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Katie Hancox | Equestrian coach | Educator

@informedridercoaching

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I help riders think clearly & ride effectively through practical, evidence-based coaching with an online community
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Sometimes you just need to sit

And enjoy a wholesome moment or 2 with your pony (and order your other half to take pictures 😂)

Swipe to see the many “shots” feel free to add captions in the comments! 😂

For those of you who don’t know much about our story… here is a Mr Charles appreciation post

Some 20 years ago (yes 20!!) My parents caved and bought me my first pony - Charlie (aka Charles/Mr Charles). Found by the amazing staff (Debbie amd Caroline) at Tower Farm riding school, whom I am forever greatful to!

Over the years we have done mounted games, dressage, showjumping, eventing, side saddle, hunted... the list goes on! Charles has done it all!
This pony has taught me everything, I owe him my horsey career, quite literally, he has made me the equestrian I am today and is still making me better every day. I would not be half the rider I am today without the lessons, trials and tribulations Charles has taught me over the years.

He spent nearly 10 years at the amazing @tallandschoolofequitation teaching numerous others the ropes and being the most amazing RDA pony (even met royalty!!), when I moved onto my first horses to continue my eventing dreams, before coming back to me 4 years ago.

He makes me laugh everyday and is always there when you need him. He is truly 1 in a million my absolute ❤ horse. I love the bare bones of him and quite literally do not know a life without him.

30 years young still looking and feeling great. Still as cheeky and characterful as ever.
Mr Charles 🥰 long may you continue to be you.

I shall forever be greatful to call you my partner in crime 🖤🤍🖤🤍 my best friend and most handsome man 🥰

🙏Also big thank you @dan_tes for getting off the fence to take these pics and capturing all of our best angles 😂😁

#myfirstlove #greatful #informedridercoaching
#charliepony #charles
#littegirlsdreambig #myfirstpony
#foreveryoung #whereitallstarted #barebackriding
#myworld
#mysunmoonandstars🌞🌚⭐
#dontgrowupitsatrap
#hesgonnaliveforever
#yesididtearupwhilstwritingthis by @informedridercoaching

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2

2 years ago

What if instead of waiting to feel confident, we helped riders build the skills, experience and evidence that make confidence a natural consequence?

I’ve said it for years.

Confidence is bullsh*t.

Or rather, the way we talk about confidence is.

Because when someone tells me they lack confidence, what I often hear is:

“I don’t have enough evidence to believe I can do this.”

And THAT is something we can work with.

Your brain is a remarkable bit of kit. Its priority is keeping you alive, not helping you jump that bloody great log.

A fall, a bad experience, poor coaching or simply time away from riding can leave your brain questioning something you once did without thinking.

But here’s where I think confidence coaching gets it wrong.

We spend so much time trying to make riders FEEL confident before asking them to DO the thing.

What if we’ve got that backwards?

You can’t THINK your way into experience or “confidence”
You need practice. Repetition. Small wins. Mistakes you learn from.

You need EVIDENCE.

Take Phoebe.

She came to me with practically ZERO self-belief following some poor coaching experiences.

Yesterday she nearly pulled out of a team chase because those solid logs terrified her.

But instead of letting fear make the decision, she considered the evidence.

The work she’d done. The experience she’d gained. The proof that Casp was capable.

The proof that THEY were capable.

And she went and did the bloody thing.

Then this morning I received the message in the screenshot.

“Confidence is bollocks, think of the evidence.”

EXACTLY THAT, PHOEBE.

My job isn’t to make you fearless.

It’s to help you build the skills, experience and evidence that allow you to believe in yourself.

You don’t have to feel confident to start. You just need somewhere to start.

So tell me…

What’s the thing you desperately want to do with your horse, but your brain keeps talking you out of?

Comment below or drop me a message. Let’s talk about what’s holding you back and how we can move you forward.

Katie. by @informedridercoaching

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3 days ago

I’ve been quiet on here. My team of clients clearly didn’t get the memo!

They’ve been busy getting out there and smashing it — and these messages of success deserve some airtime.

Phoebe jumping clear and going clear team chasing…. again! Emma’s dressage results and remembering she CAN ride and rediscovering her love for competing. Cerys completing and being rightly proud of her horse and herself for doing the hard scary things. Rebecca feeling that brilliant canter and reaping the rewards of months of hard work! And a breakthrough with Jo in understanding Brontë a new partnership and member of the Informed Equestrians team.

Different riders. Different horses. Different versions of success.

That’s one of my favourite parts of coaching. Seeing something that once felt out of reach become achievable, or watching a rider finally understand what their horse needs and which path to follow.

Behind these messages are the practice, the questions, the adjustments and the work my clients put in themselves alongside the coaching sessions.

And in our virtual yard, there’s always a team ready to celebrate with them.

To all my team of clients: you’ve earned these moments. I’m very proud to be in your corner! I’d best get back to it so I can keep up with you all!

If you want a clearer plan and support to work towards your own riding wins, message me ENGAGE to find out about how you can become part of the Informed Equestrians team.

Katie by @informedridercoaching

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14 days ago

This is what happens when coaching doesn’t stop at the end of your lesson.

Because progress rarely comes from one good session.

It comes from what happens in between.

The question afterwards.
The video you send when something feels different.
The message before a competition when your brain suddenly decides you’ve forgotten how to ride.
The debrief afterwards when it didn’t quite go to plan.

And the support from people who actually understand what you’re trying to do.

That is why I created Informed Equestrians.

Not just lessons.

A complete coaching package around you.

Lessons. Online support. Masterclasses. Practical tools. And a community of riders who genuinely want to see each other do well.

And right now, I’m watching the results of that everywhere.

Wins. Placings. Championships. Better scores.

But those aren’t actually the bits I’m proudest of.

It’s the rider who has a chaotic warm-up and pulls it back together.

The rider whose horse is feeling spicy, but whose own nerves don’t take over.

The rider who goes out “just for the experience” and comes home with placings, confidence and a much bigger belief in what they’re capable of.

The rider who can look at an imperfect performance and still recognise how much has changed.

Because these screenshots aren’t really about rosettes.

They’re evidence of riders changing how they think, feel and ride.

That’s Engage. Empower. Enable.

I don’t want to create riders who need me standing in the middle of the arena forever.

I want to help create riders who know what to do when I’m not there.

So if you’re looking through these thinking:

I want to feel that capable with my horse.

Message me ENGAGE and I’ll send you the details, show you what’s included and help you see whether it’s the right fit for you.

And if it feels like the team you’ve been missing?

Come and join us. by @informedridercoaching

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2 months ago

There’s one question I find myself asking riders more and more…

Does it actually bring you joy?

A rider tells me they want to start competing.

“Great. Why?”

Sometimes the answer is easy.

“I’ve always wanted to.”
“I love the buzz.”
“I want to see what we’re capable of.”

Perfect. Let’s make it happen.

But sometimes it’s…

“I feel like I should.”
“Everyone else at the yard competes.”
“I thought that’s what you’d expect me to do.”

And that’s where I stop them.

Because I genuinely couldn’t care less whether you compete.

If you want to chase championships, brilliant.

If you want happier hacks, a better relationship with your horse, or simply to enjoy getting in the saddle again, that matters just as much.

The goal has to be yours.

It’s the same outside horses.

I’m slightly obsessed with horsepower of both varieties. I deliberately bought the thirsty petrol V6 instead of the sensible diesel.

Financially sensible? Probably not.

But every time I press the start button and hear that engine growl, I grin.

That little smile is worth something to me.

You might choose the diesel.

And you’d be right.

For you.

There’s far too much peacocking in the horse world. Too much comparison. Too much chasing somebody else’s version of success.

Want the expensive boots? Buy them.

Want to train with the big-name coach? Go for it.

Want to compete every weekend? Crack on.

But do it because you want to.

Stop asking:

“What should I be doing?”

And start asking:

“What would actually make me excited to tack up today?”

That’s a huge part of Informed Equestrians.

We’re not all chasing the same goal.

We’re building the knowledge, confidence and support to pursue the goals that genuinely matter to us.

Progress over pressure.
Knowledge over noise.
Joy over expectation.

If that sounds like the sort of community you need around you, I’d love to welcome you inside.

Drop ENGAGE below. by @informedridercoaching

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2 months ago

Sometimes trying to ride more “correctly” actually makes you less effective.

A client asked me recently:

“Where should I actually have my hands?”

My answer?

“Wherever your horse needs them.”

She’d previously been told to carry them higher and closer together.

And classically speaking, that wasn’t wrong.

Ultimately, I do want her hands carried as a balanced pair in a neutral position.

But when she tried to put them there right now, the rest of her position got worse.

Her upper body became more rigid, her arms stopped following as well and, crucially, the horse wasn’t going any better.

So what were we achieving?

A more textbook-looking pair of hands at the expense of the bigger picture?

No thanks.

I likened it to a downhill skier.

They want to be in their tuck.

But they don’t stay there regardless of what’s happening underneath them. They adjust, regain balance, then return to neutral.

Riding is the same.

Correct is the destination. It isn’t always where you start.

And this is why you have to know the rules to break the rules.

Knowing the rule tells me where I ultimately want this rider’s hands.

Understanding the principle tells me why.

Experience tells me when forcing the “correct” position right now is actually taking us further away from the goal.

Because you can’t intelligently break a rule you don’t understand.

Otherwise you’re not adapting.

You’re just winging it.

Good training has principles.

Applying them requires judgement.

That’s exactly what we work on inside Informed Equestrians.

Weekly live masterclasses, practical ride plans, a coaching library and team support to help you understand the why behind your riding and make better decisions for the horse underneath you.

If that sounds like the rider you want to become, comment ENGAGE and I’ll send you the membership details.

Katie by @informedridercoaching

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2 months ago

Sometimes the most helpful thing a coach can do is… not get on.

A client was struggling with her canter transition and, after a few frustrating attempts, asked me to just get on and do it for her.

I said no.

Not because I couldn’t.

Because I could.

And that was exactly the problem.

If I got on, produced a lovely transition and handed the horse back, what had she actually learned?

Probably not much.

Worse, it could have reinforced the little voice already telling her:

“See? Katie can do it. I can’t.”

But she didn’t need proof that I could ride her horse.

She needed the opportunity to learn.

To get the timing slightly wrong.

To adjust.

To feel the difference.

To try again.

That’s where riders actually improve.

Of course there are times when I’ll get on a client’s horse. Sometimes it gives me useful information. Sometimes it helps clarify what’s happening.

But it’s not my default answer.

Because my job isn’t to make myself indispensable.

It’s to help riders become more capable, more informed and better able to solve problems for themselves.

Ultimately, I want my clients to become the rider their horse needs.

That’s the whole point.

And if that sounds like the kind of coaching you’ve been looking for, you’d fit right in inside Informed Equestrians.

Want to know more drop the word ENGAGE below.

Katie by @informedridercoaching

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2 months ago

There are some days you ride because your horse needs it.

And then there are days you ride because you need it.

Today was one of those days.

The last few weeks have been… hard.

The sort of hard that leaves you mentally exhausted.

The sort of hard where all you want to do is go home, crawl into bed and switch off.

I could quite easily have fed Abbie, given her a cuddle and headed home.

Instead…

I tacked her up.

Not because I had to ride.

Because I needed to ride.

The moment I swung my leg over the saddle…

Everything else became a little quieter.

For a while, it was just me.

My rockstar of a mare.

And whatever we chose to do.

The emails could wait.

The to-do list could wait.

Life could wait.

Because horses have this incredible way of bringing you back to the present.

They don’t care what happened at work today.

They don’t care about your last competition.

They don’t care what someone said that upset you.

They simply ask…

“Can you be here with me?”

And if you’re not…

They know.

If you’re tense…

They feel it.

If you’re clear…

They respond.

That’s the power of horses.

Not because they magically fix our problems.

They don’t.

But because they remind us that, underneath all the noise, the stress and the exhaustion…

There’s still a quiet strength within us.

Sometimes we just need a horse to help us find it again.

I think that’s why, no matter what’s happening in life, I always leave the yard feeling a little lighter than when I arrived.

So maybe Churchill was onto something after all.

There’s something about the outside of a horse that’s incredibly good for the inside of us.

If horses are your place to reset too, I’d love to know.

What is it about being with your horse that brings you back to yourself? ❤️

And if you’re looking for more conversations like this—where we talk about the horse, the rider and everything in between—you’ll always find a seat waiting for you inside Informed Equestrians.

Katie taken in Tushingham Arena by @informedridercoaching

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2 months ago

It's 18months since this guys been out between the boards. I was going to do the experience nothing more. I'm so blummin proud of him ❤️ 🦄 he was so good in the warm up and really settled nicely to relax well. He's not been in the arena around the back of the indoor, but coped very well and did a lovely intro for 67.95% and won 🥹🥹🥹🫶 I'm staggered to say they least!

We then had just over an hour wait to the prelim and there warm up was busier than before but he settled after some scary flapping papers and did another lovely test with both correct canter leads to come 4th 🥹❤️ I'm sure it bores the pants off people but I'll say it again I'm so proud of him I could burst 🥰

Lots of things to take away and work on, and improve but a huge amount of difference 🫠 I've never done two tests on any outing- my little brain can't cope but @informedridercoaching I blame you for this of course and @jo_joturner for your support to enable me to go and mega calling of the tests 😘 away to practice until next time....

#dressagecob #progress #perspective #trying by @informedridercoaching

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3 months ago

Some weeks make this much harder to remember than others.

It is very easy to give too much energy to the things we cannot control:

Other people’s opinions.
Things that have already happened.
Plans that have gone wrong.
Conversations we keep replaying long after they are over.

Meanwhile, the only part we truly own is how we choose to respond. That does not mean pretending everything is fine.

It means finding perspective, taking what is useful, letting go of what is not, and choosing not to let one difficult moment define the whole picture.

Last night, the Informed Equestrians group reminded me of that.

It had been a tough week for a lot of us. Motivation was low. Some people really did not feel like riding.

But they got on anyway.

Not because they suddenly felt inspired.

Because discipline got them there.

And afterwards, the group filled with through-the-ears photos.
That familiar view between two ears which fixes most things and makes you remember…

A good ride.
A quiet moment.
A little spark returning.

Sometimes that is all it takes to remember why we do this.

For most of us, horses are our hobby. They should be a place we go to enjoy ourselves, reconnect, learn and breathe.
They should not become another stick we use to beat ourselves with.

So when things are not going well, try to remember the feeling when they do.

The softening.
The rhythm.
The little breakthrough.
The quiet mooch around the block

The moment you finish riding and think, yes, that is why.

Hold onto that feeling when your mind starts wandering off in the wrong direction. And surround yourself with people who help bring you back when it does.

I am very grateful I have that around me.

And if you are looking for a supportive place to learn, reflect and keep moving forward, there is always room in Informed Equestrians.

Drop the word ENGAGE below to find out more about our awesome virtual yard.

Katie by @informedridercoaching

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3 months ago

I was making my lunch today…

Nothing exciting. Just a smoked ham salad if you must know. But as I was chopping the ingredients, I caught myself using the knife exactly the way chefs do. Fingers tucked in. Knuckles guiding the blade. Using the whole blade instead of that awkward stab-chop motion. (Years ago when working in hospitality, I learnt to do it by watching the chefs). And it got me to thinking…

At first when I tried this chefs chop at home I was hopeless.
It felt awkward, slow and completely unnatural.

But I kept practising because I understood why they did it that way, more so I understood that once I got the hang of it I could basically call myself a chef (well… not quite but you get the gist!) Now I don’t even think about it.

But all this made me realise one thing, if we do something once, with reasonable success, and know why we are doing it and more importantly how we did the thing and what it’s supposed to look/feel like. We can reliably repeat it.

And I see this with riders all the time.

How many times have you heard or said yourself…

“I only did it the once.”

“My horse went well that one time.”

“I rode that movement really well… one time in my lesson.”

Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing.

If you can genuinely do something once, you’ve already proved it’s possible.

The real question is…

Do you know why it happened?

Because if you understand what created the result, you can recreate it.

If you don’t, you’re left hoping it happens again. And hope isn’t a training strategy.

That’s why I think we’re a little too obsessed with confidence we think that’s the thing to solve our issues but you see I’d much rather help you become more capable.

Because Capability comes from understanding…

Understanding creates consistency…

And consistency is where confidence comes from.

Confidence isn’t the starting point.

It’s the by-product.

If you’d rather stop hoping for good rides and start understanding how to create them consistently, drop me a message with the word ENGAGE.

Now… I’m off to eat my salad before it goes soggy. 🥗

Katie by @informedridercoaching

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3 months ago

Confidence is a dangerous thing… especially when it’s completely unsupported by understanding.

Somewhere, a medieval artist confidently told everyone, “Don’t worry lads, I’ve absolutely nailed this elephant.”

The horse world isn’t much different.

“I know how to ride on the bit.”

“I know how to engage the hindleg.”

“I know how to ride a half halt.”

Do you?

Or have you just drawn another elephant?

The problem isn’t getting it wrong.

The problem is being so certain you’re right that you never question it.

That’s where progress stops.

Curiosity will always beat certainty.

Stay curious
Katie by @informedridercoaching

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3 months ago