The ADD Equestrian

08/30/2025

ADHD can make even simple tasks like getting show photos and videos ready to share feel like an uphill climb. 📸✨ I’ve been meaning to post about our weekend in Wellington, and instead of waiting until it’s “perfect,” I’m embracing the done is better than perfect mindset.

Here’s Jurrney and me in the 3’3” A/O’s this morning. 🐎💛 We were thrilled to be rewarded with ribbons in a tough group of juniors and amateurs combined. Grateful for the ride, the lessons, and the reminders that progress matters more than perfection.

08/27/2025

Ever felt like you don’t belong in the show ring? 🎤 I joined the Dressage Today Podcast to talk about Imposter Syndrome for riders—and how to ride with more confidence and joy. 🐎✨

🎧 Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dressage-today-s6-e9-imposter-syndrome-with-dr-wendy-rice/id317809747?i=1000723731955

Podcast Episode · The Dressage Radio Show · 08/27/2025 · Bonus · 1h 11m

08/27/2025

✨ Exciting news! ✨
I had the pleasure of joining the Dressage Today Podcast with hosts Aviva Nebesky and Stephany Fish-Crossman for a deep conversation about Imposter Syndrome in the equestrian world. We talked openly about how it shows up for riders (yes—even us adults!) and shared ways to move through those doubts so you can ride with more confidence and joy. 🐎💪

We also dove into some practical riding insights—like the dos and don’ts of flying changes in a Second Level test.

If you’ve ever struggled with feeling “not good enough” in the ring (or outside of it), I’d love for you to give this episode a listen. 🎧

👉 Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dressage-today-s6-e9-imposter-syndrome-with-dr-wendy-rice/id317809747?i=1000723731955

Let me know what resonates most for you—I’d love to hear your thoughts! 💛

Podcast Episode · The Dressage Radio Show · 08/27/2025 · Bonus · 1h 11m

08/27/2025

Do you ever feel like an imposter? If so, you are in good company!

Podcast Episode · The Dressage Radio Show · 08/27/2025 · Bonus · 1h 11m

08/26/2025

✨ Who you surround yourself with matters -- at the barn, at shows, and in life.

This article highlights how much our trainers, barn-mates, and friends influence not just our enjoyment of riding, but our performance in the ring. It’s worth asking yourself: Are the people around you filling your cup—or draining it?

In my own riding, and in my work with clients, I’ve seen how the “tone” of a barn can either build confidence and joy—or create stress and self-doubt. Sometimes a simple, honest conversation with your trainer or a trusted barn friend is all it takes to get back on track. Other times, it may mean considering bigger changes—which can feel scary, but also deeply freeing.

Having a safe, outside perspective can help you sort through these choices. That’s part of what we explore in ADD Equestrian sessions—because your riding mindset is shaped as much by your environment as by your skills.

As performance coach John Haime says in the article:

“One of the most overlooked influences on a rider’s success is something far more personal: the people they surround themselves with.”

Take a moment to reflect—are you (and your kids) in the right village for your riding journey? 🐴💛

Brought to you by The Plaidcast When it comes to performance, most riders focus on what happens in the ring. But high-performance coach John Haime believes that one of the most overlooked influences on a rider’s success is something far more personal: the people they surround themselves with. “W...

08/24/2025

Day 4 of NARM training. I think this does a nice job of summing up the what and why I keep spend my weekends learning about this therapy model. Pictures of today in the comments.

It’s not our trauma that keeps us stuck.
It’s how we adapted to survive it.

We can’t change what happened to us. But we can shift the patterns that developed from it.

In NARM, the focus isn’t on reliving the past. Instead, we look at how you learned to protect yourself, what those strategies might be costing you now, and what becomes possible as you begin to disidentify from those strategies.

The adaptations that once kept you safe may now be keeping you disconnected—from yourself, from others, and from your own sense of possibility.

Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with me?” we can begin asking, “How did I adapt to what happened, and is it still serving me?”

08/23/2025

One of the perks of class not starting until 11am Florida time is I get to ride before settling down for day 3 of NARM training. Jurrney says hi to everyone!!

08/22/2025

Friday’s classroom vibes 🐶💡

As NARM training continues, I’m reminded it isn’t just about new tools—it’s about looking inward. Slowing down, noticing my own patterns, and getting honest with myself makes me a more grounded therapist.

Because real healing starts with presence. 💙🐎

08/21/2025

Slowing down, digging deeper, and doing my own work. A few thoughts from Dr. Wendy Rice. 💡

As I move through the third intensive weekend of NARM training (NeuroAffective Relational Model), I’m not just learning new techniques—I’m unpacking my own patterns and blind spots.

This training invites us as therapists to notice where we might disconnect, dissociate, over-function, or feel helpless in our work with clients. I’m spending the weekend getting honest with myself, gently exploring these dynamics, and investing in the kind of presence and attunement that helps healing happen.

Doing this inner work makes me a more grounded, compassionate, and effective therapist—and that benefits every rider and client I support. 🧠🐎💙

08/21/2025

What are you doing today to invest in your growth outside of or alongside your time in the saddle?

I’m in the middle of the third of four intensive NARM (NeuroAffective Relational Model) training weekends—four full days each of deep, experiential learning focused on healing complex and developmental trauma.

Most equestrians I work with aren’t dealing with a single traumatic event. They’re grappling with patterns of self-doubt, performance anxiety, shame, or the pressure to be perfect. NARM has been transformational—not just for me personally, but in how I support riders in shifting long-standing patterns and reconnecting with their authentic, capable selves.

This model doesn’t require you to rehash painful stories—it helps you explore how past experiences still shape you today, and how to loosen those patterns so you can lead yourself and your horse with more confidence and calm.

I’m so excited to bring this powerful work to the equestrian community. 💫

08/19/2025

🎙️ Exciting news! I had the chance to chat on the Dressage Today Podcast with Stephany Fish Crossman of Serendipity Dressage and Aviva Nebesky about a topic that’s close to my heart: .

It’s something so many of us face, and I can’t wait for you to tune in and hear our conversation! 💬✨

08/17/2025

Spending this evening prepping for an interview about on the Dressage Today Podcast with Stephany Fish Crossman from Serendipity Dressage and Aviva Nebesky. This is such an interesting topic that plagues so many riders both in and out of the saddle. Raise your hand if you can relate. I can for sure.