In today’s hyper-connected world, focus has quietly slipped down the list of priorities for many riders. We live distracted lives — constantly bombarded by pings, notifications, and endless scrolling. And while we may not notice the daily cost in our social lives or even our work routines, it becomes glaringly obvious in the arena. Because in riding, a split-second lapse in concentration can change everything.

This isn’t just an issue for elite competitors. Whether you're a weekend warrior, a nervous novice, or a seasoned pro chasing those elusive clean rounds, your ability to focus is a major performance determiner. And the truth is, most riders aren't training it. Not deliberately. Not consistently. Not enough.

Focus is a skill. Just like core strength or sitting trot or counting strides. You can build it. You can lose it. You can absolutely train it.

Why Focus is Failing

Studies in neuroscience and psychology have shown that average human attention spans are shrinking. In 2000, the average was around 12 seconds. Today? Around 8. That’s less than a goldfish.

But the real concern for equestrians is how reactive our attention has become. We’re conditioned to flick between tabs, juggle distractions, and absorb multiple streams of information at once. Great for doomscrolling. Terrible for riding a line to a triple combination.

Your mind can only fully focus on one thing at a time. And yet, in a world of multitasking and mental clutter, we expect to ride with the kind of clarity that delivers peak performance. No wonder riders at every level are struggling with inconsistent rounds, silly mistakes, and inexplicable losses of rhythm or direction. It's not always nerves. Often, it's just noise.

What It Costs You

A rail down from one second of mental drift

A missed distance from lack of presence

A lost connection with your horse because your mind is still back in warm-up

Overwhelm in the ring because you never practiced riding under real mental pressure

We blame the spook. The stride. The bad warm-up. But deep down, we know: it's not the rail that haunts us. It's what it cost.

How to Train It

Training focus doesn’t have to be complicated. But it does have to be intentional. Here are a few ways to start:

Unmounted drills like visualisation, breathwork, concentration games, and focused mindfulness sessions help build a foundation of mental discipline.

Mounted exercises that challenge your attention, like distraction rides, precision line drills, and silent schooling sessions, force you to stay mentally engaged in motion.

Awareness training that helps you notice when you’ve drifted and quickly re-engage your brain without spiraling into negative self-talk.

This isn’t a quick fix. But the pay-off is real: calmer warm-ups, cleaner rounds, and greater consistency.

What’s Coming

I believe that training focus is the next frontier for equestrian performance. And I’ve been quietly building something to help you do just that. A new way to work with me. A structured approach to building mental strength and sustained concentration. It’s called Foundations of Focus.

Watch this space. Because when you learn to master your mind, you give yourself the best chance of riding like the athlete you know you can be.

Champion Zones. Where focus meets feel.