Even Coaches Need a Coach: Why Mindset Matters in Riding

For a long time, I believed that if you knew what to do, you should be able to do it.

Finding your way, one step at a time.

I’ve spent years around horses — riding, grooming, coaching — and from the outside I probably looked capable and experienced. But there was a point where I realised I wasn’t making progress in my own competing. I told myself it was because of money, time, or circumstances. The truth was harder to admit. Underneath it all, I didn’t really believe I had the right to be the competitor. In my head, I was “the groom” — the one behind the scenes — not the rider who stepped forward.

At the time, I wasn’t doing much formal coaching. I was working as a groom, stuck in a situation that wasn’t healthy for me, emotionally or financially. Eventually, I hit a breaking point. With the support of my family, I stepped away from a toxic work environment and was given the space to work out how to earn enough to support myself — and how to climb out of the hole I’d found myself in.

Standing still doesn’t mean you’re not thinking.

Looking back now, I can see clearly that money wasn’t the real block. It was self-belief.

I didn’t have the language for it then. I didn’t talk about “mindset”. I just knew that something in my head was holding me still, even though I cared deeply, worked hard, and wanted more for myself and my riding.

Clients I worked with had often said I should study psychology. I already used it a lot in my coaching, without really naming it. I’d started studying psychology with the Open University and completed the first year, but the second year didn’t work out as I’d hoped. I didn’t get the support I needed, and when I asked for help, I didn’t hear back. At a time when my confidence was already fragile, that knocked me more than I expected.

Then I heard about the Centre 10 Applied Psychology for Equine Coaches course.

I signed up even though I couldn’t really afford it. It was a leap of faith — one of those quiet decisions where you don’t feel brave at all, just aware that you can’t stay where you are.

On the first day, the imposter syndrome was loud. I walked into a room full of equine coaches and wondered what on earth I was doing there. But as the day went on, something shifted. I realised that everyone in that room had doubts. We all had different backgrounds, different experience, different strengths — and all of it was valid.

For the first time in a long while, I felt like I belonged.

Feeling seen makes a difference.

That didn’t magically fix everything. The imposter syndrome softened, but I still struggled with how to use what I was learning. Knowledge on its own doesn’t always translate into change. What helped was continuing to seek support.

I now work with two coaches. One is a business coach, who helps me with ideas, structure, and accountability. The other is a mindset coach, with whom I trained for my Elite Equestrian Mindset Coach certification. Having that ongoing support helps me keep my own mindset healthy and positive, — especially when things feel uncertain or stretched. — and that matters, because you can only support others as well as you support yourself.

Support matters — even for those who support others.

This is why I believe so strongly that even coaches need a coach.

Not because we’re failing.

Not because we’re weak.

But because asking for help keeps us grounded, reflective, and able to show up fully — for ourselves and for the people we work with.

There’s a Charlie Mackesy sketch I love where the boy asks the question, “What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” and the horse replies "Help."

That sums it up for me.

Mindset coaching isn’t just for elite riders. It isn’t dramatic or intense. At its heart, it’s about support — giving yourself permission to ask for help, to be kind to yourself, and to move forward without feeling you have to do everything alone.

If there’s one thing I hope you take from my experience, it’s this:

This experience is also what shaped GlowUp .— not as a big transformation, but as steady, practical support. It’s a three-month mindset programme designed for riders who want to feel more confident, clearer in their thinking, and kinder to themselves — without pressure or expectation to be “elite”. It’s for people who care deeply about their horses and their riding, but who know they’d enjoy it more with the right support around them. The work is practical, reflective, and designed to fit around real life, not add to the load.

Asking for help is a strength.