Sep 4, 2026 · 47 min · 16 segments
In this episode: Bryan and Onge interview The 2026 ENSW Dressage Young Rider Of The Year - Tia Rose McKenzie and dive into her journey, achievements and the mindset behind her success! Tia shares how…
Tia Rose McKenzieGuestBryanHostAngeliqueHostNow we'll flip over to your mindset as a young rider being 18 years old.
How do you deal with the pressure of these bigger events?
Yeah, I think a lot of people, even recently, just smaller comps have been asking me how I deal with nerves.
But at the end of the day, I really try to focus on the fact that I love my horses.
And no matter what happens in the ring, as long as they're putting everything that they can on the table for me, even if that means they're spooking at a really scary pot plant that they've seen 10 times in the corner of the arena, or they're just not feeling it that day, I just try to remember that I really love them and I really love the partnership that we've created.
And I think having that bond with your horses is really something that matters.
Most riders come out of tests and they're bright red in the face and they haven't breathed the whole test.
Yeah, and I used to do the same thing and I used to come out and mum would be like, but that was really good and I don't know why you can just breathe.
And I think now I've really learned that it really affects the horse, how you're feeling and they feel you so closely.
So the more you can breathe throughout the test and try to think less about what you're doing and more about how you're feeling and how the horse is feeling and really connect in with them.
Obviously, you can't do it in the test, but Yeah, sometimes when I ride really hot horses like my mare in the Walmart, I'm always saying, oh, this is going to be really fun.
Yeah, because that is something I think nearly all competitors struggle with is their own nerves, but also dealing with the horse's nerves at the same time.
Do you have like a bit of a routine with the horses to get them settled before you go into a test?
Now we'll flip over to your mindset as a young rider being 18 years old.
How do you deal with the pressure of these bigger events?
Yeah, I think a lot of people, even recently, just smaller comps have been asking me how I deal with nerves.
But at the end of the day, I really try to focus on the fact that I love my horses.
And no matter what happens in the ring, as long as they're putting everything that they can on the table for me, even if that means they're spooking at a really scary pot plant that they've seen 10 times in the corner of the arena, or they're just not feeling it that day, I just try to remember that I really love them and I really love the partnership that we've created.
And I think having that bond with your horses is really something that matters.
Most riders come out of tests and they're bright red in the face and they haven't breathed the whole test.
Yeah, and I used to do the same thing and I used to come out and mum would be like, but that was really good and I don't know why you can just breathe.
And I think now I've really learned that it really affects the horse, how you're feeling and they feel you so closely.
So the more you can breathe throughout the test and try to think less about what you're doing and more about how you're feeling and how the horse is feeling and really connect in with them.
Obviously, you can't do it in the test, but Yeah, sometimes when I ride really hot horses like my mare in the Walmart, I'm always saying, oh, this is going to be really fun.
Yeah, because that is something I think nearly all competitors struggle with is their own nerves, but also dealing with the horse's nerves at the same time.
Do you have like a bit of a routine with the horses to get them settled before you go into a test?
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