Horse Rider Confidence Coaching
One hour horse rider confidence sessions for equestrians, available as a group experience using silent disco headsets, a private 1:1 session, or as an add on to your riding camp or event. Serving riders across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, East Midlands and beyond.
The missing piece in your riding
You can have the right horse, the right trainer and the right technique but still feel that knot in your stomach before a cross-country course, a showjumping round, or even just hacking out. Rider confidence is a mental game, and it is one that most training programmes do not address.
Iām Emma, a certified clinical hypnotherapist & psychotherapist offering specialist horse rider confidence coaching across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Loughborough and the wider East Midlands.
My sessions combine hypnotherapy, NLP and evidence based mindset techniques to help you rewire the fear response at its root, not just manage it in the moment.
3 ways to experience a session
1. Group sessions using silent disco headsets
This is something genuinely different and riders love it.
Using professional silent disco headsets, I guide a group of riders through a full hypnotherapy and confidence session simultaneously. Each rider hears my voice clearly through their own headset, experiencing a deeply personal, relaxed state while sitting together as a group. No one needs to zone out a noisy room or feel self conscious. It is immersive, effective and unlike anything else you will find at a riding event.
This format is ideal for equestrian camps, riding clinics, XC schooling days and horse rider confidence events. I bring all equipment. You just provide the riders and a space to sit down for an hour.
What a group session includes:
Psychology and psycho-education around the brain relating to horse rider anxiety
A fully guided hypnotherapy session delivered via silent disco headsets
Visualisation and positive anchoring tailored to horse riding and the specific discipline of the day
Breathwork and relaxation techniques to decompress and reset
Mental rehearsal for the next ride, jump or course
Techniques riders can use independently going forward
A personal MP3 recording of the session, sent to every participant to keep and revisit whenever they need it
2. Add On session for riding camps and equestrian events
I slot into an existing schedule, whether that is a residential riding camp, an XC training day, a venue's weekend programme or a horse rider confidence camp and deliver a focused one hour session at a time that suits you.
This works brilliantly as an evening session after a day in the saddle, helping riders consolidate what they have worked on physically and go to sleep in the right headspace for the following day.
It also works well as a morning session before riders head out, or as a mid-day reset between activities.
I work to the theme of your event. If you are running an XC confidence day, the session is built around that. If it is a showjumping clinic, the visualisation and language will reflect that. The session feels like a natural, purposeful part of the day.
If you run equestrian events, residential venues or riding camps in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, or the surrounding shires and would like to add this to your programme, please get in touch.
Every participant receives:
A one hour guided hypnotherapy and confidence session
Practical tools for managing pre-ride anxiety and in-the-moment nerves
A personal MP3 recording of the session to keep and use at home between rides
3. Private 1:1 sessions
Prefer something personal? A private one-hour session is just you and me. We focus entirely on your specific blocks, your history and your goals, with no group dynamic to navigate.
1:1 sessions are available online.
They are ideal if you are dealing with a specific fear, recovering confidence after a fall, or preparing for an important competition or event.
I work with riders across Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Loughborough and all over the UK in an online capacity.
Your 1:1 session includes:
A free 20 min discovery call to understand your specific triggers and goals
A private 45-60 min therapy session combining psychotherapy, hypnotherapy and NLP tailored entirely to you
Visualisation and mental rehearsal specific to your discipline
Practical tools for managing pre-ride anxiety and in the moment nerves
A personal MP3 recording of your session to keep and revisit whenever you need a reset
Who is horse rider confidence coaching for?
These sessions are for any rider who feels that their mindset is the thing getting in the way, not their skill level and not their horse.
You might be:
A rider who has had a fall or a scary experience and has not felt the same since
Someone who freezes or overthinks on a cross-country course, over a jump, or in the arena
A competition rider who performs well at home but loses confidence under pressure
A camp participant who wants to get more from the experience and ride with a clearer head
A rider who is physically capable but mentally blocked and knows it
You do not need to have had a dramatic incident.
Many riders I work with simply notice a gradual erosion of their confidence over time and want it back.
Why hypnotherapy for horse rider confidence?
Fear and anxiety in the saddle are not a character flaw. They are a survival response. Your subconscious mind has learned to associate riding, or a particular element of riding, with danger and it is doing its job of protecting you.
The problem is that protection is now getting in the way.
Hypnotherapy works directly with the subconscious, where that learned response lives. Through a deeply relaxed state, we can gently reframe how your mind interprets the experience of riding, building new associations, anchoring positive states, and dissolving the fear response that has been holding you back. Unlike talk therapy, you do not need to relive or analyse every difficult experience. We simply update the programme.
Results are often felt quickly. Many riders notice a meaningful shift after just one session. For deeper or longstanding anxiety, a short course of 1:1 sessions delivers lasting change.
And because every rider leaves with a personal MP3 recording of their session, the work does not stop when you walk out the door. You can return to it the night before a competition, after a tough ride, or any time you need to reset.
Areas covered
I am based in the East Midlands and offer horse rider confidence sessions across:
Derbyshire, including Derby and surrounding villages
Nottinghamshire, including Nottingham and the Vale of Belvoir
Leicestershire, including Leicester and Loughborough
Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, and South Yorkshire borders
For residential venues, multi-day camps, and events further afield, I am happy to discuss travel. Group bookings with the silent disco headset format are particularly well-suited to venues hosting riders from across the country.
Book a horse rider confidence session
For individual riders
Start with a free 20-minute discovery call. We will talk about where you are at, what has been getting in the way, and whether hypnotherapy is the right fit. No obligation, just an honest conversation.
Book your free 20-minute discovery call
For equestrian venues and event organisers
If you would like to bring a group headset session or an add-on confidence hour to your camp or event, get in touch to discuss availability and how it would work alongside your programme.
Enquire about group and venue bookings
Book a FREE 20 minute discovery call.