I thought that once I'd learned to manage my riding anxiety, I'd be better equipped to deal with it next time. And I was. But life has a way of giving you new reasons to practise.

If you've followed my riding journey, you'll know that I've had a few chapters.

There was the 15-year break, when I returned to riding as a novice dressage rider, convinced that jumping was probably behind me.

There was Jazz, who took me back into jumping, then eventing, and eventually to tackling 95cm cross-country and one-metre show jumping.

There were the competitions where I was terrified, the breathing exercises, the visualisation, the positive self-talk and all the other mental skills I worked hard to develop.

And there was the joy of discovering that I could do things I'd once thought were beyond me.

I had worked hard to build my confidence. I had learned how to recognise my anxiety and manage my thoughts. I'd experienced first-hand how much difference those skills could make.

Then I lost Jazz.

And that changed everything.

Losing my special horse knocked the wind out of my sails in a way I hadn't anticipated. I was grieving, and I was also trying to work out who I was as a rider without her.

My mare, Cheri, is now in foal, and I have had time to think about what might come next. But there has been a lot of uncertainty, and a nagging question in the back of my mind.

Am I too old to start again?

Could I really rebuild the confidence I'd lost? Would I ever feel the same about riding? And how on earth was I going to get back to jumping when part of me was terrified?

I knew the mental skills. But I still had to do the work.

Again.

And then I had the accident that left me with a concussion after Charlie kicked me in the face.

Suddenly, I was dealing with physical recovery, the limitations that came with it, and another knock to my confidence.

Getting back on wasn't a matter of deciding to be brave and getting on with it.

I started with tentative rides on a friend's gentle horse. I needed to find my feet again, rebuild trust in myself and allow myself to progress at a sensible pace.

Eventually, I got back on Charlie.

That was a milestone for me.

But let me tell you something else, because I don't want you to think this is a neat little story about overcoming fear and riding off into the sunset.

When I returned from Amsterdam, I went out riding Charlie in the cane.

It was a cold, windy afternoon. It was late. Charlie was fresh.

And I made some decisions that, in hindsight, weren't particularly clever.

I hadn't adequately accounted for the conditions or the horse I was riding that day. Charlie performed his rather effective drop-and-spin manoeuvre, and I came off.

Again.

It's tempting to leave that bit out of a story about mental skills coaching, isn't it?

But I think it's important.

Because real life doesn't always follow a tidy progression from fear to confidence, from struggle to success, from zero to hero.

Sometimes you make progress and then have a setback.

Sometimes you know better and still make a poor decision.

Sometimes you feel brave one day and anxious the next.

And sometimes you have to look honestly at your own choices, learn from them and start again.

Mental skills don't make us invincible. They don't replace good horsemanship, sensible risk management or the need to respect our horses and our own limitations.

What they can do is help us recognise what's happening, make better decisions, manage our responses and find our way forward.

I've had to do that throughout my riding life.

I've had to learn to manage my anxiety at competitions. I've had to work through grief. I've had to question the stories I've told myself about my age and my abilities. I've had to rebuild confidence after an accident.

And I will probably have to do it again.

Because you are never finished working on your mental game.

That's not a failure. It's part of being human.

And it's the reason I wanted to create something different with the Forging Ahead Academy.

I didn't want to create a course you complete once, tick off your list and never think about again.

I wanted to build a resource you can return to throughout your riding life.

A place where you can work on the fundamentals when you need to get back to basics. Where you can develop the mental skills that support focus and performance. Where you can understand your personality and your horse's through the Enneagram.

That's why the Academy has different learning streams.

Back to Basics explores the interplay between body, mind and soul, and how to prepare yourself to ride under pressure, in competition and elsewhere.

Foundations of Focus takes you through the nine essential mental skills for sports performance, giving you a solid foundation to build on.

Happy Horse Shows explores personality through the Enneagram, helping you understand your own responses and how you and your horse might experience the world differently.

Grief, Resilience and Recovery offers support and practical tools to help you navigate grief, overcome setbacks and injury, rebuild confidence and find your way forward, both in the saddle and beyond.

There are hours of course material waiting for you. You can work through it at your own pace, in your own time.

You can watch a whole course when you're ready to immerse yourself in learning. Or you can watch one video when you need a gentle reminder to breathe, reset your focus or look at a situation differently.

There is a monthly Toolbox Talk, too. It's a chance for us to come together, discuss relevant subjects and learn from one another.

And if you need more individual support, I'm still here. Academy members have access to discounted one-to-one coaching with me when they need help with something more personal or specific.

Because sometimes a video is exactly what you need.

And sometimes you need a conversation.

I want both options to be available to you.

I know what it feels like to lose your confidence. I know what it's like to wonder whether you're too old, too anxious or too far behind to get where you want to go.

I know what it's like to work hard at something, make progress, and then find yourself back in unfamiliar territory.

And I know that the answer isn't always to push harder, try to be more positive or tell yourself to get over it.

Sometimes the answer is to pause. To understand what's happening. To find the right tool. To ask for help.

Then to take the next step.

You don't have to wait until you're struggling to work on your mental game. And when you are struggling, you don't have to find your way back alone.

That's what the Forging Ahead Academy is here for.

Not to promise that you'll never feel anxious again, never have a setback or never doubt yourself.

But to give you practical skills, fresh perspectives and ongoing support, so that when life happens, you have somewhere to turn.

I've been there. I'm still doing the work myself.

And I've got you.

Come and join me in the Forging Ahead Academy.

https://forgingahead.co.za/academy

From Doubt to Triumph in Equestrian Sports.

Love Linda
Forging Ahead Mental Skills Coaching