Let’s start with a confession. A few years ago, my horse show mornings looked… less than ideal. I’d been staying up late trying to meet work deadlines. My kids had suddenly decided that bedtime was apparently optional. I had made the questionable decision to give up caffeine “for my health.” And somehow, despite all of […]

Finding out the 5 things my mentors did to become confident af riders changed the game for me. I’ve always been a little bull headed. But my saving grace is I am an amazing student. Ever since I was a little girl, when I want to learn something new, I am ready to study and […]

We’ve all heard some version of it: Hard work pays off. No pain, no gain. Work harder than everyone else. That mentality runs deep in athletics, and especially in the Western horse world. We respect the rider who shows up early, stays late, rides the extra horse, and keeps working when everyone else is tired. […]

There are certain thoughts riders repeat so often that eventually they start sounding like facts. Maybe they show up after a rough ride, when you think about entering a show, or when you’re about to do something that pushes you outside your comfort zone. I’m not good enough. What if I mess this up? Maybe […]

Whether you’ve experienced it in the past, are going through it right now, or have watched a barn-mate struggle with it, almost every rider experiences a riding rut at some point. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve suddenly lost your abilities. It doesn’t mean your trainer hates you or a judge is out to get you. […]

You might not have a confidence problem because you’re incapable. You might have a confidence problem because part of you is uncomfortable admitting how capable you actually are. I see this with riders all the time. They downplay what they know, hesitate to make decisions without their trainer, brush off their accomplishments, or worry that […]

You can have a big riding goal, a great horse, a solid trainer, and every intention of improving—and still be the person quietly getting in your own way. That’s the frustrating thing about self-sabotage in riding. Most of the time, it doesn’t look like deliberately giving up on your goals. It shows up in the […]

There is something you want to do with your horse. Maybe you want to finally nail that lead change, stop blowing by the second barrel, branch out into a new discipline, haul somewhere new, or finally go after that buckle you keep thinking about. For so many riders, the biggest hurdle isn’t knowing what they […]

“I’m going to fall off.” “My horse runs so fast it’s out of control. I can’t ride her.” “My horse is guaranteed to spook in that corner.” “Marlene is in my class!? What’s the point? She’s going to beat me.” “I don’t think I can do this.” Do you have that insidious, nagging voice in […]

Let’s talk about emotional resilience for riders. It’s one of those $10 mental coaching phrases I throw around when we’re talking about being gritty, getting confident, and having better rides. But what does emotional resilience actually look like when you’re sitting on a horse? I like to think about those giant inflatable kid toys. You […]