Hi! I’m Jane…
I help riders (competitive and recreational) develop the mental skills they need to ride with confidence and joy.
Wondering how I got started in this line of work? Make yourself comfortable and I will tell you!
Take One Pony-Loving Schoolgirl…
I grew up riding horses with my family in Australia. I can’t remember a time that I didn’t ride or that horses weren’t part of my life. We were lucky to live in the country and have access to many amazing places to ride. Some of my best childhood memories are racing my sister and my mum up a huge hill we nicknamed “Breathers Hill”, so called because the horses had to stop halfway for a breather.
My first pony was a gorgeous crossbred pony called Captain who had a shock of wild black mane. I think if I was a horse, I would look like Captain with his unruly hair. I did the usual – a little bit of pony club, a few gymkhanas, but mainly Captain and I did whatever we pleased and had the time of our lives doing it.
Add A Dash Of Competition
My parents invested in a horse, Minnie, that I could compete with. I rode her for as long as I was able, until my legs went down to her knees – and we slayed the field together. From then I was lucky to have a string of successful horses who I rode to Royal Show Championship and Horse of the Year Titles. I was also a successful show rider in my own right, winning Rider of the Year titles.
Mix In A Fear Of Conventional Careers
I tried to make the conventional career path work. I wanted to keep going with my horses but I didn’t think I could make a career out of it and I felt I needed to see the world a bit. I got one of the top scores at my school (quite the goody two shoes!) and scored a spot in a law degree at a prestigious university. Got there. Hated it. Drove two states across Australia home.
Sprinkle In Some Post-Tsunami Aid Work
From there, I lived a bit of a gypsy life. I worked as an emergency aid relief worker, lived in Israel, the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. I worked for a year in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami and set up my own aid organisation. I studied yoga therapy in India. But eventually I needed somewhere to settle down, so I picked NZ and met my husband shortly after.
Combine With Multiple Qualifications
Growing up, I used to get so nervous competing, so nervous that I even wondered if it was worth it at times! But despite that, I did always have a pretty strong competitive streak that made me keep going, that made me get back out there weekend after weekend and keep training, keep riding, keep competing in spite of it. I became obsessed with soaking up, marinating in and applying as much information as I could that would allow me to get a hold of my mind and be the rider I knew I was capable of being. I read books, studied courses, saw practitioners, learned techniques- anything that sparked my interest and took me closer towards where I wanted to be. From here, my passion grew and I knew I wanted to teach other riders the mental skills they needed to enjoy their riding.
The question that motivates me most now, however, more so than any competitive aspirations is:
How can I be the rider and horseperson that my horse needs me to be? How can I leave my emotions at the gate and have the mental strength and balance that I need to allow both of us to flourish as a partnership? How can I be the rider that my horses deserve?
On some level, it might be hard to imagine that the dreams that you have for your riding are possible. If that’s the case, I will tell you a little secret of the pros: it isn’t. Confidence, mental strength, focus, clarity, these are all skills. Skills that are teachable, skills that are learnable. I know because I have experienced both sides of the coin.
I have worked hard- I consider it my life’s work- to become the best mental skills coach I can be. I’ve read, studied, trained with the best in the business. I’m a qualified Yoga Therapist, NLP Practitioner and Coach, Time Line Therapy Practitioner and Mental Skills Coach.
And Now…
Now I am an experienced, qualified and respected Equestrian Mindset and Mental Skills coach.
I work with riders as their mental skills coach. If you want to get physically stronger; if you want to improve your jumping technique; if you want better dressage scores – then you hire a trainer who can give you proven methods and skills to enhance your progress and performance. But when it’s your mind that needs strengthening you need a different type of coach.
I help people identify the processes that bring them results and give them the skills to increase their mental fortitude and enhance the mind’s ability to focus.
I work with both recreational and competitive/ professional riders, giving them the skills and strategy they need to ride with confidence and produce the results that they dream of for their riding. I do this in a variety of ways: through my online membership platform, JoyRide; my group coaching courses and 1: 1 Coaching.
I have helped literally hundreds of riders gain their riding freedom back by giving them the skills to increase confidence, banish self-doubt, and work with an effective strategy.
This is what I am supposed to do. There is no plan B. My work merges all of my passions and I never tire of it. I love getting to the bottom of issues, making strategies, taking action. It really makes me sad how many people hold themselves back and stop themselves doing what they love through lack of confidence or fear about what other people are thinking. It’s terrifying to think that we could limit our lives based on that. So, I’m all in. I’m pretty invested in the people that I work with and consider most of them friends now. They are part of my family, my team. Everyone needs someone on side, and I want to be that person for those who have confidence issues or want to be the best they can be in their sport.
If you are looking for to increase your confidence; if you want to get in the zone for competition. If you need an effective strategy to move you forward, I can help you get there.
Your mindset is what will allow you to make the leap to awesome. Let’s give you the skills to go out there and make it happen.
As a qualified and successful NLP, Time Line Therapy and mindset coach, Jane has worked with both competitive and recreational horse riders all over the world, inspiring them to new levels of confidence and performance. She specializes in riders with confidence and anxiety issues and peak performance training for competition.
Jane is a:
· US and NZ Board Approved Coach
· Certified Mental Skills Coach
· Registered NLP Coach and Practitioner
· Time Line Therapy Practitioner
· Mind Coach on the Ask The Experts Panel for NZ Horse & Pony Magazine
When she is not coaching her fabulous students, Jane hangs out with her beloved horses and family, in Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand.
