Amy is a competitive hunter/jumper rider who recently graduated from high school. She came to me during her junior year of high school with an unmanageable amount of nerves both at home and at shows, a high level of perfectionism, and a fear of missing the distances to the jumps due to past, negative experiences with her previous trainer and current horse. As a result, Amy would pull her horse off the approach to the jumps in an attempt to circle back to a better distance and not be able to complete courses at horse shows.

We started by not only diving into the root of her fears and anxieties, but we also determined how exactly the anxiety manifested in both her mind and body. We then did slow, intentional work to undo her perfectionistic mindset and welcome mistakes, implement strategies to create a relevant focus and calm body, and transformed her negative thoughts with helpful self-talk. Amy welcomes each mental tool and strategy and very much leaned into the skills that resonated with her the most, such as her physical release that she could use on course and her pre-course routine that was adapted for both lessons and horse shows.

Over time, repetition, and with a lot of resilience, Amy transformed into a confident rider who could successfully manage her nerves, effectively talk herself through situations, and easily let go of and learn from mistakes. She was able to successfully transfer these skills from one horse to another, increasing her adaptability and mental strength through all the new experiences and unknowns.

Amy has come such a long way, and we still meet periodically on an as-needed basis to both strengthen and build her repertoire of mental skills as she continues to show and transition into the next phase of her life.   

Ricky is a middle-aged competitive and avid team roper who has big goals of winning the finals in Vegas. Ryan came to me with a lack of confidence in his roping skills and overall technique, an immense focus on the outcome of roping competitions, and an inability to let go of mistakes, especially at competitions. He went into competitions blindly, having no real strategy or plan to work off, and became frustrated with very inconsistent results.

We started with diving into his roping technique from the moment he entered the box to the moment he would exit the arena. We then developed a solid plan that he could work from no matter the horse he was riding, cows he was chasing, heeler he was assigned, competition he was at, or environment he was in. No matter what, the core principles of roping stayed the same. Ryan learned to focus on the factors that are in his control, remain in the present moment, and regulate as needed.

We took his plan and not only applied it during physical practice, but also reinforced it through guided imagery in the form of recorded scripts that we created together. We figured out the mental skills that work best for him and adapted a daily outline for him to follow, featuring both pre-ride and pre-run routines that mentally set him up for success, whether he was competing or practicing on his own.

Ryan still works with me to this day, and he gets better and better with every session and mental skill progression.

Sarah is a competitive hunter/jumper rider and working student in her 20s who attends horse shows on a regular basis. Sarah was very relaxed at home but would tense up and become anxious at horse shows, whether she was riding a client’s horse or her own, long-term horse. Although Sarah is a very experienced rider, she struggled with her confidence at horse shows and would often question her abilities and determine her worth based on the ribbons she would receive at horse shows. Although she knew that she had all the skills in place, the “what ifs” took over in her brain.

We met weekly for about 5 months and dove into many strategies that assisted with her nerves, focus, and self-talk. We grew her confidence by providing evidence of past success, sound solutions to her worries, and ultimately redefined her personal definition of what a successful ride entails. We were able to release tension in her body that builds up right before her round, come up with a mantra to empower her as needed, and introduce specific strategies that would help refocus her both in the present moment and on the current task at hand.

She developed the ability to transform her negative thoughts into helpful thoughts, support her optimal energy level for riding, and be proud of both herself and her horse no matter what ribbon she received. She now can pick out the parts of the course that she rode well, rather than solely fixating on the parts that she didn’t ride at her best. Sarah has been able to find the joy in competing at horse shows, viewing herself as her biggest competitor and working hard to level up her riding skills with each ride.

As she intentionally places her mind and hones in both her mental and physical techniques, she continues to thrive both in and out of the show ring.