Review of the Year 2023
I recently shared some ideas about how to mindfully review your year in order to best help you to learn and plan for 2024. I have carried out this exercise myself and had some fantastic learning insights however, this piece isn’t that type of review – it’s a more simple look back at 2023. My mindful review was a personal learning exercise and includes thoughts on many of the clients I’ve worked with which, naturally, must remain confidential.
It’s such a cliché to state that the year seems to have flown by in a flash but it really has. It hardly seems a moment since I was looking back on 2022 this time last year.
CLIENTS
A while back I made a decision to continue to focus my work on helping individual riders to be able to fulfil their riding goals with a strong and resilient mindset and the self belief that they are equipped to handle the natural ups and downs of equestrian sport. This is what I love to do and seeing the smile on a rider’s face as they report back on the fun they are able to have on horseback now that their mind is helping them rather then getting in the way is my “WHY”.
Thinking back on some of the riders I have worked with over the past twelve months fills me with a mix of joy and pride especially when I see their social media posts and their happy faces. Equestrian athletes continue to look for help from many different parts of the UK and Ireland as well as local riders here in Scotland. Sponsored rider Natalia Mallon is easing herself back into riding after becoming a Mum and is setting herself some exciting goals and my second rider Ali Imray had a fabulous first season at BE100 and has continued to compete successfully in dressage too.
TALKS, CAMPS AND CLINICS
Once again we held a Pre-Season Mindset Boost fund raising evening at Lindores in February. I organised this together with Liz Daniels from Equiteam plus local rider, and friend, Jodie Neill. Thirty enthusiastic riders joined us and we raised a magnificent £600 for Rider’s Minds . We will be repeating this in Feb 2024 and tickets will go on sale early in the New Year.
As well as working one:one with riders online and in person I continue to attend camps, clinics and workshops to give talks and presentations planned to help riders with their confidence and mindset in an environment where they can then get on their horses and see the difference immediately.
There were several trips down to Cumbria to Dannii Little camps at Greenlands and a lovely evening with Stonehaven RC at their camp plus a lovely evening with Eglinton PC at their camp where I was amazed by the resilience of the young riders who were camping in very soggy weather! Recently I’ve begun working with a delightful group of riders in the USA which has been fun. We have a monthly mindset session and fortunately have worked out a time that suits all given the time difference across the Atlantic!
LEARNING
In 2024 Horse Riding with Confidence Scotland will be celebrating twenty years of working with riders at all levels and, whilst I have now been doing this work for a long time, I still continue to learn new ideas and approaches. My membership of Centre 10 is a great source of learning and inspiration. We have monthly online meetings which are sometimes pure catch up and support and other times looking at a new area of professional development. In October I travelled down to the SW of England for a meet up day where we looked at working with neurodivergent riders and were also fortunate to have a session with super coach Caroline Moore to hear about her approach to working with elite riders. I was thrilled and honoured to receive an award this year from Centre 10 which recognised my personal contribution within the coaching community.
COLLABORATION
One of the things I really enjoy is collaborating on projects with other professionals in the equestrian world. In the Spring I was contacted by Emily Cole who was looking for some mindset input on a project she was working on. Together we came up with some ideas and recorded a mindset boosting video which is accessible for those who purchase her amazing Show Planner (click the link to purchase one for yourself).
Another enjoyable collaboration was with Donna aka The Horse feed Guru – we ran a lovely online evening session looking at appropriate feeding for the leisure horse and lining this to rider confidence.
I continue to be a writer for Equitas and a regular contributor for the “Ask the Expert” column in Horse & Rider magazine. Earlier this year I was invited to become a member of the Equitas advisory board and I enjoy contributing to the organisation when I can.
As this year draws to a close I am happy to report that my lovely two retired ponies continue to thrive in their old age. I manage to ride most weeks at Kilgraston and enjoy the opportunities that arise there and I am excited about continuing to help riders with their confidence and mindset in the coming year.
I will be taking a couple of weeks off over Christmas and New Year but am already filling my diary for January 2024 so book now via email, or DM and we can make a plan together to set YOU up for the new year.