I started reading Charlotte Dujardins autobiography last weekend. I think whilst it’s clear that she has a natural gift and as she says herself in the book instances where she just happened to be in the right place at the right time (I’m a believer in fate) there is something else that she talks about that I think we can all learn from, and that is her constant desire to assess her own performance and continue to learn and grow as a rider.

She talks about watching Carl’s dvds over and over when she was young, watching other people’s tests and trying to pick up training tools and ways to be better. 

She would watch back her own tests, review the score sheets and see what her weaknesses were. 

She also talks about how she would constantly (and I imagine still does) practice, practice, practice until she got things right or taught her horse something new. She didn’t give up and get someone else to do it when it didn’t go right.

She talks about riding Valegro in his early years and realising she wasn’t strong or fit enough to do him justice-so she hired a Personal Trainer and got herself stronger and fitter; and we know where that partnership ended up! 

All of these things have made her a Champion at International, European and Olympic level. 

You may be feeling that you’re lacking in the natural talent department-I definitely am! But you aren’t lacking in the ability to learn, to practice, to assess your weaknesses and work on them. 

That’s definitely the mindset of the clients I work with. They have decided that they don’t want to be the weak link in the partnership. That if they want their horse to be a better athlete then they have to be a better athlete too. 

Having a Personal Trainer doesn’t have to be about getting sweaty and wanting to cry during your session. 

It can be about working with someone like minded who understands your goals and is dedicated to helping you become a better athlete for your horse. 

I’m now working both online and in person so you don’t even need to be local to have access to my Equestrian Fitness obsessed brain!