Darci Epops: Unlocking Equestrian Potential Through Mental Performance

And it's neat because she went from competing at high levels and you're very goal oriented.

But when it comes down to it, our horses really don't care.

They just want, like you were saying, a good leader, a friend, somebody that they can count on that shows up and makes them feel the same joy that we look to have with our horses.

And when we can provide that to our horse, that's all they need.

Yeah, I think...

So often we hear people say, my horse is my mental health.

And while I think that is fabulous.

I do think we have a responsibility to make sure that we are safe within our own nervous system, that we understand how our brain and body works together so that we can show up for our horses as well.

I mean, we've taken them out of their pasture, out of their stable, out of their home.

We've gone off to do something else.

It's out of their environment.

And we have this expectation that it's going to be the same as it is at home or that, you know, maybe they'll show up for me.

Maybe it'll be the same as it is at home.

And It's so important that we acknowledge that we have a role.

It is our responsibility to show up as that leader, to know how to regulate our nervous system and to recognize that some days it ain't the day, right? The most important thing is that relationship, that building, that trust and that dependability and not exclusively put our mental wellness on our horses because then when we have these unrealistic situations, expectations of what's going to happen when the pressure is on.

And it doesn't matter if it's a trail ride on a windy day or if it's at some big venue.

So I think it's one of those things where it just becomes, it is so important we understand how our brain and body work.

We know a little bit of the science.

We have some of those tools so that even on the really hard days, we're not dysregulated.

We'll have to show up and help our horses so that we salvage something that's relationship building rather than relationship diminishing.

And I also want to feel like satisfied with how I showed up for the day.

Like it might not have been my best ride, my best performance, but I'm satisfied with the gains I made.

And I know I can build on this and move forward.

And that's where that satisfaction and that joy returns, right? Because we get past...

We lead the judgment and the I'm less than stories and the I'm not good enough for my horse or the frustration with the horse.