Do your riders have the Courage to be Disliked?

As coaches, we often focus on technical bravery - jumping the big fence or riding the spicy horse. But the most important type of bravery in the arena is Social Courage. Many riders are held back not by a fear of falling, but by a fear of being judged by the "gallery," their peers, or even you, their coach.

This brings us to a core Stoic principle we recently explored in the Centre10 Coach Hub: “Assess Yourself.” As the Stoic philosopher Seneca noted, we often suffer more in imagination than in reality. In our recent "Stoic Principles for Sport" workshop, we discussed how riders often develop a "Performance Mask." They ride to avoid mistakes rather than to seek excellence because they are terrified of what the "bare theories" of their performance look like to others.

To break this, a Centre10 coach uses the concept of the Internal Scorecard. We teach riders to judge themselves based on their process (their reasoned choices and effort) rather than the outcome (the ribbons or the opinions of the bystanders). This is the shift from being "Outcome-Oriented" to "Virtue-Oriented," a central pillar of the 12 Stoic Rules we provide to our members.

At Centre10, we provide the tools to build "Antifragile" riders who use the judgement of others as fuel rather than a barrier.

The "View From Above" Guided Audio. A visualisation tool for riders to gain perspective and shrink the "fear of the gallery" before a big event.

The "Pre-Mortem" Exercise. A Stoic technique (Premeditatio Malorum) where we help riders visualise what could go wrong, so they can plan their response with a cool head.

Want to access the full replay of our "Antifragile Rider" webinar and download the 12 Stoic Principles PDF?

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