Over The Oxer
All equestrians want to harness mindset know-how and learn the ease of successful riding. On this podcast, I’m demystifying the mind, delving into the best of mindset and debunking myths for equestrians and horse owners. Mindset is the key to solving a host of problems that manifest when we ride, including riding anxiety, self-doubt, limiting belief, imposter syndrome, overwhelm or perfectionism. As an accredited Trainer and Master Coach of NLP and Hypnotherapy, I’ll lead you through the solutions that work for me and my clients.
Episodes
This week on Over the Oxer, I’m joined by the brilliant Kristi Seymour. Kristi is a licensed clinical therapist with over 20 years’ experience, a lifelong equestrian (five decades in the saddle and counting!) and the founder of EquiMind.
Kristi joined me from Alaska at a rather eye-watering 5:00 AM to dig into the science of why our performance often "breaks" under pressure. As a Master Trainer of NLP, I found it fascinating to loo...
There are certain phrases that stay with us, aren’t there? The ones we heard as children, sometimes said in jest, sometimes in frustration, that quietly shape how we deal with our emotions long after the moment has passed.
In this episode of Over the Oxer, I share a couple that stayed with me growing up, including one involving the M6 motorway 🙈, and how those seemingly throwaway c...
Have you ever felt like two different people at once? One part of you desperately wants to do X (gallop, jump or compete), while the other part is screaming for you to do Y (stay safe on the ground)? You aren't "losing your nerve", you’re experiencing an internal conflict. And they're all too common.
In this episode of Over the Oxer, Equestrian NLP expert Tracey Cole dives into the concept of "Parts." Discover why your brain create...
Have you ever felt like you’ve lost your "nerve," or that you can't ride like your younger self any more?
In this episode, we tackle the "invisible hurdle"—the self-talk that dictates our physical limits in the saddle. We look into a fascinating 1979 Harvard study where a group of men physically "de-aged" simply by changing their mental environment. If you’ve been telling yourself the "old man programme," it’s time for a software...
Episode 187 of Over The Oxer sees Tracey Cole in conversation with equine behaviour expert Nadia Hernandez, exploring the powerful link between horse behaviour and rider mindset. Blending human psychology with equine science, Nadia explains why horses mirror our emotions, how prey animal instincts drive reactions like spooking and bolting, and what riders often misunderstand about their horse’s behaviour. Packed with practical insi...
This week on Over The Oxer, I’m joined by the wonderful Alex Fleming, someone I’ve known and admired for several years now. Alex helps horse riders train their brains for confidence, trust and enjoyment in the saddle, and in this conversation we go deep into the real psychology behind confidence, mindset and performance with horses.
Alex shares her journey into the horse world, from starting at a riding school with no horsey backgr...
Have you ever entered the arena and suddenly forgotten your "C" from your "E"? Or couldn't remember whether your next jump was the red oxer or the yellow double? In this quirky episode of Over the Oxer Equestrian Mindset Podcast, we dive into a fascinating "brain hack" involving nothing more than your own two hands. We explore the 2013 research by Ruth Propper on hemispheric encoding and retrieval—specifically, how squeezing your f...
In this episode, I'm speaking with Louise Einchcomb, equestrian mindset coach and founder of Rider Mentality.
Louise combines psychology, applied coaching and real-world equestrian experience to help riders, coaches and professionals build confidence, regulate their nervous systems and create healthier partnerships with horses.
We explore how rider mindset i...
In this episode of Over the Oxer, I'm talking about something you’re already using - whether you realise it or not.
Anchors.
In NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), an anchor is the link your brain creates between a stimulus and an emotional state. The sound of the competition bell. Walking into the warm-up arena. Even putting your boots on.
Some anchors build confidence. Some trigger anxiety. And most of them were created accident...
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Send your answers to info@traceycolenlp.com
In this episode of Over the Oxer, we travel (virtually!) to Finland to speak with Sonja and Katja, the founders of Heica Hay Feeders. Finland is at the forefront of equestrian welfare legislation, and my guests provide a fascinating look at how these new regulations are changing the landscape for horse owners.
We dive deep into the philosophy of equine enrichment: moving beyond the idea of "slow feeding" to creating a lifestyle tha...
When things go wrong in the saddle, do you push harder… or shut down?
This week I compare the powerful (and very different) thinking of Alfred Adler and Carl Jung—and how their ideas can transform the way you handle mistakes, pressure, and ambition in riding.
Achievement or healing? Maybe the answer is both.
Mental Anchors Workshop
https://traceycolenlp.com/product/mental-anchors-for-riding-performance/
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Sue Hill is a Havening Techniques® Practitioner, trained in NLP, hypnosis and EFT, and she’s currently in the final stages of becoming a Havening Techniques Practitioner Trainer. She helps clients reduce anxiety, overwhelm and emotional triggers using gentle, effective techniques that calm the nervous system and create lasting change. Sue’s focus is simple: helping people feel better fast, giving them tools they can use for life, a...
In this episode of Over the Oxer, we explore how confidence changes as we get older and why riding can feel different than it did in your twenties. If you’re an older rider or adult horse rider, this episode is packed with insights on how your brain assesses risk, why adult confidence is selective and context dependent, and how trying to “ride like your younger self” can hold you back. Learn practical tips to work with your nervous...
This week, I’m sharing a simple “toe curling” technique to help you reset your nervous system, release tension, and feel calmer—on your horse or anytime you need a quick mental reset. Plus, a little laugh about why some moments are just toe curling!
If you love the podcast, I’d be thrilled if you could nominate it in the Equestrian Media category at the Equestrian Business Awards: Info@traceycolenlp.com
On this episode, I’m joined by Maha Khallaf from Saudi Arabia, as she shares her inspiring journey back to horses as an adult rider and starting her own equestrian online shop.
Maha opens up about stepping away from riding for many years, returning to the saddle during a challenging period in her life, and navigating the mindset struggles adult riders know so well — fear of falling, overthinking, trauma and responsibility. She offe...
In this episode of Over the Oxer, Tracey Cole is joined by Louise Tayler, an ADHD business coach who helps business owners, especially women, move from knowing what to do to actually doing it. Louise shares her personal journey of discovering her ADHD later in life and how understanding her neurodivergence transformed her mindset, motivation, and approach to work. They explore the different types of ADHD, the challenges of focus, e...
In this episode, Tracey explores 1930s research by neuroscientist Harold Saxton Burr that suggests we are surrounded by a measurable energy field that guides the body. Learn how your thoughts, emotions and tension could affect your riding and your horse and why understanding this invisible blueprint could change the way you ride (and think) forever.
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In this episode, I’m joined by three outstanding equestrian coaches — each a highly qualified mindset coach and Master NLP Practitioner — for a fascinating conversation at the intersection of horsemanship, psychology and performance.
Dressage specialist Samantha Osborn, a Centre 10 Coach from Somerset, shares her insights into developing mental clarity, confidence and consistency in the arena. Sarah Gowling, BHS-APC and Centre 10 C...
As we come to the very last episode of 2025 (and honestly, where did that year go?), I wanted to slow things down a little and end the year with something genuinely useful. In this episode, I explore why time can feel as though it’s racing away from us and, drawing on psychology and NLP, I share three simple, practical techniques you can use to change your experience of time—without adding another thing to your already full day. Th...
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