Deena Cooper - Equestrian Performance Psychologist

02/03/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧. 🐴✨

We’re told to “be more confident”, but is that really helpful, or even necessary?

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐈 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠:
1. 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦. 🚫🏅 If you only feel like a "good rider" when things go perfectly, you’re on a confidence roller coaster you can’t control. Sometimes confidence isn't the problem, it’s how we define success or failure. Remember that you are more than whatever you achieve with your horse on any given day. One ride isn't a reflection of who you are or how good a rider you are - it’s only one piece of data. 📊
𝟐. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 🐴🔥I know that sounds backwards, but 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵. We’ve been told we need to be confident to ride well, but decades of psychology research says different.
The most resilient riders aren't the ones who are brave - they’re the ones who have high "Self-Efficacy." 🧠✨Self-efficacy is belief in your ability to figure things out, even when conditions are a total mess. You get it by feeling tired, stressed, unsure, and proving to yourself you can do it anyway.
𝟑. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 "𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡." 🧠🧮 Fear only leaves because you did the scary thing and realised you’re still standing. Every time you finish a competition where things weren't "perfect", or you get through a tricky moment on the trail, your brain logs evidence that you can cope with anything that’s thrown your way. It "updates the math" and realises: "Wait, we handled that and we're okay." 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘺 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.
𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 “𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐭” 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫!👊

15/02/2026

𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐦 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐐 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞! 📝✨⁣
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I’ll be writing a new article every month or so, full of mindset tips and strategies to help you and your navigate the season together. ⁣
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𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦: https://www.equestrianlife.com.au/articles/the-chemistry-of-calm-regulating-two-nervous-systems-for-peak-performance/
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I'm also taking reader questions and requests for the topics for upcoming articles. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐃𝐌! 💬

Why rider calm biologically shapes horse calm, and how co-regulation tools unlock consistent, confident performance.

11/02/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 🐴💤⁣⁣⁣
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In the competitive equestrian world, we often think that every hour not spent in the saddle is a lost opportunity. ⁣⁣⁣
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𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞. 🧠⁣⁣⁣
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To perform at your peak in the arena, your brain needs more than just "reps." 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 24/7, 𝘸𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳-𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 "𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨" 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦:⁣⁣⁣
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✨ 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: When we have no goal-directed focus, the brain’s Default Mode Network (DMN) kicks in. This is where creative breakthroughs happen & your find solutions to tricky problems. ⁣ ✨ 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲/𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Strengthens the neural pathways that keep you calm under pressure, and stop you getting frustrated when your horse has a bad day ✨ 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩: The literal engine of neuroplasticity, where new motor-skills are consolidated and "wired in". No sleep = no new skills learned.⁣ ⁣ ⁣⁣
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𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. 🧠✨⁣ ⁣

11/02/2026

New Groups, Free Courses, & Expert Insights

Secure your spot in our budget-friendly small groups for solo riders, catch my feature on the All Clear Podcast, and find your monthly mindset fix with me at EQ Life online.

07/02/2026

𝕄𝕪 𝕥𝕠𝕡 𝟛 𝕓𝕚𝕘𝕘𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕤𝕖𝕥 𝕘𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕤 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕕𝕠 𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪: ⁣⁣
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𝟏. 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐩 "𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝" 𝐟𝐨𝐫 "𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝" 🔄⁣⁣
It’s time to disarm your inner critic. When we say "I should have seen that distance," we’re just inviting a guilt trip. Instead, make a conscious choice for your focus to align with your priorities and goals.⁣⁣
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𝐓𝐫𝐲: "I 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 have waited one more stride." This shifts you from a place of failure to a place of agency. It’s not another expectation to fail; it’s a tactical adjustment for next time.⁣⁣
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2. 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫) 😴⁣⁣
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𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: Sleep isn't a luxury; it’s a prerequisite for skill acquisition. Research shows that: Motor skill learning can increase by 20–30% after a full night of sleep.⁣⁣
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𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲: After just one night of sleep deprivation, the brain’s emotional centre (the amygdala) becomes 60% more reactive.⁣⁣
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𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱-𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥—you’re emotionally fragile. The tiniest thing suddenly feels like a catastrophe. Good sleep ensures you can stay patient and adapt to challenges.⁣⁣
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𝟑. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝟐 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝟏 𝐁𝐚𝐝" 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 ✌️☝️⁣⁣
Our brains are evolutionarily wired with a negativity bias—we’re basically Velcro for the bad stuff and Teflon for the good. To balance out one negative thought, you need at least two wins to keep the scales even.⁣⁣
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𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘻𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 (even if it’s just the smallest thing like "I kept my heels down"). This ensures we maintain motivation and confidence, avoid burnout, and keep doing the things that are working rather than just obsessing over "fixing" ourselves.⁣⁣
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𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲? Let me know in the comments!🐴✨

05/02/2026

𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟—𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐭. 🧠💎⁣
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If you struggle with performance because you’re worried about being judged, this is your secret weapon. Most riders think being hard on themselves keeps them sharp, but it actually creates the tension that leads to the very mistakes you're afraid of.⁣
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𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝟑 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝:⁣
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𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡: It's making excuses.⁣
𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡: It’s high-speed accountability. You fix the mistake instead of drowning in the drama of who saw it.⁣
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𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡: You’ll lose your "edge."⁣
𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡: Worrying about others’ opinions triggers extra tension, which makes your cues slow. Compassion keeps you fluid.⁣
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𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡: It’s just "being nice."⁣
𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡: It’s being an effective coach. A coach who screams at you for looking "bad" in the warm-up ring doesn't get results; a coach who adjusts does.⁣
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𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵. 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘴; 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. ✋🐎✨

03/02/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲? Let me know in the comments!✨🐴

02/02/2026

Honored to be featured by Australian Jumping this week! 🇦🇺🐎

​We had a great conversation about what happens to us physically and mentally when the pressure is on. Give it a read/listen and let me know what you think!

DEENA COOPER | Deena Cooper - Equestrian Performance Psychologist works with riders who are technically capable, well prepared and deeply committed, yet find themselves constrained by pressure, expectation and the mental demands of competition. In a recent interview for the 'All Clear' podcast Deena offered some great insights.

Read more: https://www.australianjumping.com.au/news/riding-under-pressure-performance-insights-with-deena-cooper/

26/01/2026

Thank you for inviting me on your podcast Australian Jumping ! EPISODE 32 of the ALL CLEAR podcast is now live! Jo and I talk all things Mindset & Confidence, two of the most important tools in any rider’s kit.

Available now on:
🎬 Spotify: https://bit.ly/4qPIKOb
🎬 YouTube:https://bit.ly/4qPIOgT
🎧 Apple Podcasts:https://bit.ly/45YgPDi

EPISODE 32: DEENA COOPER | Deena is an Equestrian Performance Psychologist who joined us to discuss all things Mindset & Confidence, two of the most important tools in any rider’s kit. Thank you to Divas Beverages for sponsoring this podcast and to Deena Cooper - Equestrian Performance Psychologist for taking the time to share some incredibly interesting insights with us.

Available now on:
🎬 Spotify: https://bit.ly/4qPIKOb
🎬 YouTube:https://bit.ly/4qPIOgT
🎧 Apple Podcasts:https://bit.ly/45YgPDi

25/01/2026

Huge thanks to Australian Jumping for having me on the All Clear podcast! 🎤🐴

​We talked all things Mindset & Confidence—two of the most important tools in any rider’s kit.

Big thanks to Jo for the invitation - I had a blast talking with you. I’d love to hear what you guys think of the episode!

​Available to hear on the "All Clear" podcast 9 am tomorrow on Spotify, YouTube & Apple podcasts 👈
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21/01/2026

🐴 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐬: 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐧 "𝐒𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐥" 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫⁣⁣⁣
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As a performance psychologist, I often talk to riders about the connection between horse and human. We know they feel our tension through the reins and see our hesitation in our body language. But new research just confirmed it goes even deeper: They can smell it. 👃💨⁣⁣⁣
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A recent study published in Plos One (and featured here 🔗 https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/14/horses-can-smell-fear-in-humans-researchers-say in The Guardian) found that horses can actually distinguish between the scent of "happy sweat" and "fear sweat" in humans. ⁣⁣⁣

When exposed to the scent of fear, horses: ⁣⁣⁣
✅ Had higher heart rates. ⁣⁣⁣
✅ Startled more easily at "spooky" objects.⁣⁣⁣
✅ Were more hesitant to interact with their handlers.⁣⁣⁣
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🧠 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭’𝐬 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞: Fear is a natural and normal human emotion, and it's nothing to feel embarrassed or guilty about. However, this research highlights that emotional regulation isn't just about what you do—it’s about your physiological state. Because fear is "contagious" via scent, "faking it until you make it" only goes so far with a horse. They are biologically wired to pick up on our internal emotional systems.⁣⁣⁣
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Our horses are the ultimate biofeedback machines. By working on our mental skills, we aren't just improving our scores, we’re helping our horses feel safer, more regulated, and more focused too. 🤝✨⁣⁣⁣
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𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?

Tests showed horses that smelled body odour from people watching scary films startled more easily