I shared this brilliant lady's story a few months back when she was in her first 6 months of her training journey & now fast forward, 15 months down the line she's had some incredible progress. We caught up this week as after more than a year of training together she has now graduated & is ready to do this alone!
Going from someone who had very low self confidence & no self belief to now being the woman who regularly trains at the gym, likes what she sees in photos of her riding her horse & is all round a happier woman!
A couple of her friends had worked with me & having seen their results she wanted to now get the same results for herself. She was feeling like she wasn't riding at her best & wasn't doing her horse justice on the flat or when jumping. This was leading to a complete lack of confidence in herself but she had got to the point where she realised it was a case of doing something now about it or it would always be this way & nothing was going to change.
Being in her late 50's she's a busy working woman working full time & has her lovely horse to compete in dressage with but she was struggling to enjoy her riding as she just felt a complete lack of fitness on her part. She had all together stopping jumping & going to clinics as she just felt her confidence was too low to go & to do something like a training clinic just wanted an option.
She made a really brave decision to take action & embark on this journey & she had no idea what to expect or what she was capable of & she questioned if she could do it, many times! She also asked if she may be too old for change but she had already proved to me she meant business, was serious & wanted to do this for herself once & for all. It may sound a bit corny but this was all about changing her life for the long run & funnily enough when we caught up last week her words were;
I mean that just gives me the biggest sense of job satisfaction there ever was & also makes me quite emotional as until you go through this journey yourself you don't realise how powerful & life changing your fitness journey will be.
Previously she had done an online pilates class but found it didn't motivate her & as it wasn't interactive so she found you could have been doing the movement wrong and you wouldn't know which led her to feel even less confident & also question whether spending her time doing these sessions was actually going to benefit her riding or not & then was it really worth it?
She found that style of online training very remote with no personal engagement & it just didn't work for her. So we began working together online & this is what she had to say;
"The results I have had are beyond what I could ever have hoped for. I am much fitter, I have more energy. My riding is just WOW no other word for it. I feel healthier, happier & it's completely changed my mindset too. I'm far more positive now throughout all of my life. I found Katie was always there if you needed her to ask any questions. You know your programme is designed for you and she is with you on the journey as well. There was a moment when I felt like it wasn't working for me, I was putting all the effort in and it felt like I was getting nowhere. Katie was there to talk to me about how I was feeling and encouraged me to give it a little longer but she doesn't push you. I am so glad I stuck with it as you learn we are all different and our bodies respond at different times. After that little wobble, it all just clicked into place and the results were there for all to see, especially for me to see. I went into this wanting to be a better rider..... number 1. What I have come away with is so much more; yes my riding has improved beyond what I ever thought I could achieve. My relationship with food is so much more healthy & I now have a better understanding of the different foods and how they work with your body. The 1 thing I was really surprised with is my confidence. I was at rock bottom when I started this journey but now I now feel like a different person. It's funny when I joined, I joined to get stronger & ride better that was the main focus but all the other bits I've gained that people don't see like the mindset side I just didn't think was going to happen. If you're thinking about working with Katie or getting going just do it! You need to be committed to the programme and want to really change but this journey has been one of the best in my life so far! What you achieve is in your hands but if you embrace the programme and put the effort in you will be amazed by how much better you feel not only fitter but your whole outlook will change.
I was a 50 something woman just floundering through life and now I am still a 50 something woman but feel so much stronger and more focused in life. Priceless! I want to say a BIG thank you to Katie. Thank you for giving me purpose again."
Working with riders like this is why I do my job & love being a coach so much. Whatever your age, riding level or discipline every female Equestrian deserves to feel their best physically & mentally. Feel confident, be happy, be healthy & make the most out of life & your horse for as many years as you can! As this rockstar said the journey wasn't plain sailing but it's been a life changer. Through her hard work, consistency, and commitment she has totally transformed things for herself with my help. My role has been to support her, help her to work on a much more growth-focused & more positive mindset & provide accountability to keep her on track as well as educating her so she knows the right things to be doing. Of course as she mentioned there have been bumps on the way & times where she felt like maybe she wasn't making progress but when you look back on the past 15 months you can see just how far she's truly come. It's easy for ourselves to end up questioning this without someone else looking from the outside in.
I won't ever forget our 1st ever video call together & how low she was in herself, her positivity & lacking confidence & so much of this journey has been about reminding her she was doing a cracking job, being realistic with her expectations in terms of what she could do/fit in & equally the rate of progress she expected as well as being more compassionate with herself. This was key to helping her to see she was going in the right direction, making good progress & to keep feeling motivated. We all need a reminder sometimes that we're doing a great job, working hard & consistency will pay off & this is where having the support of a coach is priceless! A huge well done to this superstar for all her hard work & results so far & good luck in all of what is to come for you in the future.
It's been a pleasure working together & an absolute privilege to help this rider achieve her goals. Her riding & dressage competing has now gone to the next level & to see her back out enjoying her competing again as well as being back jumping & loving her time with her horse is simply fantastic! What life is all about & by pushing herself out of her comfort zone, trusting the process & working hard she has achieved all of this & completely transformed her life in 15 months. Pretty awesome.
If you're ready to do the same then email me at katie@eventriderfitness.com & let's talk!
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