Horse Show Therapist

05/18/2026

IT’S DEVON WEEK🤩

A few tips for high pressure, big atmosphere horse shows! That also apply to all horse shows…

Comment your fav⤵️

05/14/2026

POV: you start overthinking halfway through the course and suddenly every distance feels wrong. 🫠

Try asking yourself: “What’s in my control?”

• Not the whole round.
• Not the outcome.
• Not what everyone thinks.

WHAT IS ➡️ the next breath, turn, pace, fence, or decision.

Overthinking pulls riders into the future. Performance happens in the present.

Save this for your next horse show 🐴

05/13/2026

Anxiety in riders is often misunderstood as being “dramatic,” “sensitive,” or “not mentally tough.”

But many anxious athletes are actually highly self-aware, high-achieving, and deeply invested in doing well. The problem is that fear activates the nervous system — and once a rider shifts into survival mode, learning, focus, and confidence all become harder to access.

Coaches have more influence than they realize in those moments.

A small shift in language can help a rider:

✅stay emotionally regulated
✅tolerate mistakes
✅improve confidence
✅communicate more openly

This doesn’t mean lowering standards, it means coaching in a way that keeps your rider engaged not shut down.

05/12/2026

Reassurance can be helpful at times but when it comes to tough experiences validation is often the most helpful thing an anxious person can be supported with. It’s not quickly finding a solution it’s how do we tolerate this feeling together.

05/12/2026

Being uncomfortable SUCKS but sometimes we have to face it and feel it to move on from it. 🔜🥇

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the horse show moms out there 🤍🩷 grateful for all that you do for us!

🎀 a special shoutout to all kinds of moms out there, horse moms, dog moms, grieving moms, those who have lost a mom.

04/30/2026

🏋🏼‍♀️think of your confidence as a muscle

✅ it doesn’t go away overnight after one bad ride

✅ you have to use it for it to get stronger!

✅ no one is born with more than you - it’s a skill!

04/29/2026

🔦 you can’t always stop yourself from getting distracted

✅ what you can do is practice refocusing

➡️ by bringing your attention back to the task at hand

04/25/2026

Some of the most “difficult” riders… are actually the most anxious ones.

And the difference between a rider shutting down vs. improving? ➡️ Often comes down to how they’re coached in those moments.

You don’t have to lower your standards— you just have to change how you deliver them.

Which one do you see most often? 👇

04/24/2026

Hello all! I am reaching out to invite equestrian athletes who have experienced a sport-related injury to participate in a research study exploring equestrian athletes’ experiences returning to sport after injury.

The purpose of this research is to examine associations between stress, coping, and return to equestrian sport after injury. Participation will involve completing an anonymous, online survey taking approximately 15-20 minutes of your time. All participation is voluntary, and all data collected will be kept confidential and used solely for research purposes.

If you are interested in participating in the study, please follow the link below to access the survey, or email us at aaswegan@uws.edu or jennyswanson.licsw@gmail.com for more information. Upon completion of the survey, you will have the option to submit your email for a prize drawing for one of 20, $10 Amazon gift cards.

SURVEY LINK: https://westernstates.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0DjvVFjyNQa5TLw

Lastly, if you know of any other athletes who might be willing to participate in this study by completing the same short survey, please spread the word by forwarding this message and the survey link on to them, or having them contact us directly at aaswegan@uws.edu or jennyswanson.licsw@gmail.com.

Thank you for your time and consideration, and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions!

Our best,

Amanda Aswegan, PhD, LMHC, LPC, CMPC
Primary Investigator
University of Western States
aaswegan@uws.edu

Jenny Swanson, EdD, LICSW, LCSW, CMPC
Co-Primary Investigator
Swan Therapies LLC
jennyswanson.licsw@gmail.com

Have you been injured while riding? Did you struggle with confidence or anxiety when you started riding again post-injury? Take this survey to increase knowledge and information regarding equestrian athletes return to sport post-injury and help other riders like you!