What Are You Good At? Horse Sport Psychology

annika mcgivern equestrian psychologist, how to be a confident horse rider, equestrian psychology, equestrian athlete psychology

Updated:

November 14, 2025

A strengths-based approach to improving performance in equestrian sport.

By Annika McGivern, MSc, Sport and Exercise Psychology

After years of working with equestrian athletes, I’ve noticed something surprising. Most riders have a hard time answering the question: What are you good at? They can tell me exactly what they need to fix, or what went badly at the last show, but their strengths… that’s trickier. Yet, when athletes start to recognize and use their strengths intentionally, something shifts. Confidence improves. Training becomes more effective. Progress happens faster.

All equestrians want to improve, but knowing how to create tangible growth and progress, especially in equestrian sport, isn’t always straightforward. The go-to strategy for improvement in many sports, including equestrian, is to focus on weaknesses. In other words, you identify what’s not going well and work to fix it. This approach has its place, but it’s only half the recipe for improving performance. Exclusively focusing on what’s not working can quietly chip away at your confidence and create a distorted self-image. It supports the belief that you must be hard on yourself to improve, which keeps many equestrians trapped in unhelpful cycles of perfectionism, self-criticism, and self-doubt.

Instead, what if we started by asking: What am I good at? It’s a shift in mindset that can make training more effective, positive, and confidence-building.

WHAT IS A STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH?

A strengths-based approach can feel counterintuitive at first. It means focusing on what’s working and what’s not. It means intentionally leveraging your existing strengths and skills to solve problems and develop your knowledge and skills. You’re still working on the hard stuff with a goal to improve, but a strengths-based approach helps you work with greater confidence and self-trust. This approach draws on research in positive psychology, which shows that building on strengths often leads to faster improvement and greater motivation than focusing on deficits alone. Long recognized in the world of business, organizations are using a strengths-based approach to increase employee engagement, improve collaboration, and enhance productivity.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GOOD AT?

Ugh, that was terrible! The transition was late again. Why can’t I get this right?

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Most equestrians are quick to see what’s not working in their riding and to criticize themselves for it. We are taught to work hard and fix our mistakes, but rarely are we encouraged to notice, let alone leverage, what we are doing well. In my experience, most equestrians genuinely struggle to identify what they are good at because it’s not something they often think about.

Not knowing what you’re good at puts you at a disadvantage when it comes to performance and confidence. If you are aware of your strengths, you can use them as a tool to support the development of both your physical and mental skills.

A common misunderstanding is that focusing on strengths means ignoring problems or pretending everything is fine when it isn’t. This approach is not about complacency. It’s about developing a more strategic self-awareness. When you know what’s working, you can approach difficult skills more effectively without spiraling into self-doubt or frustration.

Focusing on strengths increases confidence and motivation. You approach challenges differently and often solve them faster because you’re less frustrated. In general, you are more positive, relaxed, and patient with yourself and your horse.

APPLYING A STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH: A CASE STUDY

Meet Emily, a 17-year-old dressage rider currently at second level and aiming to move up to third level by the end of the season. She and her coach acknowledge that half-passes remain inconsistent and there is ongoing tension in flying lead changes. Frustrated with her training, Emily is beginning to doubt her ability to progress successfully to the next level. A typical solution here would be to double down on training and “fix” the half-pass and flying changes. Instead, let’s explore what taking a strengths-based approach would look like.

Step One: Identify Strengths

Emily works with her coach to reflect on her training habits and past performances, and in doing so, they identify the following strengths:

Excellent feel and timing in transitions
Strong, consistent seat and posture
Excellent ability to stay mentally calm and focused during tests
Dedicated to training, very consistent in her work ethic

Step Two: Reframe the Challenge

Instead of framing the situation as Emily is struggling with half-passes and flying changes, Emily and her coach intentionally reframe it as: Emily is working on using her great feel and seat to improve the timing and precision of her aids in lateral movements. Her calm mindset and consistent work ethic are great tools for building confidence in these new, more technical elements.

Step Three: Leverage Strengths in Training

Seat and feel: Emily focuses on using her strengths to develop a stronger feel for the new movements. She rides without stirrups to deepen her ability to leverage these strengths in her learning.

Mental calmness: To maintain a relaxed body and focused mind before practicing flying changes, Emily leverages her mental calmness by using diaphragmatic, deep breathing and positive visualization exercises to imagine the feel she is looking for in the changes.

Dedication and consistency: Emily reminds herself that she is a good learner and great at doing the work needed to improve. She reassures herself that in the past she has always been able to solve challenges and move forward, and this time is no different. This helps her to trust herself and lean into the process of learning and growing, reducing her frustration.

In addition, Emily’s coach makes an intentional effort to note and praise Emily’s strengths in training, instead of only correcting her mistakes. This helps Emily feel more confident and motivated in her training rides.

Step Four: Assess the Outcome

Over time, Emily’s half-passes and flying changes improve and eventually are performed with polish, precision, and relaxation. She improved quickly, not because she ignored the challenge, but because she intentionally used her strengths to navigate the issue, build confidence, and improve her skills.

Emily’s coach plays an important role in this case study. Any coach can actively encourage a greater focus on strengths with simple actions such as regularly encouraging riders to reflect on what went well, balancing constructive feedback with strengths-based reinforcement, or using videos to highlight strengths instead of only errors. Coaches can bring the language of strengths into their conversations by encouraging riders to understand what they are good at, and reminding them to leverage their strengths when facing challenges. I believe that sometimes coaches feel they aren’t doing their job or identifying problems and areas to improve. A strengths-based focus gives coaches another way to talk about performance with athletes and contribute to building their confidence and independence alongside technical skills.

Beyond technical skill improvement, focusing on strengths also builds essential mental skills, including emotional and nervous system regulation, through tools such as positive reframing, supportive self-talk, a growth-oriented mindset, and positive visualization. Riders who focus on strengths are likely to manage their emotions more successfully, make better decisions under pressure, and be more resilient through setbacks.

HOW TO GET STARTED

Odds are the question What am I good at? will be hard for you to answer at first. Getting started with a strengths-based approach requires a shift in mindset and a willingness to be curious about the benefits of this approach. Once your curiosity is piqued, start asking some high-quality questions of yourself and your coach. Reflect on questions such as:

What skills can I perform consistently and really trust in the saddle?
What existing habits work well for me in training and competition?
What positive feedback do I get from coaches or peers?
When do I feel confident and connected in the saddle?

Ask those you trust what they see as your strengths and add this information to what you’ve learned through self reflection. As you begin to develop a greater strategic self-awareness, ask yourself how you can use your strengths to navigate the challenges or learning curves you’re currently facing.

Before your next training session, ask yourself: What’s one strength I can use today? And the next time you feel stuck, instead of asking yourself what’s wrong, consider: What am I already good at and how can I use that to move forward?

You and your horse already have many tools you can count on. When you can recognize and trust them, you’ll be on your way to riding on your strengths.

More by Annika McGivern

Photo: Dreamstime/Linas Toleikis