more tense at the end. This is when it’s important to know your horse, but also to trust your feeling,”

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Here are five ways that your experiences with horses have made you into a more resilient person…

1. You learn to take the rough with the smooth

With horses, there are good days, bad days, amazing days and some truly horrendous days. But you know that it’s these days added together which makes up your own unique journey. There will be periods with your horse, and in life, where you’re flying high, completely in sync and smashing your goals. And then within the blink of an eye things can be turned on its head and everything can feel like it’s going wrong. But you know that those happy times are just around the corner, and it’s just how things go sometimes.

2. You understand that things don’t always go the way you planned

You can practice until you’re blue in the face, you can nail every move or jump at home and you can have the best lesson in the world, which leaves you on cloud nine. But at some competitions it’s just not your day and ultimately it was just not meant to be. And this process can repeat itself over and over again. You learn to trust the process and not get disheartened when things go wrong, even though this can be hard at times.

3. You know that hard work can triumph talent

As basketball coach Tim Notke said, “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”. You can have the most naturally athletic animal on the planet, or be the most gifted rider in your county, but if you don’t buckle down and dig deep you’re unlikely to achieve. Often, it’s a matter of practicing the same mundane routine day in day out and ensuring that you’ve got the basics in place before moving onto bigger things. Your talent won’t take you anywhere if you don’t put the effort in, both in and out of the saddle.

4. You know how to get back up when you’ve fallen down (or off)

Literally. Unless they’re in need of an ambulance, there are few horse riders who won’t get back on after they’ve had a fall. In life, when you get knocked down it can be a struggle to dust yourself off and get back up. But those set backs are what make you stronger and make you appreciate the good days even more.

5. You know not to run before you can walk

This one is so relevant with horses and is a premise you can carry through to lots of areas of life. While people might push and pressure you to get things done, you are aware that giving yourself that little bit of extra time and not cutting corners can pay off in the long run. And as with horses, people learn things at different paces, so being patient pays dividends.

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now