For Professional Riders and Coaches
Professional riders and coaches carry a unique set of responsibilities—and pressures. You need to stay competitive in the show ring, develop your client's skillsets, run a business, build your reputation, and secure access to top horses and financial support. This takes more than talent. It requires strategy, systems, and the right kind of support.
This department is designed to help you navigate the business side of being a professional rider or coach as well as the athletic side. You'll find tools, training, and resources in three essential areas:
Sports Performance, Fitness, & Mental Skills
From managing stress and improving focus to staying physically fit and implementing sports psychology techniques, you'll find tips and techniques to support your competitive edge both as rider and coach.
Equine Syndicates & Partnerships
Access to top-level horses is essential for long-term success. Syndicates and partnerships can help—if they're set up correctly. This section includes, legal and structural insights, marketing strategies and financial considerations.
Sponsorship & Rider Promotion
Learn how to attract sponsors, pitch your value, and grow your professional visibility. We cover tips for how to approach different types of sponsors and the role of social media in increasing sponsor appeal.
Use The Resources - Get Additional Support As Needed
We aim to provide all our members with high quality information and support through our group coaching sessions, webinars, tools and articles. When more is needed, consider our Private Consulting Services. These are especially helpful when planning your professional career in alignment with your business and for setting up and pitching equine syndicates.
As riders, trainers, and stable managers, we are very active people. Whether riding a dozen horses each day, running from ring to ring coaching customers, mucking stalls or feeding, and turning out horses, equestrians are getting in a lot of exercise without the dreaded treadmill or weight machines. Many of us feel exhausted at the end of the day, yet our competitive drive to succeed in the sport urges us to keep pushing. However, more exercise isn't always better when it comes to improving our health and reaching our riding goals. In reality, pushing ourselves this hard might actually be detrimental and can even cause the loss of muscle mass and weight gain....More Summer is a wonderful time to be riding and showing - the days are long, the weather is hot, and the sun is bright. However, it is during these beautiful days that you need to be aware and able to prevent your body from becoming dehydrated....More Implementing a few small changes to your lifestyle can help you to increase and maintain natural energy levels. Although long horse show days may seem draining, if you prepare by supplying your body with the right meals, water, stress reduction techniques, good sleep and limited caffeine intake, you will set yourself up to powerfully take on the day and ride your best....More Knowing how sugar affects your body, learning how to identify hidden sugars, and developing strategies for cutting back your sugar intake are the best ways to ensure you are always ready to ride your best....More
data-page_number="1573"3 Ways Overtraining Affects the Equestrian Body
data-page_number="1483"Hydration and the Equestrian Athlete
data-page_number="1436"Avoiding Rider Burnout: 5 Tips to Help You Manage Your Energy
data-page_number="1396"Reduce Your Sugar Intake to Ride Your Best
data-page_number="1672"Webinar: Coaching Riders from the Inside Out - How Focus, Inspiration and Community Can Empower YouBarbra Schulte is an award winning professional who was inducted into both the Cowgirl Hall of Fame and the recipient of the prestigious National Female Equestrian of the Year award. She is a popular author and certified LGE Performance Coach. Her work in equestrian sports performance has brought remarkable results for many riders and trainers. During this free webinar, Barbra will share strategies for boosting confidence, training your emotions to be a powerful force behind your success and how to mine the unlimited power of mental focusing techniques....More
data-page_number="605"Mistakes, Embarrassing Moments, and Brain Bloopers:
How to Let GoChipped so hard to the first jump it made the earth move? Rode around the warm-up ring for 20 minutes with a mane comb stuck in your horse's tail? Missed going through the timers on your way to the first jump in the jump-off? We've all been there -- well, maybe not to exactly the same places -- but certainly every rider has their own list of forgettable moments; if only we could forget them! Why do they seem to stick like glue to our memory banks?...More
data-page_number="1671"How to Process Results - 3 Keys to Unlocking the Hidden Benefits of Riding MistakesHow many times have you completed a ride and thought, "Man, I so messed ______ up! I can't believe I did that! I know better!" It is so natural to bemoan what went wrong during a ride. It's also natural to feel badly about mistakes unless you make a personal commitment to process results in a truly constructive way....More
data-page_number="673"'Competitive Fire': Keep it under ControlTwo girls went into the second round of the junior hunter classic within one point of each other it was up for grabs. Each one had a true desire to win. One envisioned a way to shine, determined to nail it with a clear plan of...More
data-page_number="332"Equestrian Mind Skills - The Fundamentals of VisualizationMost people have heard about it, read about it, and will say they use it to prepare - but do you really know the primary benefit of all visualization? It's to make your body and mind experience a sense of deja-vu when you perform; to feel as if you have done it all before so that you can relax, trust your skills...More
data-page_number="504"Post Ride NotesDOWNLOAD: Tracking progress and planning what to work on next helps riders improve and stay motivated. Use this download to help you track and improve your riding at shows and at home....More
data-page_number="492"Equestrian Motivation Statement DownloadThis download will show you how to write a Motivation Statement. Your Motivation Statement will help you focus and clarify why you ride. This download will help you identify what it is that fuels your dedication and helps you achieve your goals....More
data-page_number="481"Pre-Ride Routines: A Key to Your FocusIn a typical 8-hour show day, how much time are you actually in the ring? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? This is the nature of horse showing, and it creates an interesting challenge. With all of the other things going on in your busy horse show day, how can you best prepare yourself and get focused for the ring when it is actually time to ride?...More
data-page_number="386"Control Your Energy with Circle BreathingTake a deep breath!" "Relax!" "Stop holding your breath!" "Don't worry about it!" "Just breathe!" Are these phrases part of your riding? Perhaps it was at a show while you waited for a client's class, on a large group trail ride, or during a frustrating moment in a lesson. These phrases are meant to be helpful, but...More
data-page_number="392"Use Your Focus to Succeed in the Show RingWalking through the in gate at a big show feeling focused, excited and ready is a skill that all riders need. It doesn't matter if you are in a novice equitation class or a World Cup qualifier, the ability to harness energy or adrenaline and direct it to your riding skills is essential. In fact, it is...More
data-page_number="334"Visualization: Before the Horse ShowMost often riders think of visualizing their courses once they are at the show. However, a lot of valuable practice can be done in the weeks prior to your most important shows by visualizing sample courses at home....More
data-page_number="393"Stay Focused on Your ProgressUsing sport psychology to track your progress and build the quality of your schools between clinics and shows can be very valuable. As a professional, you often school your horses on your own. This fact not only contributes to the physical abilities of both you and your horse, it also creates a need for you to have a variety of mental skills and strategies at your disposal....More
data-page_number="394"Conquering the Horse Show Warm-Up RingAbout warm-up rings, I have heard it all: "I try to make my warm-up as short as possible, it just works better for me." and "I can't stand the warm-up ring. It makes me: scared/nervous/frantic/nauseous." and "The warm-up ring makes me lose my confidence." and "If I didn't have to warm-up I would win more often!" So, do you recognize any of these thoughts? Have you ever wished for a different warm-up ring experience?...More
data-page_number="395"Using Video to Improve Your Performance (and Your Confidence)Watching video of your rounds, tests, or cross country runs can be many things: fun, exciting, useful, frustrating, enlightening, painful, or entertaining. Some riders run from the mailbox to the DVD player when a video arrives from a recent show. Then there are the riders who buy video of themselves but never watch them. There are also plenty of riders who don't think about video at all. Whatever your current approach it is...More
data-page_number="391"Strengthen Your Focus with Book-EndsOften your clinician or ground person can help you create specific 'homework' for each horse. By having a specific idea of what you will work on, you ensure a productive schooling session. Integrating exercises and training solutions from prior schools can really add to the value of the ride, and can increase the intensity of your focus....More
data-page_number="396"At the Show: 4 Strategies to Feel Relaxed and ConfidentUse powerful cue words to direct your attention to the specific areas you need to focus on in the ring. This will keep your mind directed to your performance (over which you have control!) and away from outcomes or ribbons (over which you do not have control!)....More
data-page_number="385"At the Show: Breathing Techniques for Energy ManagementThere are three main types of breathing useful for controlling your focus and managing your energy. They are: Circle, Ratio, and...More
data-page_number="368"Five Strategies for Coping with Horse Show NervesIt goes without saying that when you are heavily invested in something, you care a lot about how it turns out. But this same care, if left unchecked, can mushroom into feelings of pressure and fear of failure that often create excessive nervousness. This can affect a rider's enjoyment of the show, and will certainly impede their ability to ride well....More
data-page_number="2395"Webinar Replay: Three Key Aspects of Successful Equine SyndicatesWebinar: Three Key Aspects of Successful Equine Syndicates The ability to work with top horses—whether for competition, breeding, sales, or racing—can significantly elevate your equestrian career and the success of your horse business. Equine syndicates and partnerships not only open doors to these opportunities but also create value for clients and investors alike. Join us for an in-depth webinar where three industry experts will guide you through the essential aspects of setting up and managing equine syndicates: 1. Business Planning: Elisabeth McMillan of Equestrian Professional will discuss business tools used to "prepare and pitch" 2. Accounting Insights: Jen Shah of Dean Dorton will break down the different business structures available and tax benefits and considerations for participants. 3. Legal Framework: Laura Holoubek of Dinsmore Law will cover the critical legal steps required to set up a syndicate and key points of a syndicate operating agreement...More
data-page_number="460"Horse Syndication - or "The more we get together, the happier we'll be"Don't have $150,000 for a Grand Prix horse capable of competing on a national level? Just find 14 friends each with $10,000 to spare and create a syndicate. Is it that easy? No, not really. But syndicates, which have been popular for some time for race horses and breeding, are becoming a useful way to finance the purchase of a competition horse....More
data-page_number="908"Webinar: How to Market Equine Syndicates and PartnershipsMarketing syndicates and partnerships is different than marketing any other aspect of your horse business. First, you will need a marketing strategy that enables you to identify and reach potential investors. Once these potential investors have been identified, in most cases, you will also need to create (or provide) many of the following...More
data-page_number="890"Equine Syndicates and Partnerships - How Can They Benefit Your Career?Syndicates and partnerships have long been a part of the racing world. Today, with the costs involved in purchasing and developing top level competition horses, equine syndicates and partnerships are becoming more popular in all disciplines, particularly show jumping, eventing and dressage. Simply stated, equine syndicates and partnerships enable investors to own a fraction of a horse at a fraction of the cost. The risk is spread out amongst a group of owners rather than a single owner bearing the entire expense. This can make equine ownership and equestrian sports involvement more attractive to a wider variety of people. Increased involvement is good for the sport as a whole and can provide unique opportunities and benefits for both the horse professional and their clients....More
data-page_number="1098"Why Social Media Makes Sponsorships More Valuable Than Ever for Equestrian Professionals and BrandsSocial Media is often referred to as word of mouth on steroids - but when it comes to the equestrian community, it's a heck of a lot more than that. Social media is changing the playing field for both professional equestrians and the equestrian companies that sponsor them....More
data-page_number="175"Equestrian Sponsorship Top 10 Questions and AnswersAs a specialist in equestrian niche marketing I am often asked questions about what it takes for a rider to get a sponsor. Here are answers to the 10 most frequently asked questions. Sponsorship plays a pivotal role in the equestrian world. With the high cost of horses, training, travel, and competition, sponsorships can be the bridge between talent and opportunity. But getting sponsored—and keeping a sponsor—is a serious commitment. Here's what every equestrian professional should know....More
If riding, training and competing are a big part of your equestrian career, it is essential that you understand and engage in self promotion. Your ability to promote yourself can drastically affect the number and quality of horses in your barn and what you get paid to ride, train and compete with them. It also directly affects the direction and longevity of your career....More
