There’s a word that quietly follows a lot of equestrians around. It shows up before introductions, softens accomplishments before they can be claimed, and apologizes for a passion before anyone has asked for an explanation. The word is just. As in, “I’m just an amateur.”
This podcast exists because that word has consequences. Specific, documented, psychologically measurable consequences. And most riders have no idea it’s working against them.
Strides to Solutions, hosted by Esther Adams, brings the science of sport psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and performance research into the barn aisle. Each episode explores one piece of the mental architecture behind riding: identity, confidence, focus, fear, self-talk, pressure. All of it translated into something genuinely useful for riders who are navigating real lives alongside serious equestrian ambitions.
No motivation-poster language. No oversimplified fixes. Just honest, intelligent conversation about what is actually happening in the rider’s mind, and what the research suggests we can do about it.
