Helen is nothing short of a miracle worker!
I came to Helen for riding lessons with my horse having previously competed at BE90/100. I had got to the point where I was terrified to go over a cross pole and would burst into tears at the thought.
The lessons I had were structured around spending 20 minutes on sports psychology mindset techniques and then 40 minutes or so on riding and putting into practice some of the mindset tools we had discussed.
In addition, the mindset learning was truly fascinating. It involved changing the way I thought and talked about myself – from being so self-critical all the time, to rewarding myself for successes no matter how small, as well as learning other tools such as:
- Visualising when I did something well so that it stayed in the memory bank;
- Learning how to stay in the ‘bubble’;
- Breaking down down targets into small achievable goals; and,
- The key one for me being to enjoy my riding!
Helen is so supportive, understanding and patient. She always works with you to come up with a solution when you think it is not possible. I really can’t believe how far I’ve come with Helen’s help. I managed to get some events in at the end of the season and actually enjoyed them. I’m now at the point where I am looking forward to getting on my horse and going jumping again!
Lucy Mallison