Ever wondered why your rider’s reaction seems out of proportion?

A dog barks, a gate slams, or the rider just misses a stride—and suddenly, they have a total meltdown or, conversely, they completely "shut down." As a coach, it can be baffling. Why did such a small event cause such a massive reaction? The answer lies in what we call The Invisible Lion.

Developed by Harley Street psychiatrist Benjamin Fry, the concept of "The Invisible Lion" explains that we all carry "Baggage" - residual stress from past experiences that hasn't been fully discharged. When our nervous system becomes dysregulated, our reaction to a current event is rarely proportional to the event itself; it is proportional to the total amount of "threat" currently stored in our system.

When the stress becomes too much, riders often hit the "Freeze" response. Unlike Fight or Flight, Freeze is a high-arousal state where the body is "revving" but the brakes are fully on. To the coach, the rider looks lazy or disengaged, but internally, they are in a state of paralysis. Understanding how to help a rider return to their Window of Tolerance is the difference between a wasted session and a breakthrough.

The Solution

• Identify the Dysregulation: Look for the physical signs of Freeze - shallow breathing, fixed gaze, or "wooden" limbs.

• The Containment Principle: Help the rider regulate their stress response by narrowing their focus to something very small and manageable.

Free Resource: The Invisible Lion Stress-Audit. Ready to help your riders regulate their nervous systems? Download our PDF guide on "The Window of Tolerance." It includes a checklist to identify the 3 stress responses in the saddle and the "Containment" exercises we use at Centre10 to bring riders back to a state of calm focus.

 

Download the PDF on the main blog home page!