Sports performance coach

Has anyone worked with a performance coach/therapist (either with or w/o horse experience) who they’d recommend? Also would love to hear what they’ve helped you with and some of the techniques they recommended.

I’d like to find someone to help me better manage anxiety when jumping with my current horse. I think somewhere in his past he was trained to just run at jumps so he can get anxious and fast, which I’m not comfortable with.

There have also been a few instances where he’s bucked me off or one time just bolted with me in the arena during a ground pole lesson. I think the bucking was hock related and since we did injections that hasn’t happened, but that not surprisingly has added to my nervousness whenever it feels like he’s getting stronger/faster than I want. That then causes me to ride more defensively which doesn’t help him and it becomes a messy cycle.

I work with a trainer, but I think I need to find someone who can help with the mental side b/c once I get rattled it’s hard to get out of my head. My trainer does try to help by breaking down and simplifying the exercises when that happens, but I feel like we’re just not really progressing our rides b/c it’s always 1 step forward, 2 or 3 steps back.

I was on a work webinar today with a guest speaker that coaches execs as well as athletes. She walked us through some visualization and mindfulness exercises which I think are on the right track. But it made me realize I might need to find someone who’s at least somewhat familiar with riding so they better understand what’s involved b/c the horse factor makes it such a different sport.

Dr. Tyler Held or Natalie Hummel

You can get a feel for Tyler’s style on this free webinar. It’s not sport psychology specific, more on working in a barn and barn harmony. She also does introduction calls.

2 Likes

I can’t recommend enough. ^^^

Natalie Hummel is great just more $$ than I want to spend on an online group therapy situation. I like her podcasts.

3 Likes

Do you mind sharing a bit about what she helped you with (can be general if you don’t want to get into specifics)? Did you use her specifically for riding coaching?

I used her after I ate dirt on my baby horse and being older, didn’t bounce as well as l did in my 20’s, plus confidence is always a thing as a working ammy.

I’m not fearless, but I can take actionable steps to increase my comfort zone and make improvements and don’t get flustered or anxious nearly as much. I’m not perfect, but it was super helpful.

1 Like

I second Jen @ Cadence Coaching! She is great!

Natalie Hummel has a whole series on RideIQ. You could do the free trial to check it out and listen to her episodes and see if it’s helpful!

2 Likes

I’ve been working with Dr. Tyler Held through Coach Sando’s program for about four months now, and it’s made a world of difference. After a couple of literal spills of bad luck, I just completed my first HT in two years (and finished 3rd)!

One of the things I really appreciate about Dr. Tyler’s approach is how she helps you build a plan so your anxieties and fears aren’t catching you off guard. Instead of ignoring them or (like me) getting surprised and panicked when they show up, you learn to name them and work with them. I was actually surprised by how calm and focused I felt at the show. Just having space for those feelings made them way less powerful.

She also has a podcast with Emily Hamel called the Whole Equestrian, and its fab: https://www.thewholeequestrian.com/links

Also, Natalie is wonderful! I haven’t worked with her directly, but we grew up in the same town, and she’s so kind. I love her RideIQ series!

2 Likes