Ever wondered what the greats think about before they go into the arena? Or what their view is on talent? I mean, they are all obviously uber-talented, right? And what about their mental game and confidence? Have they ever doubted themselves? In my quest to find out what the most successful riders in showjumping have in common, and what they do and don’t do, I spoke to McLain Ward and asked him about both his strengths and weaknesses.

It is that time again. We are only days away from the equestrian sport equivalent of the Olympics: the World Equestrian Games. A physical, emotional and, without a doubt, mental challenge over four long days in dressage, showjumping, eventing and many more disciplines. Four long days of controlled focus, belief, energy and confidence is needed to make every round count. Being able to bring everything together at the right moment requires preparation and a lot of training.

Now, as I like to promote working smart over working hard, here are five ways you can train your mental skills in preparation for a big event, in a comfy position from your very own couch.

Ever got the show jitters just when riding into the arena? Or do you ever exit the arena only to realise you were not focused at all on what you had to do in the ring, but instead noticed the sounds around you, people watching you or your mind racing 100 miles per hour? You are not alone! Luckily there is a lot we can do to be more in control of how we feel. So here are 7 ways you can take charge and become the best version of yourself every time you go into the ring, instead of the circumstances ruling your mood, focus and state.

In this series of blogs, I will discuss the pros and cons of riding to win vs. riding to train our horses (i.e. riding perfectly). By gaining a deeper understanding of each approach, we can make a more educated, or perhaps more conscious, decision as to which we should adopt and when.

Blog 1: Introduction.

When people mention they are working with a personal trainer, everyone knows what that means. When you work with a trainer to improve your dressage and flat work, everyone gets it. However, when one mentions they are working with a mental coach, many people are still mystified as to what that actually is. Though I have been sharing my thoughts and knowledge on mental skills and training for equestrian riders for some time now, I often still get asked, “So what do you do exactly?”

With this in mind, in the coming months, I’ll be sharing with you some of the challenges that clients of mine have faced and how, together, we turned things around. For my first case study, I’m sharing Anne-Liza’s story. Anne-Liza Makkinga is a Dutch rider, with her own yard based in the Netherlands. She competes internationally at 2* to 5* level.

As a coach it is my aim to keep learning and improving myself continuously in order to better help and serve others. I read as much as I can, listen to audio books on my travels, get coached myself regularly and attend trainings throughout the year. In an attempt to summarize all the things I learned in 2017, I have come up with these 12 lessons I would like to share with you.