The River Tiger Podcast from Dynamics Coaching

Confidence, Control, and Connection: NLP Meets Ecological Dynamics in Riding. A conversation with Dr Tracey Cole

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 20:00:00 +0100

Guest: Tracy Cole, NLP Master Trainer and equestrian mindset coach

In this episode of the River Tiger podcast, Marianne Davies talks with Tracy Cole, an NLP master trainer who works with riders ranging from very nervous amateurs to elite competitors.

Together they explore how neuro‑linguistic programming (NLP) is used to support riders’ confidence, mindset, and performance – and how that sits alongside an ecological approach to coaching, attention, and the horse–rider relationship.

In this conversation, we discuss:

Where NLP fits in the rider journey
- “Last chance saloon” riders who are so anxious they can barely function.
- High‑performance riders looking for small mindset shifts that make a big competitive difference.
- How problems that show up “in riding” often echo wider patterns in life, stress, and self‑belief.
NLP, CBT, and changing thought patterns
- How NLP works with images, self‑talk, and bodily feelings.
- Overlaps and differences with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
- Reframing these ideas through an ecological lens: attention, information, and perception–action, rather than just “changing inner pictures”.
Attention, filters, and what we actually perceive
- How our history and concerns shape what we literally see – from self‑harm scars to the famous “invisible gorilla” experiment.
- Marianne’s “snow” metaphor from machine learning: non‑specifying vs specifying information.
- Why coaches must be careful not to focus riders on “snow” – superficially correlated cues – instead of the information that truly matters.
Self‑talk, arousal, and peripheral vision
- Using NLP techniques to change self‑talk and emotional state without disconnecting from what the horse and environment are telling us.
- The idea of peripheral vision / quiet eye, and how widening the visual field can reduce anxiety while increasing alertness.
- Links to sympathetic nervous system activation and the need for calm‑but‑connected riders.
Nervous riders, fear, and hypersensitisation
- Why so many coaches report that nervous riders – often women – are the bulk of their work.
- The striking phenomenon of people continuing to do something they deeply love and fear.
- Critiquing “just face your fear” and flooding approaches:
  - Parallels with chronic pain and hypersensitised nervous systems.
  - Horses who have been “desensitised” into hyper‑reactivity or shutdown.
  - The risk of learned helplessness for both horses and humans.
Working with coaches and building skill, not dependency
- How Tracy sometimes collaborates directly with riding coaches.
- The “massage and exercises” analogy:
  - NLP as getting the knots out.
  - Coaching and practice as the ongoing work that prevents them returning.
- Why “joystick coaching” and micromanaged lessons can leave riders unable to cope alone.
Horses as performance partners – and when to let go
- The emotional complexity of recognising you’re not the best rider for a particular horse.
- Dopamine‑like hope cycles (“maybe next time will be better”) and when to cut them off.
- How attachment to a performance partner differs from attachment to equipment like a racket or boat.
Elite riders, owners, and social media pressures
- Imposter syndrome in warm‑up arenas full of heroes.
- Expectations when you’re “a name,” even on young or green horses.
- The role of owners and the emotional consequences of losing a horse just before a big competition.
- Social media and social licence to operate:
  - The unique scrutiny of equestrian sport compared to many others.
  - Snapshot judgements, public critiques, and the fear of being blamed for “losing riding as a sport”.
  - Why system‑level change (rules, governance, culture) matters more than scapegoating individuals.

Throughout the episode, Marianne brings in an ecological dynamics perspective: thinking about riders as part of a horse–rider–environment system, and exploring how mindset tools like NLP can be understood in terms of:

what riders attend to,
how they pick up information,
and how they coordinate with their horses in real environments.

Content note

This episode includes brief discussion of:

self‑harm scars (as part of a story about attention and what we notice),
chronic pain and nervous system hypersensitisation,
and learned helplessness in horses and humans.

These topics are raised to help us think more carefully and compassionately about fear, nervous riders, and training methods, not to sensationalise them.

Guest links for Dr Tracey Cole

Dr Tracey Cole NLP website: https://traceycolenlp.com/
Tracy on social media:
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traceycolenlp/
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Tracey%20Cole
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traceycolenlp/

Horse Welfare 12 with Dr Karen Luke: Systems Thinking, Wicked Problems, and Rethinking Equestrian Practice.

Thu, 28 May 2026 15:00:00 +0100

In this episode of the River Tiger Podcast, I am joined by returning guest Dr. Karen Luke to explore her new paper and framework referred to as “Horse Welfare 12”, based on Donella Meadows’ 12 leverage points for intervening in complex systems.

Drawing on systems thinking and decades of hands-on experience with horses, Karen unpacks why the equestrian world is a “wicked problem” – full of genuinely conflicting stakeholder needs (riders, organisers, horses, wider horse industries) – and why quick fixes like tightening a noseband rarely address what’s really going on underneath.

Instead, she invites us to stop, reflect, and be curious: about our practices, our language, and the deep paradigms we’ve inherited about what horses are “for”.

In this episode, we discuss:

- What makes the horse industry a “wicked problem”
- Conflicting values and goals between riders, governing bodies, spectators, and horses
- Nosebands in dressage as an example of solutions that help one stakeholder but may harm another

The Horse Welfare 12 / Meadows 12 framework

- Donella Meadows’ 12 leverage points and why they matter for equestrian sport
- Grouping the 12 into four “bands”: parameters, feedback, design, and intent
- Why the deepest level – paradigm, values, beliefs – quietly drives everything else

From parameters to paradigms: practical examples
- Parameter level: tightening a noseband, adding a slow-feeder – easy to change, limited systemic impact
- Feedback level: using rein-tension devices to give riders real-time information, not just acting on the horse
- Design level: changing rules and scoring (e.g., including rein tension in dressage scores)
- Intent/paradigm level: shifting from seeing the horse as “athletic equipment” to a sentient being and partner

Rider safety, welfare, and the problem with “band-aid” solutions
- How better welfare and positive affective state in horses relates to rider safety
- Why gadgets and stronger controls may mask the problem rather than solve its cause
- The “British novice / British nervous” pattern: when control culture undermines both confidence and connection

Language as a deep leverage point
- How words like naughty, disobedient, resistant, submissive, and even calling a horse it reveal our paradigm
- Using language intentionally to support seeing horses (and other beings) as subjects, not objects
- Parallels with other domains where there is a power differential (e.g., children, women, First Nations people)

Curiosity instead of guilt and defensiveness
- Moving from “I feel terrible about what I used to do” to “What might I be missing now?”
- Why guilt can shut down learning, and how curiosity creates space for change
- Simple, everyday questions riders and coaches can ask:
- What is this behaviour telling me?
- What assumptions am I making?
- Do my practices actually line up with my values about horses?

What we can all do next
- Tuning into behaviour as information, not just something to control
- Noticing and gently shifting our language
- Creating spaces for dialogue across paradigms*– chunking up to shared values first, then back down to solutions
- A preview of Karen’s next project* on systems dynamics modelling for horse welfare: putting Horse Welfare 12 into practice in a more formal, quantitative way

About my guest Karen Luke

Karen is an equine scientist working at the intersection of horse welfare, human behaviour change, and systems thinking. Her research asks a question that's increasingly urgent for the horse industry: after more than forty years of welfare science, why has translation into practice been so slow — and what would it take to change that?

Resources

- Karen’s paper / author copy of “Horse Welfare 12”– available via her website (https://changingrein.com.au/).
- Changing Rain (podcast) – Karen’s podcast exploring change, horses, and welfare (check your favourite podcast platform).

This episode is for you if:

- You’re uneasy about some traditional equestrian practices but not sure what to do instead.
- You’re interested in systems thinking, complexity, and Meadows’ leverage points, and want to see them applied to horse welfare.
- You coach, ride, or care for horses and want to align your values, language, and everyday practices more closely with their welfare.

Response-Able: Ecological Psychology, Wayfinding, and Multi-Species Life. A catch-up with Carl Woods.

Tue, 26 May 2026 14:00:00 +0100

Show Notes

In this rich, wandering catch-up with with Dr. Carl Woods we explore how an ecological approach to psychology, sport, and everyday life might help us live more responsibly in a time of ecological collapse.

Drawing on two of Carl’s recent papers – a commentary on wayfinding (in conversation with Harry Heft and Gibsonian ecological psychology) and “Responsibility in a Time of Ecological Collapse” – we unpack what it means to pay attention, to be “response-able,” and to re‑situate humans within, not above, the more‑than‑human world.

In This Episode

The backstory to Carl’s recent papers
- How a provocative earlier paper on doing sport science differently led to a conversational review process with John van der Kamp.
- The emergence of a special issue on ecological psychology’s response to the climate crisis.
- Why Carl and colleagues moved from talking about morality to proposing an ethic of responsibility.

From cognitive maps to wayfinding as skilled movement
- Harry Heft’s challenge to the idea that humans and animals navigate via internal cognitive maps.
- Why exploratory movement and picking up environmental structure are central to finding one’s way.
- Seafarers, albatrosses, currents, and how different species perceive and navigate their worlds.
- The downstream implications: how your theoretical lens changes what and how you study in both lab and field.

What is an ethic of responsibility?
- Moving beyond box‑ticking, principled ethics and university forms.
- Responsibility as rooted in our **interwovenness with the world** and our ongoing relations.
- Five practices Carl and colleagues foreground:
- **Attentiveness**
- **Politeness and curiosity**
- **Rendering each other capable**
- **Openness to encounter**
- **Ongoingness and mutual flourishing**

Education of attention & “attention snacking"
- Marianne’s idea of small attentional shifts as “attention snacks” that can nudge long‑term behavioural change.
- Why ecological approaches focus not on “changing what’s in the head” but on what people become attuned to.
- How this differs from traditional “behaviour change” models that rely on prescriptions, rules, and optimisation.

Stories that make it concrete
- Pigeon Watch (Donna Haraway): Chicago schoolchildren move from seeing pigeons as “rats with wings” to recognizsng them as social beings with life ways, and begin to act differently in their neighbourhoods.
- Barbara Smuts and the baboons: what it means to observe animals from their perspective, with politeness and curiosity, rather than forcing their behaviour into our theories.
- Dancing at UQ: how a glazed façade and manicured forecourt at the University of Queensland became a spontaneous public dance space, illustrating how design can unintentionally hold open pluralistic affordances.
- Marianne’s sea kayaking and rock‑hopping: timing, swell, sound, and the full sensory education of attention needed to move through dynamic seascapes.
- Whiteouts and a search-and-rescue dog: how Marianne and her dog Skye co‑navigated in zero visibility, and what this reveals about multi-species wayfinding.
- Companion animals (dogs, horses) and over‑control: shifting from obedience and dominance to *shared responsiveness, trust, and agency.

Tight and loose logics in design and coaching
- How to design environments and practice tasks that have:
- A tight task goal, but
- Enough loose affordances and “wiggle room” to invite creativity, exploration, and spontaneous solutions.
- Applying this to:
- Urban and campus design
- Physical activity promotion
- Sports coaching (beyond “right/wrong technique” and deficit detection).

Climate, local weather, and caring for the tree at the end of the street
- Reframing “global climate change” as "local weather change" to reconnect people with what they can directly perceive.
- Why attending to local events (floods, changing seasons, declines in sparrows) may be more powerful than distant abstractions.
- Marianne’s house sparrows and the garden center’s nesting wren: small acts of making space for more-than-human life.
- The question Carl poses: How do we help people care about the tree at the end of their street?

Trust, ongoingness, and flourishing together
- Trust as an attunement to the other, and a willingness to be vulnerable in the expectation of shared ongoingness.
- Symbiotic examples: mantis shrimp and goby fish, sled dogs and Inuit travellers, rescue dogs and handlers, horses and riders, teammates in sport.
- How trust, attention, and responsibility intertwine so that all parties can flourish.

Themes You’ll Hear Throughout

- Ecological psychology (Gibson, Heft) as a way of seeing - perception, movement, and environment - as inseparable.
- Critiques of human exceptionalism and “humans versus nature” thinking.
- The power of small, local, concrete practices – counting pigeons, noticing a tree, watching how a bird nests – to open up ethics and responsibility.
- Practical consequences for:
- Sport and coaching
- Dog and horse training
- Environmental design and conservation
- Everyday living with weather, animals, and places

If you enjoy conversations that braid together theory, practice, and story – from spearfishing and sea kayaking to pigeons, baboons, dogs, horses, and sparrows – this episode offers a deep yet grounded exploration of what it might mean to live more response-able lives in entangled, more-than-human worlds.

Links to the papers that frame this conversation (both open access)

On Response-Ability in a Time of Ecological Collapse

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10407413.2026.2613808#abstract

On finding one’s way: a comment on Bock et al. (2024)

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00426-024-02011-1

How we learn to move in the real world: A conversation with Harry Heft.

Sat, 02 May 2026 23:00:00 +0100

In this episode of the River Tiger Podcast Marianne is joined by Professor Harry Heft, one of the leading voices in ecological psychology and a scholar deeply influenced by James and Eleanor Gibson. Harry shares how growing up amid the social change of the late 1960s, and his frustration with psychology’s neglect of real living environments, led him into a lifetime of work on environment–behaviour relations.

The conversation explores the core ecological idea that perception is not about constructing an inner picture of the world, but about detecting richly structured information in the environment. Harry explains how James and Eleanor Gibson reframed perceptual learning as a process of differentiation and attunement rather than “enriching” impoverished sensory inputs. Using concrete examples, from wine tasting to children learning to move safely, and from driving to riding horses, he shows how organisms become more finely tuned to the affordances of their surroundings.

Marianne connects these ideas to equestrian and adventure sports (riding, paddling, surfing, paragliding, mountain biking), where we move through the world as person–animal or person–equipment systems, rather than isolated individuals. Together, they discuss how riders, horses, and other animals co-adapt, how agency and control shape learning, and why allowing animals (and humans) to actively explore is crucial for genuine skill development.

The episode broadens out into questions of place, culture, and development. Harry reflects on:

- How noise, housing, and urban environments affect children’s perceptual learning.

- Why early experiences in rich, structured, but not over-controlled environments are so powerful and hard to “overwrite.”

- The importance of situated and joint perception, we learn to see the world through interactions with others, human and non-human.

- The social and ethical implications of social media, homeschooling, loss of free play, and reduced face-to-face interaction for children.

Finally, Harry talks about his current interests in meaning, culture, and social affordances, how objects and places are never neutral but imbued with significance through shared practices and histories. Throughout, the conversation keeps circling back to a central theme: how we and the animals around us learn to move, act, and live meaningfully in our environments, within both possibilities and constraints.

If you’re curious about how environments shape perception, learning, and culture, and what this means for coaching, education, animal welfare, and everyday life, this episode offers a rich, thoughtful, and accessible introduction.

My guest

Harry Heft

Link to Harry’s ResearchGate profile https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Harry-Heft

Denison University profile https://denison.edu/people/harry-heft

Coaching Falling with Style: Affordances, safety, and skill adaptation with Danny Hatcher

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:00:00 +0000

In this episode of the River Tiger Podcast, host Marianne Davies speaks with Danny Hatcher, whose work sits at the intersection of sports coaching, ecological psychology, Deaf awareness, and technology/AI.

Danny introduces his background in strength and conditioning and sports coaching and explains how a seemingly simple example about a table having “affordances” drew him into ecological psychology. He shares his lived experience of being half deaf and half blind, his journey into British Sign Language (BSL), and his growing involvement in the Deaf community, where he now volunteers and advocates for Deaf awareness in “hearing world” environments such as sport.

A major thread of the conversation is Danny’s ecological approach to coach development and skill learning at his trampoline club. He describes how most of trampolining is really about “safe crashing” and “falling with style,” and how traditional coaching models, focused on a single “correct” technique, can create fear and hesitation in parents, helpers, and newcomers. Instead, he designs open, exploratory environments where participants (including adults and parents) learn by exploring movement, making mistakes, and discovering multiple solutions to motor problems, rather than trying to reproduce one ideal model.

Marianne and Danny unpack common safety concerns in sport, contrasting the perceived danger of “doing it wrong” with the actual reality of well-managed, exploratory practice in maintained, supervised environments. They highlight how changing the environment (e.g., adding or removing mats) changes perception and action, and how being skilled often means being good at adapting and recovering from errors, not just performing a perfect form. Throughout, Danny links these ideas back to ecological psychology, disability, and how we can shift coaches’ and parents’ questions from “How do I correct this?” to “What motor problem is this person solving, and how can I help them explore more solutions?”

Beyond Optimality: Embracing emergent adaptation. A conversation with Madhur Mangalam.

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 20:00:00 +0000

This podcast was recorded in response the publication of 'The myth of Optimality in Human Movement Science' by Madhur Mangalam.

I recorded this episode some time ago but it has been a tough year and I have not published any podcasts. I lost my beloved River Tiger this year - it's still very raw but I do want to discuss that in another episode. My motivation is stronger for continuing to explore skill adaptation in equestrian and adventure sports so despite the need to prioritise my PhD thesis, I will endeavour to publish some episodes this year.

The "myth of optimality" in human movement science critiques the idea that there's one "perfect" way to move, arguing that evolution produces sufficient adaptations, not perfect solutions, and that movement is dynamic, context-dependent, and adaptive. This flawed concept, often used in biomechanics and motor control, ignores the body's ability to find flexible solutions based on task, environment (e.g., running on a track vs. trail), and internal states (fatigue), proposing instead that performance emerges from complex, multi-scale processes, not a fixed, optimal blueprint.

This discussion explores the concept of optimality in human and equine movement sciences. Madhur Mangalam, an assistant professor of biomechanics, critiques the optimality framework, arguing it oversimplifies complex movements. He emphasises the importance of variability and context in movement, citing his viral paper on the myth of optimality. Marianne and Madhur discuss the need for a more empathetic, constraint-aware approach in coaching and the limitations of lab-based research in capturing real-world movement dynamics.

This is a link to my guest on this episode: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-education-health-and-human-sciences/biomechanics-core-facility/about-us/directory/madhur-mangalam.php

Madhur Mangalam is an accomplished Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomechanics at the University of Nebraska in Omaha. He has a stellar academic background, earning his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Life Sciences from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune, India. His insatiable curiosity and passion for understanding the human mind led him to complete his Ph.D. in Psychology at the renowned University of Georgia in Athens, followed by rigorous postdoctoral training in Neuroscience at Northeastern University in Boston.Dr. Mangalam's research pursuits are at the forefront of interdisciplinary innovation, primarily focusing on unraveling the nonlinear dynamical principles that underlie perception-action mechanisms and embodied/embedded cognition. His scholarly journey is marked by a commitment to advancing our understanding of these intricate processes. Furthermore, he is a pioneer in developing cutting-edge nonlinear analytical methods, which play a pivotal role in uncovering and deciphering these fundamental principles. With his exceptional academic journey and dedication to pushing the boundaries of knowledge, Dr. Mangalam continues to make impactful contributions to biomechanics, psychology, and neuroscience.

This is the paper we are discussing:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390322410_The_myth_of_optimality_in_human_movement_science

The paper by Jane Clark:

This is an excellent overview of the paper by Rob Gray https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgR5g7rZxT4

Clark, J. E. (1995). On Becoming Skillful: Patterns and Constraints. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 66(3), 173–183. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.

Exploring 'the affordance hypothesis' with Ed Baggs. What are affordances and are they different for non-human animals?

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Ed Baggs, assistant professor at the University of Southern Denmark, joins me for a conversation about his research on affordances. I invited Ed to join me after reading his latest (preprint) paper ‘The Affordance Hypothesis. In this paper Ed and his co-author Vicente Raja delve into affordance research, using examples like an African fish eagle hunting bee-eaters to illustrate direct perception.

Ed discusses his journey from traditional cognitive science to exploring affordances in language and human interactions. Though the paper they reference, among many others, James's Principles of Psychology and Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, to contextualise Gibson's work. Ed emphasises the need to move beyond categorisation-based thinking to a field-based approach, using action boundaries to operationalise affordances.

As a key part of the operationalisation problem (how to study affordances without falling back into categorical thinking), Ed explains the long-standing debate over affordances' ontological status, referencing Fodor and Pylyshyn's critique and Turvey et al.'s response. In their paper, Ed and Vicente propose viewing affordances as regions of movement space rather than categories.

The discontinuity problem addresses how humans use language to categorise things, and therefore perceive affordances differently from other animals.

The conversation also touches on the practical implications for coaches and athletes, emphasising the importance of shared perceptions and meaningful affordances.

There is so much in here. It is worth listening to Episode 60 with Dr Andrew Wilson for an introduction to affordances, and to Episode 1 with Dr James Stafford and Warren Lampard for a conversation about action boundaries and using affordances in practice.

About my guest

Edward Baggs is assistant professor in humanities at the University of Southern Denmark and a fellow at the Danish Institute for Advanced Study. His work focuses on the problem of scaling up embodied cognitive science beyond the individual mind to encompass collaborative activity as well as cognitive development and language. His current interests include direct social perception theory and developing field-based methods for observing cognition in everyday settings.

Links

Ed Baggs on ‘x’ https://x.com/edbaggs/status/1867584095720779812

Preprint full paper DOI https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/xu4wk

YouTube clip of the African Fish Eagle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW-BSDZ7iqc&pp=ygUWYWZyaWNhbiBmaXNoIGVhZ2xlIGJiYw%3D%3D

Karen Adolph visual cliff research clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WanGt1G6ScA

How direct is visual perception?: Some reflections on Gibson's “ecological approach.' J.A. Fodor, & Z.W. Pylyshyn (1981) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0010027781900093?via%3Dihub

Ecological laws of perceiving and acting: In reply to Fodor and Pylyshyn (1981) Turvey et al. (1981) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/16000703_Ecological_laws_of_perceiving_and_acting_In_reply_to_Fodor_and_Pylyshyn_1981

A contemporary perspective on strength, conditioning and rehabilitation with Yuji Suzuki.

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Yuji Suzuki, a strength and conditioning coach and chiropractor based in Portland, Oregon, discusses his transition to an ecological approach in his work with youth and remote clients. He explains how the COVID-19 pandemic led him to explore online resources, which introduced him to the ecological principles of human movement learning.

Yuji emphasises the importance of allowing clients to explore their own movements rather than imposing rigid biomechanical models. He also highlights the benefits of remote coaching, which encourages clients to become more independent and self-regulating in their movement practices.

Yuji and I discuss the evolving understanding of pain, emphasising its complexity and the shift from singular to multifaceted approaches. Yuji highlights the importance of considering individual contexts, histories, and environments in pain management.

Yuji describes the role of clinicians as guiding rather than just diagnosing, focusing on continuous support. We explore the cultural attitudes towards aging and movement in the UK and US. Additionally, we delve into the role of chiropractic care, with Yuji emphasising a more ecological approach beyond spinal adjustments, and the importance of movement exploration and behavioural adaptation.

About my guest:
Yuji works as a strength and conditioning coach in Portland, Oregon, USA working mainly with the youth population locally. Additionally, he utilises his background as a chiropractor to provide remote coaching for individuals navigating pain and performance related obstacles. He is an advocate for adopting an ecological dynamics approach in performance training, pain management and rehabilitation.

Where to find Yuji:
Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/yujgains/

X profile: https://x.com/yujisuzukidc

Circumnavigating Anglesey: Celebrating friendship, adventure, and play.

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 22:00:00 +0000

This is a special edition of the podcast. I'm not only passionate about coaching and learning in adventure and equestrian sports, they are an integral part of my life. In this episode I am joined by the three amazing women with whom I shared a wonderful adventure this summer.

Sue Couling, Jenna Sanders and Louise Royle join me to capture our summer adventure stand up paddle boarding around the beautiful Isle of Anglesey in North Wales.

The most amazing and special thing about adventure and equestrian sports are the people. I count myself blessed to have been able to spend my time with so many amazing people this year, on the yard, out hiking, and playing on the water. Our nonlinear (of course) circumnavigation around the Isle of Anglesey was the highlight of my year and a chance to get out and immerse myself in the stunningly beautiful seascapes of my home country with some special people.

My guests on this episode:

Louise, Sue and Jenna are all active coaches. If you would like some coaching or coach development with these three amazing women, here are their contacts.

Louise Royle https://www.instagram.com/louise.royle.paddler/

Sue Couling https://www.facebook.com/sue.couling.3

Jenna Sanders https://www.facebook.com/flyinggeckooutdoors

Why the concept of affordances is so important to our understanding of becoming skilful. A conversation with Dr Andrew Wilson

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This is a conversation that I have been looking forward to for a long time. We covered a lot of ground especially defining affordances and linking affordances not only to individual movement, but to multi organism and multi species interactions. On the way we connected affordance perception, calibration, flow, and many other importance concepts.

Andrew Wilson, an ecological psychologist at Leeds Beckett University, discusses the concept of affordances, emphasising their central role in skill acquisition and movement. He explains that affordances are properties of the environment that enable or constrain action, and that perception of these affordances is crucial for successful interaction.

Andrew contrasts affordances with traditional stimulus-response models, highlighting their intrinsic meaningfulness and the importance of complementarity between organisms and their environments. He also addresses the application of affordances in human-horse interactions, stressing the need for mutual calibration and adaptability.

The conversation then touched on the potential connections between Gibson's concept of affordances and other emerging frameworks like the free energy principle and predictive processing.

My guest on this episode was Dr Andrew Wilson

Email: a.d.wilson@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/adw.bsky.social

Blog: https://psychsciencenotes.blogspot.com/

Full episode notes:

Where next

Explore the concept of affordances further, particularly in the context of skill development and human-animal interactions.
Consider how the language of affordances can provide a more nuanced and ecologically-valid way of understanding behaviour, compared to traditional approaches.
Discuss the potential connections between affordance theory and other emerging frameworks like the free energy principle and predictive processing.

What it is to be human: A conversation with Professor Eric Brymer about the nature of adventure sports.

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 15:00:00 +0000

In this podcast Eric Brymer discusses the human need for adventure, likening modern life to a metaphorical cage that strips away fundamental human experiences. He explores the motivations behind extreme sports, noting that while initial motivations vary, continued participation is driven by profound relationships with nature, clarity of mind, and ineffable experiences. Eric emphasises the importance of understanding these experiences through phenomenology and the hermeneutic approach, which involve deep reflection and language limitations. He also highlights the benefits of adventurous physical activity in nature for mental health and well-being, advocating for a life that integrates physical activity, nature immersion, and adventure.

About my guest:

Eric Brymer - Associate Professor, Human Sciences, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Australia. Eric's research interests are Performance, Extreme sports and environments, Health and wellbeing, Nature experiences, Learning design, Adventure.

Eric is interested in the psychology of performance, wellbeing and learning in adventure and nature-based contexts. His research is particularly focused on the impact of adventure and the human-nature relationship on health and wellbeing and the design of effective interventions.

Eric can be contacted at Southern Cross University at https://researchportal.scu.edu.au/esploro/profile/eric_brymer/overview

For Eric's publications see his profile on ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eric-Brymer

Paper examples:
Adventure and Mental Health:an Ecological Perspective.

‘Leave Your Ego at the Door’: A Narrative Investigation into Effective Wingsuit Flying.

Are we smart enough to know how smart horses are? A conversation with Louise Evans about her research into horse learning.

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 18:00:00 +0100

How we do research has a significant impact on the results we get.

Overview:
In this conversation, I had the pleasure of hosting Louise Evans on the podcast to discuss her innovative research paper titled "Whoa, No Go." As the first author, Louise provided valuable insights into her study, which explores horses' use of model-based strategies* during an inhibitory control task.

We started the discussion by delving into the original aims of her research, which was to examine how horses' physiological arousal levels might predict their performance on an inhibitory control task. However, Louise highlighted an unexpected finding: rather than improving their performance over time, the horses were making more errors. This unexpected result led her team to pause and reconsider their approach.

Louise shared how they introduced a light cue that signalled when the horses should inhibit their learned response of touching a target for a food reward. Intrigued, they explored several hypotheses regarding the horses' behaviour, including the idea that they might not find the light cue salient or could have established that ignoring it did not result in any disadvantage.

To investigate further, Louise explained how they implemented a time-out penalty for errors, which revealed that the horses significantly reduced mistakes when faced with this consequence. The implications of these findings suggested that horses possess the ability to engage in model-based learning rather than just model-free associative behaviours.

Throughout the conversation, we considered the broader implications of giving horses agency in their interactions. Louise emphasised the importance of curiosity in understanding equine behaviour, advocating for a shift away from merely fixing issues to exploring why certain behaviours occur.

We also discussed the high welfare standards maintained for the study's horses, which allowed them to engage fully in the learning tasks. Louise illustrated how this positive environment likely contributed to the horses' eagerness to participate.

As we moved towards the conclusion, Louise shared her excitement about future research directions, including studies on reward sensitivity and the physiological impacts of learning tasks on horses. Overall, this enlightening conversation underscored the significance of understanding equine cognition and raised important questions about how we can enhance horse-human relationships through better training practices. I left the discussion feeling inspired by the potential for further research and the new perspectives it could bring to the equestrian field.

*I will add a short blog article about how a model-based theory links to direct-perception vs representation based theories.

The paper we are discussing:

Louise Evans, Heather Cameron-Whytock, Carrie Ijichi,
Whoa, No-Go: Evidence consistent with model-based strategy use in horses during an inhibitory task,
Applied Animal Behaviour Science,
Volume 277,
2024,
106339,
ISSN 0168-1591,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106339.

Free to access - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159124001874

About my guest:
Louise Evans.
I've been working with and studying horses for about twelve years; what started as a hobby has developed into the beginnings of an academic career in animal and equine science. I recently passed my PhD VIVA exam at Nottingham Trent University where, with my wonderful supervisors and co-authors Dr Carrie Ijichi and Dr Heather Cameron-Whytock, I conducted the "Whoa, No Go" study. My PhD was on equine cognition, physiology and welfare and the paper we're discussing formed part of my thesis. I'm currently working at the University of Bristol as a Research Technician in Professor Mike Mendl's Animal Welfare and Behaviour group.

I can be contacted via email at

Nonlinear pedagogy and being skill-full: levelling up your skills through experience with Dr Alex Lascu.

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 21:00:00 +0100

In this episode of the River Tiger podcast, Dr. Alex Lascu joins me to discuss nonlinear pedagogy and its practical applications. Alex explains that nonlinear systems lack proportionality, meaning small changes can have unpredictable impacts, and emphasises the importance of understanding stability and noise in movement. We explore how these concepts challenge traditional coaching methods, advocating for adaptability and responsiveness over rigid plans. Examples include cricket coaching, where focusing on head movement rather than footwork enhances agility, and the slow development of tendon strength in climbing. The conversation highlights the need for coaches to embrace uncertainty and foster adaptable, meta-stable states in their athletes.

About my guest:
“Dr Alex Lascu is a learning scientist working in coach development for grassroots cricket in Western Australia. Their recent PhD in talent development and skill acquisition was all about how to design pathways and training to better support athlete development and inspire a lifelong love of learning and sport. Now, they spend their days thinking about how we can help coaches explore their learning too, by translating research and practice into real world experiences for coaches. You can find their work at skillacqlascu.com across podcasts, social media, newsletters, and consultancy services.”

Part 2. Exploring Learning Theories with David Farrokh: An ecological (systems) approach in practice.

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 11:00:00 +0100

In this second part of me conversation with David Farrouk we explore the intricate relationship between ecological psychology, constraints, and the practical implications for coaching and learning. The discussion delves into the differences between behaviourism and ecological psychology and systems approaches, emphasising how the latter offers a more dynamic understanding of behaviour by considering wider time frames, nested events, broader environmental contexts and the fluidity of various interacting scales.

Key themes arise around the concept of constraints, highlighting how both broad laws of nature and local constraints influence behaviour. David points out that effective coaching requires an understanding of these interactions, enabling practitioners to manipulate constraints to promote desired outcomes.

The conversation address the nature of learning and its measurement, advocating for an integrated perspective where learning leads to measurable changes, reflecting a deeper understanding of environmental interactions.

The role of theories is examined as tools that help practitioners navigate their environments and facilitate learning. As theories evolve through practical application, they bring new insights into how constraints affect behaviour and performance.

Through a metaphor of building a dam in a stream, David illustrates how constraints shape dynamics in movement. This conversation invites listeners, particularly coaches and practitioners in sports and animal learning, to re-examine their understanding of learning and leans into a more ecological viewpoint that considers the fluidity of interaction between an organism and their environment in skill acquisition and performance.

This blog post provides an overview to support the main themes of the conversation https://dynamics-coaching.com/learning-and-pedagogy/learning-theories-behaviourism-and-ecological-psychology/

My guest on this episode: David Farrokh is a PhD candidate in the College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences at Sheffield Hallam University. His research adopts an ecological dynamics perspective to investigate multiscaled properties of flow experiences, context-sensitivity, and co-adaptation in sport.

X @bigpicsoccer

Further reading

Fultot et al What are nervous systems for

Polanyi Life's irreducible structure

Johnston & Turvey A sketch of an ecological metatheory for theories of learning

Part 1. Exploring Learning Theories with David Farrokh: From Behaviourism to Ecological Psychology.

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 23:00:00 +0100

In this episode of the River Tiger Podcast, I’m delighted to welcome David Farrokh, who is currently finishing his PhD at Sheffield Hallam University. Our conversation takes a deep dive into various learning theories, including behaviourism, cognitivism, and ecological psychology, with a focus on how they shape our understanding of human (and animal) learning and behaviour.

In part 1 David shares insights from his research on the concept of flow in sports and highlights interesting points of tension he encountered during his literature review. We discuss the historical evolution of psychological thought, particularly the significant shift from behaviourism to cognitivism sparked by critiques like Noam Chomsky's evaluation of B.F. Skinner’s work.

A key point of discussion is the limitations of behaviourism, especially its simplistic stimulus-response framework. David argues that behaviourism fails to account for the complexities of language acquisition and the arbitrary nature of symbols. We also explore the 'symbol grounding problem' in cognitivism, which struggles to connect abstract symbols to real-world experiences.

David advocates for ecological psychology as a more nuanced approach, emphasising the dynamic interaction between organisms and their environments. This theory offers valuable insights into how we perceive affordances, opportunities for action based on our capabilities. We highlight how ecological psychology integrates agency and context, providing a comprehensive view of learning and behaviour over multiple scales.

As we conclude, I’m excited about the potential for ecological psychology to inform practical applications in areas like education and animal training. I hope this episode inspires you to reflect on the diverse theories of learning and their implications for understanding ourselves and others. Enjoy listening!

This is just the first of 2 parts of the conversation!

This blog post provides an overview to support the main themes of the conversation https://dynamics-coaching.com/learning-and-pedagogy/learning-theories-behaviourism-and-ecological-psychology/

My guest on this episode: David Farrokh is a PhD candidate in the College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences at Sheffield Hallam University. His research adopts an ecological dynamics perspective to investigate multiscaled properties of flow experiences, context-sensitivity, and co-adaptation in sport.

X @bigpicsoccer

Further reading

Fultot et al What are nervous systems for

Polanyi Life's irreducible structure

Johnston & Turvey A sketch of an ecological metatheory for theories of learning

Navigating Fear and Confidence: A conversation with Dr Rebecca Williams of Smart Climbing.

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 17:00:00 +0100

In this episode of the River Tiger podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Rebecca Williams, a clinical psychologist and climbing coach. Our discussion centred on the vital interplay between fear management and performance in adventure sports. Rebecca shared her nearly 25 years of experience in psychology and how her passion for climbing shaped her coaching approach.

We tackled the misconception that fear and confidence are opposites. Rebecca clarified that fear is a natural emotional response essential for survival, and learning to manage it—rather than eliminate it—is crucial. She emphasised that fear conveys important information, encouraging athletes to recognise and understand their unique responses to fear.

We also discussed societal pressures that can affect women's confidence in sports, sharing personal stories about empowerment through peer support. Rebecca highlighted the importance of understanding that skill development isn't linear, especially during significant life changes like puberty and menopause.

Our conversation addressed coping with traumatic experiences in sports, underscoring the need for a compassionate, gradual return to activities after such events. We also examined the roll of “falling practice,” advocating for a focus on a holistic approach rather than simply overcoming the fear of falling.

Rebecca concluded by discussing her books, "Climb Smarter" and the "Fear of Falling Workbook," which provide essential tools for athletes to navigate anxiety and boost their confidence. This episode serves as a valuable resource for anyone looking to understand and manage fear in high-stakes environments.

My guest on this episode
Dr Rebecca Williams BSc D ClinPsy is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and performance psychology coach, working with climbers for the last 18 years. She’s trained and experienced in psychotherapy, including CBT and ACT, holds a level 7 certificate in coaching and mentoring, and is a qualified climbing instructor (RCI).

Rebecca has delivered thousands of hours of individual coaching, group workshops, coach education and lectures, for climbers and coaches interested in improving their headgame for climbing. She has facilitated workshops for Mountain Training Association, the Diploma in Mountain Medicine, NICAS, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), and many climbing and mountaineering clubs. In 2018, she delivered the psychology keynote speech at the International Rock Climbing Research Association Congress in Chamonix, and is a founder member of the International Association of Psychologists in Climbing. She is passionate about using making psychology accessible and practical, and translating psychological research into mainstream techniques and coaching practices.

www.smartclimbing.co.uk

Author: Climb Smarter: Mental Skills and Techniques for Climbing

https://www.sequoia-books.com/catalog/climb/

Breaking Flow! A conversation with Joe Kelly about skill acquisition and coaching in high risk activities.

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 23:00:00 +0100

This episode with Joe Kelly, widely known as the Barefoot Athlete, was a treat to record, and equally fascinating to re-listen to before publishing.

With over 25 years in movement coaching, Jo's journey spans fitness, rehabilitation, and adventure sports, leading to profound insights into skill acquisition and the importance of embodiment in athletic performance.

Jo emphasises "thinking with your feet," highlighting the intelligence present in our bodies, which allows us to make real-time decisions based on tactile feedback from our environments. He advocates for training environments that embrace variability and the possibility of error, asserting that such conditions promote resilience and adaptability, qualities essential for effective coaching and performance.

A key theme in our conversation was the relationship between confidence and competence. Jo argues that confidence stems from navigating challenging situations successfully, so creating safe training conditions where individuals can experiment without fear of catastrophic failure is vital.

Ultimately, Jo's philosophy encourages athletes to engage dynamically with their surroundings and to appreciate the learning journey. By fostering a culture that celebrates curiosity and resilience, while accepting mistakes as part of growth, coaches can help individuals cultivate a lifelong love for movement. As Jo embarks on a master's in performance psychology, he aims to enhance his understanding of these concepts, inspiring others to explore their movement experiences creatively and fearlessly.

My guest is Joe Kelly and you can find him on X (Twitter) @BarefootAthlete and on Instagram: @barefootathlete

I will be adding more detailed show notes and lots of links to books, film clips and other resources.

Here is the film of the paraglider with the tangled wing that Joe talks about in the podcast https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzITu4ZoJz7/?igsh=MWRwaHFlYzRxNHN2

And some videos of the catch game that Joe mentions from the sessions he runs:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvT8nUQHSav/?igsh=MXhqb2I4dzNmZm40eQ%3D%3D

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtQrzKLHQAC/?igsh=MTc5Nmk1cDhsY2RyeA%3D%3D

Let's talk about menopause! A conversation with Steph Bradley about supporting women to stay active.

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0100

In this episode, my guest, Steph Bradley shares her research into the impact of menopause and peri-menopause on women in equestrian sports. In this refreshingly candid and open conversation, Steph delves into the challenges faced by women and the importance of sustaining women's participation in equestrian and other sports. She examines the various symptoms that may lead some women to step away from the sport, while also highlighting the necessity to become more informed and the value of establishing strong support networks for female equestrians.

The discussion focusses on the impact of menopause on women in the equestrian community, addressing the physical, emotional and cognitive symptoms that a high proportion of women experience. Steph shares examples of the many challenges that arise when striving to stay engaged and/or maintain peak performance during menopause.

Finally, she reflects on the significance of adapting coaching strategies to better support older riders and emphasises the importance of decision-making and agency in different contexts. This conversation aims to inspire and empower women to remain active and engaged in the equestrian world and any other physical sport or activity.

My guest on this episode is Steph Bradley from Freedom Saddlery and Whitegate Farm.

"Steph offers a fully qualified, independent professional saddle fitting consultation service. She is an S.M.S. Qualified Master Saddle Fitter & Approved Retailer, qualified Master Saddle Fitting Consultant, she has an MSc in Professional Coaching Practice, is a qualified UKCC Level 3 coach/ BHS Accredited Professional Coach, British Equestrian Level 4 Coach, and a member of B.E.T.A."

Website: https://www.freedomsaddlery.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitegatefarmliveryandtrainingcentre

Training your horse using contemporary movement science. Kathy Sierra shares practical tips for helping your horse become a skilful and motivated mover.

Sat, 03 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0100

Kathy and I have been excited about recording this episode for months. We finally managed to get the time (although I was on a stand up paddle board trip so not at home or on my own computer), and Kathy did not disappoint.

Days before we were due to record, one of the worlds top dressage riders withdrew from the Olympics because of the sharing of a video of a coaching session. We do not focus on the incident or the details, but thought that it was important to share some possible ways forward for training without the need to use whips or force.

This episode is about finding ways forward, embracing contemporary science in the fields of movement and motivation, and leaning in to finding the joy of movement.

If you enjoy this episode, you may want to listen to episode 6.

Links:
Kathy's website and information about her pain science courses and free resources.

The spider robot that learnt to limp.
Self-determination theory. How do we create optimal learning environments?
Learning the ugly zone.

Meeting the demands of your sport; increasing fitness and performance, reducing injury and pain. A conversation with The Equestrian Physio, Katie Wood.

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 15:00:00 +0100

Staying fit, healthy and injury free is so important to all riders and horses, regardless of age or level of activity.

This conversation covers a wide range of topics around how we can improve both horse and human performance and longevity by improving movement ability, fitness, resilience (or anti-fragility), and rehab.

Katie Wood is a Reg. Physiotherapist, MSc in Equine Science, eventer, gaited horse trainer, and equestrian performance expert. Katie describes her role as "Empowering equestrian athletes of all levels and disciplines with evidence-informed rehab, strength & conditioning, care and education." Her multi disciplinary approach is refreshing and powerful.

Katie finishes this episode with some great ideas about what we can all do to improve our own, and our equines, performance and health.

My guest Katie Wood
"I work with horses, riders, athletes, and anyone with a body. I understand how important it is to have a rehab professional in your corner that understands the demands of your sport. Whether you’re struggling with an injury, pain, performance issue, or just looking for ways to empower your role in the rider-horse relationship, I’ve got solutions for you."

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/theequestrianphysio/

Website
https://www.theequestrianphysio.ca/

How equipment design impacts motivation and skill acquisition. A conversation with adventure sport athlete and designer, Corran Addison.

Sun, 26 May 2024 12:00:00 +0100

This is a great conversation for coaches and participants of all sports.

Kit and equipment design has always fascinated me. Since my early days of learning to kayak in boats, wearing clothing and using paddles that were designed for men (not people shaped like me), I have been intrigued by how much our kit and equipment can impact skill development and motivation.

Nowadays company's are designing equipment scaled for children, and designed for women. Many coaches understand how important scaled equipment is to support perception-action coupling and skill development.

Corran Addison has always combined designing kit with using it. I wanted to find out more about his understanding of how his kit and equipment design was rooted in his unique perspectives on movement within his performance environments and of how design could support or thwart the development of skill by highlighting or dampening perception action coupling. We also talked about motivation, play and the importance of safe environments for developing confident, competent and happily active and adaptive youngsters.

About my guest:
Corran Addison runs the Soul Adrenaline Factory. "A boutique brand focused squarely on innovation: in design, execution and overall appearance is our company philosophy. We have capitalized on the illustrious design career of Corran Addison, who throughout his years as paddler, surfer, snowboarder, designer and manufacturer, has been known for his innovative work."

At Soul, everything we do is about making our products the very best. We cut no corners, and spare no expense. Our designs are forward thinking and fill specific niches, our kayak outfitting is second to none, and we use the best plastic that money can buy. Our snowboard designs and construction materials are as unique as our kayaks, as are our paddle boards. Everything about our products says “you’re getting the very best” - all backed with a LIFETIME warranty.

For more about Corran check out what SOUL is to him, and who it is for here:
https://www.soulwaterman.com/pages/about-us

SOUL Waterman Website
https://www.soulwaterman.com/

Leading change: paradigm shifts and the importance of being evidence informed. A conversation with climbing coach Pete Edwards.

Mon, 13 May 2024 22:00:00 +0100

My guest this episode is Pete Edwards of Prowess Coaching. Firstly I need to say a huge thank you to Pete for taking some time out a few days before his wedding to talk to me.

As with most of my conversations, this is (I hope) of interest to all coaches of all sports.

I have always loved my conversations with Pete so I was delighted that he agreed to let me record one of them. In this conversation we explored many topics around coaching including the evolution of different sports, developing a personal philosophy, ethics in sports, sports with socially constructed rules, and designing practice. The golden threads through the conversation were evidence informed practice and coach learning.

Here are some of the articles and films we recommended in the conversation.
Games climber play, by Lito Tejada-flores, Alpine Journal, 1968. https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1968_files/AJ%201968%2046-52%20Tejada-Flores%20Games.pdf

Rotpunkt, Alex Megos and the Advent, the Agony and the Art of the Redpoint | Patagonia UTube 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbWvFjUIt5k

Valley Uprising, Yosemite's Rock Climbing Revolution, 2014 (film).

Riding Giants, 2004 documentary about the evolution of big wave surfing.

Pete Edwards
Pete Edwards is a professional climbing coach, running his own business, Prowess Climbing Coaching. He runs private sessions with climbers of all ages and abilities, as well as nationally recognised coach-education courses. He recently completed the Mountain Training Performance Coach Training - the top level of coaching award for climbing coaches in the UK - as one of only 24 coaches to have currently been trained, and is currently working towards assessment. Pete also has a Master's degree in Elite Performance from the University of Central Lancashire and is building towards starting a PhD next year.

Prowess Climbing Coaching

https://prowesscoaching.co.uk/

+44 7792 854 863

On Facebook

On LinkedIn

The importance of agency and relationships: A conversation about enhancing the wellbeing of our horses with Bonny Mealand and Emily Kieson.

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 11:00:00 +0100

I love all of my podcast episodes, but every now and again I get to record and be part of a conversation that I could have a profound influence on both me and other equestrians. This is one of those conversations.

For the full length introduction and links to research papers, go to the Dynamics Coaching website page - https://wp.me/paOEAX-sg

My guests on this episode are Bonny Mealand and Emily Kieson:
Bonny Mealand DEP MEPA

Bonny’s niche is trimming the hooves of wild horses, combining her extensive experience as an Equine Podiatrist , fascination with equine behaviour, and her skill as a trainer of the “untrainable”.

Web site - https://www.touchingwild.com/

Online Course - https://community-touchingwild.mn.co/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/touching_wild

Facebook (Learning Wild) - https://m.facebook.com/learning.wild.global/

Facebook (Touching Wild) - https://m.facebook.com/TouchingWild/

Emily Kieson PhD, MS, PgDip

Emily Kieson serves as Executive Director at Equine International, a US-based nonprofit focused on research, education, and outreach in the fields of equine behavior, welfare, and equine-human interactions.

Emily holds a PhD in Comparative Psychology, a MS in Psychology, and a graduate degree in Equine Science. She also holds multiple certifications in various models of equine-assisted activities and recently served as Chair of the Equine Welfare Committee with the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH).

Evolving Trends in Equestrian Journalism. A conversation with Sara Bref and Dr Petra Andersson.

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 22:00:00 +0000

I reached out to Sara Bref after reading a translation of one of her articles for the Swedish equestrian magazine Hippson. After a brief exchange of emails, I invited Sara to be a guest and Sara asked if she could bring Petra with her.

I know I always say that my guests are awesome (they are), but this was a very special and rich conversation that also left me feeling more hopeful and thoughtful about the future of equestrianism and equestrian sports. I hope that you enjoy listening to the conversation and please do follow my guests and their wonderful journalism (mot of it is in Swedish so google-translate might be a good companion and well worth the effort to translate).

Sara wrote an article about my concept paper 'Can’t jump, won’t jump: Affordances of the horse-rider dyad underpin skill adaptation in showjumping using a constraints-led approach. (Davies, M., Stone, J. A., Davids, K., Williams, J., & O’Sullivan, M. (2023). Can’t jump, won’t jump: Affordances of the horse-rider dyad underpin skill adaptation in showjumping using a constraints-led approach. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 18(4), 1313-1319).
Research article -
https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541221107379
Hippson article -
https://www.hippson.se/artikelarkivet/forskning/forskare-belyser-var-syn-pa-hasten.htm?fbclid=IwAR2wse5e49Wj0TyqADTsRq_wH7QwzqHQBev9VPteV5yokoT4Dtc7JiliafM

My guests on this episode were:

Sara Bref
Sara has a degree in Animal Science and is also a journalist. Sara currently works at the Swedish Farmers Association, before that she worked with science communication at a Swedish university. Sara has also been writing popular science for horse magazines (mostly hippson.se) for 15 years.

Sara can be reached on her LinkedIn, though she only posts in Swedish: Sara Bref | LinkedIn

Petra Andersson
Petra has a PhD in practical philosophy and has a position as a researcher and teacher in practical philosophy at The University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Most of Petra's teaching is in environmental ethics and animal ethics. Most of her research is about horse welfare.

Petra is on Facebook and can be contacted through her university email at petra.andersson@filosofi.gu.se

If movement behaviour is a problem-solving activity, is there such a thing as "correct" biomechanics? A conversation with skill acquisition specialist, Tyler Yearby.

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 21:00:00 +0000

In this episode I caught up with my good friend Tyler Yearby from Emergence and US Ski and Snowboard to discuss his work in strength and conditioning, movement technique, biomechanics, and coaching.

I hope that you enjoy this episode. Please get in touch with your reflections and feedback.

Research Papers

(Re)conceptualizing movement behavior in sport as a problem-solving activity - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1130131/full

ReserachGate Proflie
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tyler-Yearby

ContactingTyler
X - @TylerYearby
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-yearby-59b89b5a/

Welfare, safety, and training. Exploring a systems view of equestrianism with PhD candidate Karen Luke.

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 23:00:00 +0000

I came across Karen's research while reading up for the discussion section of one of my PhD study papers. In this conversation we explore systems thinking, how it applies to horses and equestrianism, welfare, training and lots more. I hope that you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

My guest on this episode is PhD candidate, Karen Luke.

Karen Luke researches rider motivation and safety as well as horse welfare and welfare assessment at Central Queensland University. Her work includes developing a new approach to horse welfare based on systems thinking and a new ridden horse welfare assessment tool that she used to show a connection between horse welfare and rider safety. She has also investigated equestrians’ understanding of horse welfare and most recently, why equestrians make the choices they do when it comes to horse keeping and training. Karen lives in Melbourne, Australia and when not researching, enjoys riding and training her own horses.

Recommended books:
The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision. Fritjof Capra and Pier Luigi Luisi.

Ways of Being. James Bridle.

Karen's ReserachGate profile:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Karen-Luke-2

Twitter/ X
@K_L_Luke

Just Equestrian Solutions Website:
https://justequestriansolutions.com/index.html

The research on rats, motivation, welfare, and learning (lego cars and fruit loops):
https://urnow.richmond.edu/video/article/-/19727/rats-who-ride-see-the-latest-from-urs-motoring-rodents-.html?utm_source=www&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=video-story

Are instructions always good? Exploring the importance of how and why coaches guide 'Focus of Attention' with Dr Vicky Gottwald and Dr Robin Owen.

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 22:00:00 +0000

In this episode we revisit the importance of considering where an athlete or learner is focusing their attention and why focus of attention is so important for skill acquisition, retention, and transfer.

My guests bring the topic to life with an overview of the research literature to date. We also discuss some of the challenges of research, application to practice and why this area is so important for coaches to be aware of.

Findings in the 'focus of attention' literature for the benefits of an 'external focus' has been one of the most replicated phenomena in sports science. But, is it that simple? More recent research is challenging the simple internal vs external focus dichotomy and looking at what perceptual information might be most important for the performer to be attuning to.

We also discuss the importance of researchers learning from practitioners.

My guests on this episode are Dr Vicky Gottwald and Dr Robin Owen.

Vicky Gottwald
X @GottwaldVicky

University profile
https://www.bangor.ac.uk/staff/spss/vicky-gottwald-016917/en

Robin Owen
X @RobinOwenPsych

University profile
https://www.hope.ac.uk/si/dr-robin-owen.html

Useful Links
Gottwald et al, (2023). Every story has two sides: evaluating information processing and ecological dynamics perspectives of focus of attention in skill acquisition

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1176635/full

Harnessing the power of attention: Exploring 'focus of attention' theories, practice, and myths. In book: Myths of Sport Performance (Due in Spring 2024). Publisher: Sequoia.
Draft version: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377416924_Harnessing_the_power_of_attention_Exploring_'focus_of_attention'_theories_practice_and_myths

Understanding coaching eco-systems: Challenges and opportunities for developing a more nonlinear coaching practice. A conversation with Dr Mark O'Sullivan.

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 23:00:00 +0000

My guest Mark O'Sullivan is an associate professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and an 'A' Licence Football Coach. Mark is also a co-author on my concept paper, 'Can't jump, won't jump.'

In this conversation we explore why Mark chose to go back into academia and follow a PhD researching coaching and skill acquisition from an ecological dynamics perspective.

The conversation follows our curiosity and wanders through a variety of topics starting with Mark's motivation to 'fall into a PhD' at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK with James Rumbold and Keith Davids alongside his full time job as Head of Development for 8–12 years olds at AIK FC in Stockholm.

The conversation centres on the challenges and opportunities of trying to move from a more linear to nonlinear pedagogy in sports coaching practice. Mark challenges many of our current coaching practices, myths, coach education, and the pervasiveness of socio-cultural influences.

For those of you who are paying attention, Mark is also one of my co-authors on the paper 'Can't jump, won't jump: Affordances of the horse-rider dyad underpin skill adaptation in showjumping using a constraints-led approach.' Davies at al, 2022.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17479541221107379

Here are some of Mark's open access academic papers:
The Learning in Development Research Framework for sports organizations, O'sullivan et al, 2021. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13573322.2021.1966618

Not just to know more, but to also know better: How data analysis-synthesis can be woven into sport science practiced as an art of inquiry, O'sullivan et al, 2023.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13573322.2023.2261970

Researchgate (if you are not familiar with this site, it's a great place to search for academic researchers and often has copies of papers available as open access): https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mark-O-Sullivan-Phd

Twitter (X): @markstkhlm

Mark's Blog: https://footblogball.wordpress.com/

Fuelling your coaching journey: Event rider and coach Alex van Randwyck shares her insights on how to develop and nurture your own coaching skills.

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 23:00:00 +0100

On this episode I am joined by event rider and equestrian coach, Alex van Randwyck. I met Alex through mutual coach development work and found her insightful, humble and with the ability to connect with others and communicate with refreshing clarity. So of course, I asked her if she would consider being a guest on my podcast!

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. Alex shares so many insights and examples about how we can all be proactive in our own development and learning as coaches. Especially in learning from, and supporting each other.

As always, although we are focussed on equestrian sports, this podcast is as relevant for any sport or activity.

Getting in touch with Alex.
Alex's social media is packed with great advice, ideas and loads of fun facts.

https://www.alexvanrandwyck.com/

https://www.instagram.com/avanrandwyckcoaching/

https://www.facebook.com/avanrandwyckcoaching/

About my guest.
"In 2013 I went to the University of Leicester to study Geology and I became involved with student riding. I qualified for nationals in 2015 and was awarded a Sport Scholarship in my final year. In the autumn of 2015 I competed in my first Student Riding Nations Cup representing the Netherlands where we won team silver. Through these competitions I was able to compete all over Europe in places like Poland, Ireland, Germany and Switzerland and in 2016 I was selected to be part of the team for the World University Equestrian Championships.

In 2017 I went to work for Nick Gauntlett. I spent 2 years there and it was a great experience to be part of a larger set up. I had the opportunity to groom at overseas events, ride lovely young horses and work with the stallions and youngstock. It was also really helpful to have someone so experienced on hand to go to for advice and training. Working here allowed me to gain experience with lots of different horses and helped me to pass my A Test in 2019.

In the autumn of 2019 I set up on my own and even though we were in the middle of a global pandemic my business has grown quickly. I teach regularly for the Wokingham and Garth South pony club branches in addition to training the area 13 AH Test candidates. I really enjoy teaching as it’s so lovely to watch partnerships grow and be involved in their journey. I particularly enjoy teaching younger children and riders who lack confidence as I am good at breaking down concepts and making sure the rider has all the skills they need to progress and work on their own."

Are you paying attention? Exploring the role of 'focus of attention' in skill acquisition with Richard Barbour

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 22:00:00 +0100

Where performers direct their focus of attention has significant impacts on performance and learning. Coaches typically use instructions and practice design to direct a performers attention, intentionally or not. However there is generally a miss-match between coaching practice (instructions that are internally and form/technique focussed) and research (which advocates an external focus of attention).

This episode is a joint production with 'Locked in Shed' podcaster Richard Barbour.

Locked in Shed podcasts https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lockedinshed/episodes/Locked-in-Shed-series-1---episode-9-eie7cc

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lockedinshed/

UK Snowsports Coaching Conference details and tickets

Open access research paper - Every story has two sides: evaluating information processing and ecological dynamics perspectives of focus of attention in skill acquisition

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1176635/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Sports_and_Active_Living&id=1176635

Part 2. 'Maybe their feet know something we don't.' A conversation with Lacy Stormes, barefoot showjumping USA.

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Part 2 of my conversation with US show jumper, Lacy Stormes.

The transformative bond: Exploring embodied cognition in motor racing, with Dr Gal Ziv.

Sat, 15 Jul 2023 23:00:00 +0100

Show notes to follow.

My fabulous guest, Dr Gal Ziv can be found on Research Gate at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gal-Ziv

'Gal's main research interest is the role of attention and perception in human performance of motor skills. Specifically, he is interested in the role that visual attention plays when learning complex skills such as flying an aircraft or performing surgery.'

This is the paper that inspired me to connect with Gal for a conversation about his research (open access) - An embodied and ecological approach to skill acquisition in racecar driving.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1095639/full

Part 1. 'Maybe their feet know something we don't.' A conversation with Lacy Stormes, barefoot showjumping USA.

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0100

My fabulous guest this week is USA showjumper, Lacy Stormes.

In the first part of this episode Lacy shares how she ended up with a barefoot horse and becoming more curious and, almost accidentally, going against the 'do what has always been done, how it's always been done' advise.

This was a fascinating conversation and I learnt so much. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Part two will be out soon!

Contacts for my guest: Lacy Stormes

•Stormes Horsemanship and Showjumping

• Lacy Stormes Barefoot Showjumping

Professional rider and coach

On Instagram: Stormes Showjumping

On Facebook:

Stormes Horsemanship and Showjumping

Lacy Stormes Barefoot Showjumping USA

Lacy Stormes and barefoot L.A. LOVE

2023 Grand Prix of Flintridge

8th place finish

Lacy Stormes and barefoot Totem Du Phare

2023 Shamrockin Show Speed Stake

Champion

Photo Credit: Grandpix

Poker faces and the reason we don't ride zebras. A conversation with Dr Carrie Ijichi

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0100

My guest on this episode is Dr Carrie Ijichi.
I reached out to Carrie after reading some of her research about how horses cope and respond to stress. Her research is refreshing, much needed and will hopefully help us to understand our equines better.

In this conversation Carrie brings to life how a horses personality is influenced by biology and experience, and how in turn, that influences the way they cope and the way they experience pain.

About my guest
"I'm interested how coping style affects the expression of negative states including differences in pain behaviour & stereotypy between individuals & whether these can be explained by personality. More recently, I've been investigating various factors that influence how well animals cope with human handling including pressure headcollars, handler bond and welfare during learning. I use behavioural analysis, salivary cortisol, heart rate variability and infrared thermography in my research."

ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Carrie-Ijichi

Hoof talk: A guide to barefoot basics, with Equine Podiatrists Nia Cooke, Ali Taylor, and Harriet Jane Szwed.

Sat, 17 Jun 2023 17:00:00 +0100

Nia is an Equine Nutritionist and Podiatrist with a particular interest in species appropriate feeding and management of the horse for optimum health and performance. She is a Director of Finer Forage, a natural horse food and supplement company. She is also a tutor at Areion Academy where she teaches equine nutrition, and co-owns Pony Pedicures with Ali.
www.areion.co.uk/een
www.finerforage.com
www.facebook.com/equineandpetnutrition

Ali is an Equine Podiatrist, working with Nia and Harriet at Pony Pedicures. He has a particular interest in the rehabilitation of hoof pathologies and believes that rebuilding the hoof structures to improve function, comfort and performance is usually possible when a whole horse approach is employed, by working collaboratively with other professionals such as physiotherapists, nutritionists and vets.
www.ponypedicures.com
www.facebook.com/ponypedicures

Harriet is a horse trainer focussing on harmonious partnerships and healthy biomechanics and is passionate about rehab work and holistic horse care and management. She is also an Equine Podiatrist working with Ali Taylor at Pony Pedicures and runs her own business H&H training and hoof care.
https://www.facebook.com/Horses.Hattie

Stepping outside the Matrix: (Re)examining our relationships with horses, with Equine Ethologist Renate Larssen.

Wed, 24 May 2023 22:00:00 +0100

My guest this week is the fabulous equine ethologist, Renate Larssen. We covered so many topics exploring the intersection of equine ethology, learning and skill acquisition.

I know that this is a long podcast again, but it was so worth it. We delved into so many areas including, philosophy, ethics, relationships, agency, research directions, and lives worth living.

My guest, Renate Larssen
Ethologist (MSc) | Equine behaviour specialist | PhD student human-animal relations BODY-POLITICS/University of Leicester.
"I have a BSc in Veterinary Medicine from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and a MSc in Applied Ethology from Linköping University. My published research can be found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159122001095

Currently enrolled as a PhD student at the University of Leicester School of Archaeology and Ancient History, where I apply modern ethological research into animal cognition, emotion and behaviour to re-theorize human-animal relations in the Scandinavian Iron and Viking Age as part of the ERC-funded BODY-POLITICS project.

Did a brief eight-year stint in politics so I know a bit about policymaking, public affairs, and communications, too.

I write about horses and science:
https://theequineethologist.substack.com/

Recommended books from the podcast:
Susanna Forrest, The Age of the Horse
Stephen Budiansky, The Nature of Horses
Carl Safina, Becoming Wild and Beyond Words
James Bridle, Ways of Being

Beyond tradition: Reshaping equestrianism for the modern world. A conversation with Organisational Culture researcher and practitioner, Dr Niels Feddersen.

Sat, 20 May 2023 17:00:00 +0100

My guest on this episode is Dr Niels Feddersen. Niels is a postdoctoral researcher in sports science. He studies organisational culture and power relations in elite sports organisations in the UK, Norway, and Denmark.

Niels obtained his PhD from Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK. In the research, he collaborated with several Olympic sports organisations, the FA, and Premier League football clubs.

Niels currently works at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology researching Social Psychology, Sports Psychology and Organizational Psychology. Current projects include culture and policy in Danish elite sports; sport psychology in football; and recreational exercise activities as a lifestyle intervention for people with stress, anxiety, and depression.

Here is the link to Niels' academic profile and research https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/niels.feddersen

ResearchGate profile https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Niels-Feddersen

Part 2. Anti-fragility: Building a resourceful body. A conversation with Dr Paula Silva.

Fri, 12 May 2023 00:00:00 +0100

I am very excited to share this podcast with you. My guest Dr Paula Silva is a researcher who I have been a fan of for many years, and has been hugely influential to me.

I'll add some topics to these show notes later - I'm doing a late night edit.

Part 1. Becoming anti-fragile: The importance of training for growth beyond resilience. A conversation with Dr Paula Silva.

Wed, 10 May 2023 23:00:00 +0100

I am very excited to share this podcast with you. My guest Dr Paula Silva is a researcher who I have been a fan of for many years, and has been hugely influential to me.

In part 1 we explored many themes including:

1. What is anti-fragility?
2. How does anti-fragility differ from resilience?
3. Why we might want to stop trying to train/ coach perfect form and patterns.
4. How bodies learn to move and be skilful.
5. Can we use operant conditioning like they do in AI and robotics?
6. An introduction to meta-stability.

Here is a link to a video that supports the conversation about AI and training robots: https://youtu.be/5jL5wRGrCvk

My guest Paula Silva received a Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG (Brazil) in 2000, a Master's degree in Rehabilitation Science from the same university in 2002, and a PhD degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2009.

Paula also obtained a Certificate in Quantitative Methods from the University of Connecticut and is an Associate Professor and Co-director of graduate training in the Psychology Department and one of the primary faculty members of the Center for Cognition, Action & Perception.

Paula's research primarily focuses on human performance from the perspectives of complexity science and ecological psychology. Specifically, action strategies employed by individuals of different ages, with and without pathological conditions, when performing various tasks. Her research has three complementary aims: (a) advancing general theoretical principles to explain coordination and perceptual regulation of biological movement supporting successful performance in diverse circumstances, (b) revealing and explaining changes in action coordination and perceptual capabilities associated with pathological conditions, and (c) applying these principles to design methods for assessing and enhancing resilience of individuals with movement-related disability and those at risk for sports injury.

Complete list of Journal Publications:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&view_op=list_works&gmla=AJsN-F4CL3SrNy-iuSs5Alrk3OIvDRJyO6g0425q3xOwib09l8oZuCyFj6trqtE2ih84Yr_PXU2qhJk6m_AzKfgdeaAI7dnnZMnAKj4tMbYyrhHmA_RAoRU&user=z9FExgcAAAAJ

In Action and in the Code: Enhancing concussion recovery through technology, with Dr James Stafford

Sat, 06 May 2023 13:00:00 +0100

For episode 30 I am delighted to welcome back one of my guests from episode one. Dr James Stafford joined me to explore the practical applications of measuring perception-action coupling, this time applied to concussion.

James can be contacted on
j.stafford@incisiv.tech

Twitter @JamesStafford94

Video
https://youtu.be/YlidtcdMxyQ

Website
https://incisiv.tech

We need to 're-set' peoples eyes in terms of what is normal behaviour for a horse: A conversation with Dr Sue Dyson about the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 15:00:00 +0100

I believe that this is probably the most important topic that I have explored on these podcasts, and that embracing and using the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHPE) could transform equestrian sports.

Firstly, I need to apologise to Sue for being over enthusiastic and not the best host. It was due to my excitement and passion for supporting what she has been doing.

This is a conversation that I will be listening to again a few more times.

My guest is Dr Sue Dyson
Sue Dyson qualified as a veterinarian from the University of Cambridge in 1980. After an internship at the University of Pennsylvania and a year in private equine practice in Pennsylvania, Sue returned to Great Britain to the Animal Health Trust, Newmarket. Sue ran a clinical referral service for lameness and poor performance, attracting clients from all over the United Kingdom, Ireland and continental Europe for 37 years. During this period Sue was also awarded a PhD and Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. From 2019 she has worked as an independent consultant, combining her horsemanship skills with her previous veterinary experience, with the aim of maximising performance potential.

Sue’s key interests are improving the diagnosis of lameness and poor performance and maximising the opportunity for horses to fulfil their athletic potential at whatever level, taking a holistic approach to the horse, rider and tack combination, and improving approaches to diagnosis and management. She has been involved not only in providing clinical services, but also clinically relevant research and education. Sue is co-editor, with Mike Ross, of Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse and co-author of Clinical Radiology of the Horse and Equine Scintigraphy. She has published more than 400 papers in peer reviewed journals concerning lameness and diagnostic imaging and has lectured worldwide to veterinarians, paraprofessionals, coaches, riders and judges.

Sue is a former President of the British Equine Veterinary Association and is currently scientific advisor to the Saddle Research Trust and Moorcroft Rehabilitation Centre. Sue is also a rider, and has produced horses from novice to top national level in both eventing and show jumping. Sue holds the Instructors and Stable Managers Certificates of the British Horse Society (BHSI).

Sue has been awarded many international accolades for her work including induction into the University of Kentucky Equine Research Hall of Fame for outstanding contributions to research in equine veterinary science, Honorary Membership of the British Equine Veterinary Association and Societa Italiana Veterinari Per Equini, Italy, the American Association of Equine Practitioners Frank J. Milne Award and the Tierklinik Hochmoor Prize, Germany, for outstanding, creative and lasting work in equine veterinary medicine.

The 24 behaviour website is here https://www.24horsebehaviors.org/
Sue can be contacted on her ResearchGate profile (below) and at the Saddle Research Trust https://www.saddleresearchtrust.com/meet-the-team-2/

The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain: Shifting the Paradigm of How We See Lameness at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrZgtrqbMVI

This is Dr Sue Dyson's profile on ResearchGate where you can get access to most of her research papers https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sue-Dyson-2

Other useful links:

Lorimer Moseley - Why Things Hurt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwd-wLdIHjs

Part 2: What is a coaching philosophy and why do we need one? A conversation with Dr Alex Lascu, Dr Carl Woods, Craig Morris and David Farrokh.

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 23:00:00 +0100

Themes covered in this episode include:
How our personal philosophies can be constrained by external metrics such as what we judged on (medals for example).
Staying open to being surprised by what others can do.
Replacing expectations and 'supposed to' with attentive responsiveness.
Challenging our assumptions.
Finding spaces to have time and the environment to explore thinking.
How we might find out what others think our philosophy is.

A guide to ontology, epistemology, and philosophical perspectives for interdisciplinary researchers. This is an excellent short article to explore philosophy in research a little deeper.

My fabulous guests on parts 1 and 2 are:
Dr Alex Lascu is a skill acquisition specialist by trade and currently lectures at the University of Canberra. Her passion for talent development and community sport is contagious, and she enjoys existing in the gap between research and practice in the hopes of bringing these two worlds together.
Find Alex on Twitter at @skillacqlascu

At her website https://skillacqlascu.com/
Or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alascule/?originalSubdomain=au

Dr Carl Woods is a Senior Research Fellow within the Institute for Health and Sport at Victoria University. His research interests reside at the intersection of ecological psychology, social anthropology, and sport science, where he explores concepts of knowing, skill, learning and education. He has an extensive background in both academia and the industry, having held various positions within multiple Australian Universities and the Australian Football League.

Contacting Carl -
Carl is on Twitter - @CarlWoods25
ResearchGate

Here are a few of Carl's recent papers -
Thinking through making and doing: sports science as an art of inquiry.

Craig Morris is an Olympic Canoe Slalom Coach and High Performance Coach consultant with over 17 years of experience in performance coaching.

Personal coach to 1 individual senior Olympic, World and European podiums and over 30 World Cup podiums, across multiple athletes and 4 Olympic disciplines, Craig is regarded as one of the World’s leading Canoe Slalom coaches and skill acquisition specialists.

More recently Craig has become a Director and Performance Coach for Cultured Coaching Ltd, offering high performance bespoke development and executive coaching and mentoring to individuals and teams across a myriad of domains.

Wherever Craig goes he aims to be innovative in his coaching practice and is increasingly engaged worldwide in fields including leadership, coach development, skill acquisition, mentoring and ecological approaches to performance coaching.

Craig and Carls paper 'On the Wisdom of Not Knowing: reflections of an Olympic Canoe Slalom coach

Craig can be contacted via
email at info@culturedcoaching.com

On Twitter @MorrisCraig_

LinkedIn Craig Morris

David Farrokh is a PhD candidate at Sheffield Hallam University (with Prof Keith Davids, Dr Joe Stone, and Dr James Rumbold) researching flow from an ecological dynamics perspective.

Find David on FaceBook and Twitter @bigpicsoccer

Part 1: What is a coaching philosophy and why do we need one? A conversation with Dr Alex Lascu, Dr Carl Woods, Craig Morris and David Farrokh.

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 22:00:00 +0100

Themes covered in this episode include:
What is a coaching philosophy and do we need one?
Understanding experiences from others perspectives.
Learning through corresponding/ interacting together.
Best intentions, staying curious and humble.

My fabulous guests bios and links to other content and resources are in part 2 due to word constraints.

Bibliography
The meaning of some 'long words' used in the podcast. Despite the complexity of the words, these are important and useful concepts to think about regarding philosophy and guiding principles in coaching.

Critical phenomenology examines how our experiences are shaped by power, social structures, and historical contexts. It emphasises the importance of understanding individual and group experiences, while also acknowledging larger societal forces. It critiques traditional phenomenology's focus on individual subjectivity and advocates for social and political critique to empower marginalised groups and create more equitable societies.

Eco-feminism highlights the connection between women's oppression and environmental degradation, both caused by the patriarchal system. It advocates for more egalitarian and sustainable societies, emphasising the interdependence of all living beings.

Positivistic objective philosophy emphasises empirical evidence and scientific methods to understand the world, seeking universal laws and objective truths while excluding subjective experiences and values. It prioritises quantitative data and a neutral observer to eliminate bias from scientific investigation.

Ethnography is a qualitative research method used to understand human cultures and social phenomena by systematically observing and analysing people in their natural environment. Ethnographers aim to produce detailed accounts of social and cultural contexts through extended fieldwork, interviews, surveys, and document analysis, often using an emic (insider) or etic (outsider) perspective.

Participant observation is a research method where the researcher becomes a participant in a social setting while observing and recording the behaviour of others. It provides a deep understanding of the cultural practices and beliefs of the group studied by experiencing them firsthand, and often involves note-taking, interviewing, and engagement with group members.

Anthropocentric philosophy prioritises humans and their needs above all other living beings and the environment. It assumes nature exists solely for human benefit, promoting an unsustainable relationship with the natural world. This perspective neglects the interconnectedness of all life and has been criticised for being destructive.

Pedagogy is the practice and theory of teaching and education, encompassing methods and strategies to facilitate learning, selecting appropriate materials, designing lesson plans, and creating an engaging environment. Effective pedagogy considers individual needs, promotes active participation, and varies by subject matter, age group, and cultural context.

Ontology is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of existence, including the concepts of being, becoming, and reality. It is concerned with questions about what exists, what entities can be said to exist, and how such entities can be grouped, related within a hierarchy, and subdivided according to similarities and differences.

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge. It explores questions related to how knowledge is acquired, the criteria for evaluating knowledge claims, and the limits of what can be known. Epistemology also examines the various sources of knowledge, such as perception, reason, and testimony, and investigates the methods used to validate knowledge claims, such as the scientific method.

The importance of saddles, saddle design, and listening to our horses. A conversation with Dr Anne Bondi, the Saddle Research Trust Seminars,.

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 15:00:00 +0100

Welcome to the podcast's first anniversary episode!

My guest on this episode is Dr. Anne Bondi. Anne Bondi was a successful professional rider who competed at international advanced level both in eventing and dressage. In 2017, Anne was awarded a doctorate from the University of Sunderland for her novel research of horse, saddle and rider interaction and teaches world-wide, sharing her passion for this complex but fascinating subject.

I am delighted to have had the opportunity to have a conversation with Anne, and could have recorded for hours. We covered many topics, but focussed mainly on saddles. Among the threads we explored were:

- Saddle history, their design, fit, and how they influence the horse and rider.
- Being part of 'Circles of Support' with more holistic and multi-disciplinary teams working together to support horses and riders.
- Using the Ridden Horse Performance Checklist (RHPC) as one way of listening to our horses under saddle.
- Where saddle design is, and could go in the future.
- The work of the Saddle Research Trust.
- Future research, sponsorship and ways to support.
- Happy Horse competitions.

If you would like to contact Anne you can through the Saddle Research Trust website
at https://www.saddleresearchtrust.com/
Or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-anne-bondi-a53b3825/?originalSubdomain=uk

This is Anne's bio from the Saddle Research Trust website.
BHSI, PGDip, PhD. Chair of Trustees, SRT Founder

Anne Bondi was a successful professional rider who competed at international advanced level both in eventing and dressage. Inspiration and development as a rider came from training with Olympians Jane and Christopher Bartle and world-renowned coach, Baron Hans von Blixen – Finecke. As a trainer, she prepared pupils for both competition careers and professional exams and was a Senior Examiner of the British Horse Society. Anne currently competes at a more relaxed amateur level and owns international horses that compete at 4* eventing level and 1.45 show jumping with professional riders.

In 2006, driven by a lack of research, innovation and development of saddle design Anne founded Solution Saddles, an innovation company which manufactures the SMARTTM range of award-winning, fully flexible sports saddles. Anne’s unique designs, which have also been awarded five patents, have established the company as a market leader in saddles that promote equine welfare and performance.

In 2009, Anne founded the Saddle Research Trust to promote the welfare and performance of the ridden horse and to educate and raise awareness of the widely underestimated complexities surrounding the horse, saddle, rider interaction. SRT is now internationally recognised for its ground-breaking work.

In 2017, Anne was awarded a doctorate from the University of Sunderland for her novel research of horse, saddle and rider interaction and teaches world-wide, sharing her passion for this complex but fascinating subject. Anne is actively involved in research projects in the field, has authored and contributed to many scientific papers and book chapters and is a peer reviewer for academic journals.

Creating optimal learning environments and supporting motivation

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 23:00:00 +0100

This is an audio version of the Motivation series I wrote a few years ago. It provides an introduction to motivation and learning and how coaching behaviours can have a big influence on both.

The key themes covered are:

Part 1. Motivation Theories

There are many theories about motivation, but the one we’ll look at here is particularly useful for sports coaches and leaders. It is called the Self Determination Theory, or SDT for short. SDT is made up of a number of micro-theories one of which is called the Basic Psychological Needs Theory. According to the Basic Psychological Needs Theory, motivation to engage in an activity is influenced by the support, and subsequent satisfaction of, three innate basic needs. These are the need for:

Autonomy (a sense of control over your own life and personal volition),
Competence (the need to be effective and skilful),
Relatedness (the desire to feel connected to, and cared for, by others).

Part 2. Autonomy-supportive coaching behaviours

According to Mageau and Vallerand (2003), the coach’s autonomy-supportive behaviours directly influence the participant or athlete’s perceptions of competence, autonomy and relatedness.

So, how do we ensure that we are being autonomy supportive in our coaching? Mageau and Vallerand have come up with seven autonomy-supportive coaching behaviours.

Provide choice within structure, specific rules and limits
Provide a rationale for tasks and limits
Acknowledge negative feelings
Provide opportunities to take initiatives and work independently
Provide non-controlling competence feedback
Use non-controlling language, avoid controlling behaviours, and use competition and rewards wisely
Promote a mastery rather than ego involvement (promote achievement).

Part 3. Increasing skill acquisition - who is making the decisions?

Within more traditional sports, as well as equestrian and adventure activities, deliberate practice has typically consisted of coach-led sessions. In a coach-led session, the coach makes all the decisions. The coach defines the learning environment and provides the technical and tactical content considered necessary for developing skilful performance, and gives error correcting feedback. The research that guided this practice paid little attention to how coaches could support the needs of those they coached. In fact, motor learning research did not consider motivation at all until recently. There appears to have been an assumption that in sports settings people are already self-motivated. Motivation was, therefore, something that was only important if someone did not have any at all. (And then, only to get people active who needed to be for health reasons.)

Thankfully, there has been a recent change in focus. Both researchers and practitioners have moved away from considering movement learning as just being about how a coach can effectively impart information. This wider view has resulted in an approach that is more learner-focused.

This is the link to the articles on the Dynamics Coaching website https://dynamics-coaching.com/our-blog/motivation-and-optimal-learning-environments/

Part 2. Exploring the concept of 'feel' with 'For The Horse' equine educator and consultant, Chris Adderson.

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 20:00:00 +0000

On this episode, my lovely guest is Chris Adderson from For The Horse.

About my guest:
Chris is an equine educator and consultant, top level rider and an equine and human movement expert.

Chris helps passionate riders confidently achieve their riding dreams and goals without fears, doubts, so they can ride with ease and flow. From understanding and communicating with your horse on a deeper level to consistent, exhilarating rides, Chris will help you clarify your riding with your partner who you are absolutely passionate about being the best you can be with.

Chris is a sought-after clinician, having taught thousands of riders and their horses worldwide. She has studied with, and instructed for, many of the world’s greatest classical dressage and horsemanship people such as Ray Hunt, Roy Yates, Peggy Cummings, Margrit Coates, Philippe Karl, Pat and Linda Parelli, Lee Smith, and George Malleroni, but none so great as the horse itself. An instructor of 44 years, many of my students have become equine professionals and ridden to the highest levels.

Find Chris on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChrisAddersonFortheHorse
Or her website at https://forthehorse.com/

Part 1. Exploring the concept of 'feel' with 'For The Horse' equine educator and consultant, Chris Adderson.

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 18:00:00 +0000

On this episode, my lovely guest is Chris Adderson from For The Horse.

It has taken me a long time to get this first part out, partly due to my work and PhD commitments and partly due to poor internet and difficulty in moving the recording from another computer. Please accept my apologies for the time and the sound quality. I hope that it does not effect your enjoyment of the great conversation.

About my guest:
Chris is an equine educator and consultant, top level rider and an equine and human movement expert.

Chris helps passionate riders confidently achieve their riding dreams and goals without fears, doubts, so they can ride with ease and flow. From understanding and communicating with your horse on a deeper level to consistent, exhilarating rides, Chris will help you clarify your riding with your partner who you are absolutely passionate about being the best you can be with.

Chris is a sought-after clinician, having taught thousands of riders and their horses worldwide. She has studied with, and instructed for, many of the world’s greatest classical dressage and horsemanship people such as Ray Hunt, Roy Yates, Peggy Cummings, Margrit Coates, Philippe Karl, Pat and Linda Parelli, Lee Smith, and George Malleroni, but none so great as the horse itself. An instructor of 44 years, many of my students have become equine professionals and ridden to the highest levels.

Find Chris on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChrisAddersonFortheHorse
Or her website at https://forthehorse.com/

Snow, Rabbits and Pooh Sticks: motivation, arousal and focus of attention in the ugly zone

Sat, 07 Jan 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Link to the blog article https://dynamics-coaching.com/coaching/snow-rabbits-and-pooh-sticks-motivation-arousal-and-focus-of-attention-in-the-ugly-curve/

Learning in the Ugly Zone: The Importance of Play and Exploration (with guest Snoopy)

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 17:00:00 +0000

This is an audio version of the blog post 'Learning in the ugly zone: the importance of play and exploration.'

The out-take at the beginning is Snoopy (my border collie) helping me by highlighting play and exploration with his 'squeeky piggy' Christmas present.

The full blog post including the diagramme of the Ugly Curve can be found on the Dynamics Coaching website by following this link https://dynamics-coaching.com/articles/learning-in-the-ugly-zone/

Dynamics Learning (ugly) Curve (Davies and Davies, 2019)

The dynamics challenge-performance learning curve, adapted from Davies and Davies (2019) is an ecological dynamics model of optimal challenge for learning. It is based on the self-organising properties of movement dynamics (e.g. Kelso, 1984) the ‘cusp catastrophe model’ (Thom, 1923; Hardy & Fazey, 1987) the ‘challenge point framework’ (Guadagnoli & Lee, 2004) and Dave Alred’s (2015) concept of the ‘ugly zone’..

An introduction to the Athletic Skills Model (ASM) with Dr Martina Navarro

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 21:00:00 +0000

I met Martina when I attended the Athletic Skills Model (ASM) Advanced Instructor course earlier this year. The course was excellent and I have used the practical elements regularly in all of my coaching and own practice since.

I am exploring how to develop it for using with horses to help diminish the movement poverty that many horses suffer and to support healthy, happy and skilful movement in horses as well as humans.

For open courses in the UK in 2023 (London and Sheffield) or for bespoke courses with a focus on your own sport contact Dr Martina Navarro.

The Athletic Skills Model website (English overview). https://www.athleticskillsmodel.nl/en/about-asm/

An open access academic paper about the ASM theoretical underpinnings .
https://www.athleticskillsmodel.nl/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Creating-adaptive-athletes-the-athletic-skills-model-for-enhancing-physical-literacy-as-a-foundation-for-expertise.pdf

Dynamics Coaching blog articles link https://dynamics-coaching.com/our-blog/

Martina Navarro
'I joined the Department in August 2017 from the University of Bern, Switzerland, where I was working as a post-doctoral research fellow. I hold a BSc degree in Sport Science from the School of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Sao Paulo (EEFE-USP), Brazil. At the same institution (USP), I did my PhD in Human Physiology (Neuropsychology) focusing on the effects of training strategies and high levels of stress and anxiety in human cognition (eg. attention and decision making) and motor control. During my PhD I joined a Sandwich program and did part of my PhD research at the MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam at the VU University Amsterdam. In 2013 I worked at the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, at the School of Medicine of the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, as Post-Doctoral Fellow. In 2016, I was awarded an excellence post-doctoral research fellowship by the Swiss Government, and subsequently joined the Institute of Sport Science at the University of Bern. During my Fellowship, my research focused on testing Bayesian Decision Making Theory in sports and human performance. In addition, I have worked with sports consultancy companies and professional sports teams and international sport organisations, most notably, in Brazil and the Netherlands.

My research interests are focused on understanding the intricacies of the key elements (perception, action, cognition and emotion) in human performance psychology. Specifically, my work investigates how high levels of anxiety and stress and different skill acquisition strategies may affect attentional resources and consequently decision-making process.'
Academic contact martina.navarro@port.ac.uk

Becoming skilful at asking questions, with coach developer Nicky Fuller

Mon, 26 Dec 2022 20:00:00 +0000

This episode is a recording of a webinar. Nicky Fuller joined a number of experienced equestrian coaches (all previous guests of the podcast) to have a conversation about why we ask questions as coaches, how we can become more skilled at asking questions, and when asking questions may not be the most effective coaching tool.
There are some parts of this where the sound quality is not great, but hopefully it does not detract from the value or enjoyment of the conversation.

Nicky Fuller
Nicky set up Connected Equestrian Coaches with Showjumping coach Mandy Frost. She is a learning and development professional with 25 years’ experience of designing, developing, and facilitating learning and mentoring programmes.

She has worked with coaches across many sports and over several decades, is continually curious to find more effective ways to serve coaches in their desire to improve. Nicky likes to integrate contemporary thinking and research into everyday practice, helping coaches to make sense of what they do and why they do it!

Based in the UK, Nicky frequently works with national governing bodies of sport to help develop solutions to learning problems in the UK and overseas.

Nicky holds a MPhil postgraduate degree and an advanced certificate in Adult Learning and Assessment. She is a former International netball player and now coaches junior players at club level.

Our other guests are Emma Slater, Mia Palles-Clark, Jane Randall and Warren Lampard.

Keeping your horse's movement system healthy: A conversation with Dr Gillian Tabor.

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the first of three new podcasts for you to listen to over the festive season!

I am delighted to share this fascinating and informative conversation with @drgilliantaborphysio about how you can keep your horses healthy and moving well, when to get help, and how to navigate the complexity of so much information online.

My guest on this episode is physiotherapist Dr Gillian Tabor. I have followed Gillian's research for many years, and more recently her social media channels. In this conversation we cover many topics including;

How to navigate some of the claims made on social media.
Neuroplasticity, pain and restoring your horse's confidence in moving.
A deeper dive into understanding pain.
What does the horse need movement-wise in order to carry a rider.
Where to get support and advise - and links to Gillian's podcast and social media.

I loved this conversation and I hope you do too. Please share your thoughts and reflections with myself and Gillian.

Hartpury University Profile.
Dr Gillian Tabor is a Chartered Physiotherapist who has been working as an ACPAT Veterinary Physiotherapist for 20 years. Experience as a guest lecturer led to a part time role, teaching Rider Performance, at Duchy College in Cornwall. Gillian then joined Hartpury as a lecturer in Veterinary Physiotherapy in 2013. Having progressed to a Senior Lecturer position and becoming the Programme Manager for the MSc Veterinary Physiotherapy course at Hartpury University, Gillian now has additional roles within Hartpury's research community. In 2020 she completed her doctorate, the first for Hartpury entitled 'The use of objective measurement in Veterinary Physiotherapy'. As well as teaching students Gillian, continues to undertake research in this thematic area both in her own equine projects and via supervising students.

Social media links
Gillian's podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-equine-physio-rehab-podcast/id1603299526
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/drgilliantaborphysio/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/drgilliantaborphysio

Moving forward: Can youth and equestrian sports become more child and horse centred? A conversation with Dr Jennifer Fraser and Julie Taylor.

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

"If we could start again and design sport around the needs of children, would the sports still look the same as they do now?" Mark O'Sullivan asked this question at a conference a few years ago, and I keep revisiting it, thinking about it from the perspective of the needs of horses.

With the continuing issues of abuse in sports, this episode explores what the issues are and whether there are cultural aspects to the way sports have emerged that may make abuse easier to perpetrate and harder to eradicate. Does a historical focus of developing obedience and compliance undermine agency and consent. And if so, how can we move forward and have youth and equestrian sports that are safe, ethical, and meet the needs of those partaking?

Thank you to this weeks guests, authors Dr Jennifer Fraser and Julie Taylor, for joining me for a conversation about abuse and bullying, the impact that it has on individuals and how sports are perceived by those outside of the current systems. This was a difficult but important conversation for me. I am passionate about not losing equestrian sports, but equally passionate that much needs to change moving forward or we will lose them and with good reason.

My guests on this episode are:
Julie Taylor is a journalist and author of 'I Can't Watch Anymore': The Case for Dropping Equestrian from the Olympic Games.' 'Catalogues what happens to sport horses in plain sight ... should be compulsory reading for all of us who care about horses.' - Professor Paul McGreevy BVSc, PhD, FRCVS; author, Equine Behaviour

Passionate, yet rigorous and meticulously researched, this eye-opening book holds equestrian sport up to Olympic standards and finds it sadly wanting.'

Find Julie on Twitter @eponatv Facebook https://www.facebook.com/eponatv and YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/eponatv

Dr Jennifer Fraser is the author of 'The Bullied Brain: Heal Your Scars and Restore Your Health.' 'Bullying and abuse are at the source of much misery in our lives. Because we are not taught about our brains, let alone how much they are impacted by bullying and abuse, we do not have a way to avoid this misery, heal our scars, or restore our health.'

Find Jenniferon Twitter @bulliedbrain

Part 2. Biotensegrity and the horse-human partnership: a conversation with authors Dr Susan Lowell de Solorzano and Maren Diehl.

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 23:00:00 +0000

In part 2 of this episode I am joined again by my two more fabulous guests from part 1 to explore a topic that has fascinated me since I came across it in my research into haptic perception. Biotensegrity.

To give you an overview of biotensegrity check out this short Youtube video
https://youtu.be/MfBuDci3GlM

The paper that is referenced in the podcast is my PhD concept paper https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17479541221107379

This was such a wonderful conversation and went on for two hours so I have decided to split this episode into two parts. I would like to thank both my guests for joining me in this conversation from different parts of the world.

In part 2 we delve further into understanding the practical implications of tensegrity (including the humble pop-up tent) and biotensegrity are before going on a journey around many topics including;

Biotensegrity, expansion, contraction and our understanding of functional movement.
Shear forces.
How training can actually prevent horses using their bodies in a tensegrity way.
When to start a horse under saddle.
Behavioural and emotional regulation.
Weak ankles, lameness and movement compensations.

About my guests.
Susan Lowell de Solorzano has an MA in Human Development and Education with a focus on kinesthetic learning and is a certified level III T-ai Chi instructor.

Resources & Links
Book 'Everything Moves: How Biotensegrity Informs Human Movement'

My instructions for making a collapsible tensegrity using common household materials: https://youtu.be/RuEjQ228sy0
I can best be reached through: BiotensegrityArchive.org or my twitter account: @1Biotensegrity

TensegrityInBiology.co.uk

Colloquy on Biotensegrity and Equine Health

BiotensegriTea Party w Veterinary Pathologist Dr. Elizabeth Uhl

The North Face Tent Design innovations, Bruce Hamilton & Buckminster Fuller

Maren Diehl is sort of a field researcher in biotensegrity since 2015, probably the first one in equitation and for sure the first one without any ties to riding styles and training systems.

After many years as a rider, trainer and instructor with more questions than answers, Maren Diehl found biotensegrity to be a good explanatory model for living beings in motion, and things started to make sense. In her online courses she teaches what biotensegrity is all about, what it is good for and how it differs from what we know as biomechanics.

For her biotensegrity gives a new insight into perceived problems and solutions in the world of horses and equitation and provides a theoretical foundation on which to build, a new way of looking at things - a paradigm shift.

Homepage

https://www.die-pferde-sind-nicht-das-problem.de/
YouTube channel
https://youtube.com/channel/UCL7K6Wlbi33X3kSR74414eA

Book "Beyond Biomechanics - Biotensegrity"
English (choose your country bottom right)
https://shop.tredition.com/booktitle/Beyond_Biomechanics_-_Biotensegrity/W-85_1495

Biotensegrity and the horse-human partnership: a conversation with authors Dr Susan Lowell de Solorzano and Maren Diehl. Part 1.

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In this episode I am joined by two more fabulous guests to explore a topic that has fascinated me since I came across it in my research into haptic perception. Biotensegrity.

The paper that is referenced in the podcast is my PhD concept paper https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17479541221107379

To give you an overview of biotensegrity check out this short Youtube video
https://youtu.be/MfBuDci3GlM

This was such a wonderful conversation and went on for two hours so I have decided to split this episode into two parts. I would like to thank both my guests for joining me in this conversation from different parts of the world.

In part 1 we start with an exploration of what both tensegrity (including the humble pop-up tent) and biotensegrity are before going on a journey around many topics including;

What biotensegrity means to our understanding of functional movement.
How this can inform our horse training and equestrian coaching.
Haptic perception (sense of touch, pressure, including the ability to actively perceive surfaces and grasp objects).
Positive and negative moment patterns.
We touch on many subjects from previous episodes including flow and anti-fragility.
The links to a constraints led approach to coaching.

TensegrityInBiology.co.uk

Colloquy on Biotensegrity and Equine Health

BiotensegriTea Party w Veterinary Pathologist Dr. Elizabeth Uhl

The North Face Tent Design innovations, Bruce Hamilton & Buckminster Fuller

Maren Diehl is sort of a field researcher in biotensegrity since 2015, probably the first one in equitation and for sure the first one without any ties to riding styles and training systems.

All things Flow! Exploring flow states with David Farrokh and Equestrian coach Maddi Burchell.

Sat, 22 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0100

Flow State is described as being fully immersed and absorbed in an activity in a way that leads to optimal positive states of experience.

In this conversation we cover the background of flow states, including why we would want to seek flow, how it is defined and how it could be measured. The term flow was named by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who identified six factors that encompass an experience of flow.
1. Intense concentration in the moment.
2. Merging of action and awareness.
3. A loss of reflective self-consciousness.
4. A sense of personal control or agency.
5. A change in how time is experienced.
6. Experience of the activity as intrinsically rewarding.

Among the flow themes of this conversation we discuss:
- The role of intrinsic and extrinsic reward.
- The interaction of perceiving and moving and the link to perception-action coupling.
- Flow in relationships, including horses and competitive sports.
- How humility, trust and curiosity link to the experiences of flow.
- Finding our 'edges' and the importance of adaptive competence.
- Nested anticipation.
- The long term benefits of flow states.

More about my guests on this episode.
David Farrokh is a PhD candidate at Sheffield Hallam University (with Prof Keith Davids, Dr Joe Stone, and Dr James Rumbold) researching flow from an ecological dynamics perspective.

Find David on FaceBook and Twitter @bigpicsoccer

Maddi Burchell is a British Dressage and British Horse Society Accredited Coach who trains all levels of horse and rider. She is also a British Dressage Youth Coach and Assessor.

In 2021, Maddi was given a space on the British Equestrian National Development Programme for Coaching Excellence, which she has successfully completed. Maddie is also a Centre 10 Advanced Coach, holds an applied psychology certificate, and qualifications in both Rider Biomechanics and the correct use of Franklin Balls.

This means that Maddi can support riders to develop both from a psychological and movement skills perspective. With her friendly, encouraging, and motivational style, Maddi’s has a skill for finding just the right way to coach the rider in front of her! Throughout her career, Maddi has helped riders successfully overcome a whole host of challenges, problems, and confidence. Having been trained by Classical Masters abroad and by Olympic Gold Medallist’s here in the UK, you can be sure you are receiving the very best coaching.

Maddi is on Facebook, and has her own website Maddi Burchell Dressage.

For the love of horses. A conversation with Ecuyer, Georges Dewez from Carreg Dressage.

Sun, 09 Oct 2022 21:00:00 +0100

In this episode, I catch up with someone who is very much a practitioner for a wonderful conversation about his thoughts and reflections on the history and future of dressage. Georges shares his incredible experience, philosophy and opinions with candour, warmth, humour, and a great love of horses shining through the conversation.

This episode is filled with a wonderful mix of personal stories and practical advise for improving your riding and relationship with your horses. All of this is underpinned by a passion for ensuring that equestrianism seriously tackles the current issues facing horse welfare.

This is the link to the research paper about conflict behaviours in dressage https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1558787822000843?fbclid=IwAR2S3rt9_0CnpuMoU2um2_pJ4ZwLPCHXTWa-k3k_1LidixPQB2YuJkLS7B4

About Georges and Carreg Dressage.
"HORSE & RIDER IMPROVEMENT
With over 35 years of experience of successfully progressing many horses and riders, Georges Dewez has a tremendous depth of both practical and academic knowledge – enabling you to take your riding to the next level.

LIGHT, FORWARD & BALANCED
The proof of our approach is the trademark of Carreg Dressage – happy horses with an ability to show expressive and gymnastic paces whilst moving correctly over the back.

IN HARMONY WITH NATURE
We are fortunate to be based in the UNESCO recognised Dyfi Biosphere in mid-Wales. Our ethical and organic principles ensure that we minimise our impact on this land, and provide a sustainable resource for our equestrian business."

Find Georges on Facebook
The Carreg Dressage Website at https://www.carregdressage.co.uk/

Performance planning and adaptability: A conversation with Olympic Coach, Craig Morris and Richard Seals.

Sat, 24 Sep 2022 11:00:00 +0100

In this conversation we explore the performance demands of sports where each competition course is unique and is viewed from a position other than by practicing. By walking the course in Showjumping or walking along the banks to view the course in Canoe Slalom.

Other than identifying the best route through the course, what other information could be attended to that would support a successful performance? Craig and Richard discuss and compare the performance demands of the two sports.
These include:

The need to have a plan to reduce the number possible actions and identify the best routes or lines though a course. This is an education of 'intention.'
Having a plan that helps to constrain the focus of attention of the performer. Guiding their attention toward the information that will support them to realise their performance goals. This could be described as an education of 'attention.'
Flexible enough to allow them to remain open to what is happening in the performance and be adaptive. Ongoing calibration of perception and action.

I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I did!

About my guests:
Richard Seals is a Professional Show Jumper and like many others in this sport he continues to compete as well as coach and bring on horses. Richard is a British Show Jumping UKCC level 3 coach and has just started his Level 4 at Gloucester University. He has also completed National development program for coaching excellence and a Pony Club Accredited Coach.

Richard has also been active as a representative on many committees including British Show Jumping Area 21 (Derbyshire), the Rider representative on the British Show Jumping National Sport committee, and a representative/ consultant on the Sport Horse Research Foundation.

Richard can be contacted via facebook or his website.

Craig Morris is an Olympic Canoe Slalom Coach and High Performance Coach consultant with over 17 years of experience in performance coaching.

A person-centred, inspirational leader, Craig has gained recognition both nationally and internationally for his ability to develop individual athletes and teams through a trans-disciplinary approach to development transcending pathway to podium.

Committed to facilitating others to shine, he is well known for being highly skilled in building and evolving relationships across performance teams.

Recognised for committing significant time to building a coaching chain, both within Canoeing and across other sports, Craig’s passion and skill to support other coaches and engage on a mutual learning journey through dyadic mentoring is growing rapidly.

Craig can be contacted via
email at info@culturedcoaching.com

On Twitter @MorrisCraig_

LinkedIn Craig Morris

What is representative learning design (RLD) and why is it important? A conversation with Dr Alex Lascu and Jane Randall.

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 09:00:00 +0100

In this episode we delve into the concept of representative learning design, what it is and why it matters.

As always, the conversation is unscripted and only has a topic as a start point for a genuine curious conversation. Alex, Jane and I pull on the representative practice thread and go on a few off-piste explorations too.

Topics including in this conversation:
- Understanding the relationship of the task and performer (of any level).
- Who is making the decisions and what information is being attended to?
- What is the rider paying attention to? What information is the horse paying attention to?
- What is specifying information and how can practice design help to guide attention toward it?
- What are affordances and shared-affordances?

Link to representative learning design tool for equestrian sports.

Links to my guests:
Jane Randall is now following her passion for all things equestrian as a coach and mentor. She is a British Equestrian Level 4 Coach, British Dressage Accredited Coach, MSc professional Practice in Sports Coaching , Mentor Coach with a keen interest in developing coaching science in equestrian sports.

When I first met Jane, she was exploring skill acquisition and coaching pedagogy as part of her British Equestrian Level 4 coach award at Gloucester University in the UK. We had many wonderful conversations about understanding and applying theories of learning and development with horses, humans and horse-human partnerships.

Jane can be contacted at https://www.jrdressage.co.uk/
Jane is also active on Instagram @janerandalldressagecoach and on Twitter @janerandall111

Dr Alex Lascu is a skill acquisition specialist by trade and currently lectures at the University of Canberra. Her passion for talent development and community sport is contagious, and she enjoys existing in the gap between research and practice in the hopes of bringing these two worlds together.
Find Alex on Twitter at @skillacqlascu

At her website https://skillacqlascu.wixsite.com/whisperer/about
Or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alascule/?originalSubdomain=au

Representative learning design academic paper Train how you play.

Improve your coaching and practice design for jumping with Katie Williams and Mia Palles-Clark.

Sun, 28 Aug 2022 22:00:00 +0100

Two very experienced coaches join me to chat about coaching behaviours and practice design for improving jumping. You'll find this episode is filled with practical tips and ideas to support your coaching and get the most out of your practice.

My guests this week are:
Katie Williams is a former international event rider, having ridden successfully to 4* level and produced many horses through the grades. Nowadays Katie is a full-time coach and has helped clients achieve success at every level up to international 4* eventing and including GB Junior, YR and Pony team trials and National Championships, BE Regional Youth Championships and Badminton Grassroots Championships.

Katie is a BECC Level 4 Eventing Coach, and in 2021 graduated as an MSc in Professional Sports Coaching with Distinction. In 2018 she was one of only four eventing coaches to be selected for the BEF cross discipline Youth Pathway Coaching Programme, designed for coaches working with talented young riders within performance pathways. Katie has also completed the Centre 10 Gold level Applied Psychology for Equestrian Coaches Programme, is a BHS Senior Coach in Complete Horsemanship (Reg) and is on the national list of Pony Club Recommended Specialist Eventing Coaches. Katie holds private coaching sessions and regular training clinics both at home in Monmouthshire and across the country.
Find Katie on her FaceBook page.

Mia Palles-Clarke can be found on Instagram @miapallesclark. Mia is a level 4 coach and coach educator with British Showjumping and runs her own coaching business Coach Mia Empowering Equestrians, Mia Palles-Clark International Showjumping Coach.
In addition to coaching individual riders, Mia has been the England Home Pony Chef d’Equipe since 2017. Bringing home numerous gold medals and developing the young riders to cope with the stresses and complexities that arise from these competitions and selection processes. She also coaches the British Army showjumping team, developing ability, strategy and team ethos.
You can also find Mia on FaceBook.
Mia has just been selected as part of the British team for the European championships for veterans (as a rider) and we wish her the best of luck!

Embracing uncertainty and a response-ability to the experiences of others (human and non-human). A conversation with Dr Carl Woods.

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 16:00:00 +0100

Carl Woods is a Senior Research Fellow within the Institute for Health and Sport at Victoria University. His research interests reside at the intersection of ecological psychology, social anthropology, and sport science, where he explores concepts of knowing, skill, learning and education. He has an extensive background in both academia and the industry, having held various positions within multiple Australian Universities and the Australian Football League.

In this conversation we explore what is is to learn, become skilful and to have expertise. Particularly the notion of being comfortable with embracing uncertainty, and through dwelling with uncertainty becoming open to the experiences of others (human and non-human).

It's a long and fascinating conversation that touches on many topics including the difference between cues and affordances, why it matters to ensure agency in those we coach and interact with, and what it is to interact though curiosity, care and hope.

This is a fascinating conversation that might need a few sessions to listen to, or a long drive :)

Contacting Carl -
Carl is on Twitter - @CarlWoods25
ResearchGate

Here are a few of Carl's recent papers -
Wayfinding: How Ecological Perspectives of Navigating Dynamic Environments Can Enrich Our Understanding of the Learner and the Learning Process in Sport

Sport Practitioners as Sport Ecology Designers: How Ecological Dynamics Has Progressively Changed Perceptions of Skill “Acquisition” in the Sporting Habitat

Joining with the Conversation: Research as a Sustainable Practice in the Sport Sciences.

Journal Club #1 How can 'performance analysis' support our riding and coaching? Researcher Dr Jane Williams discusses the practical implications with showjumper and coach Emma Slater.

Sat, 30 Jul 2022 16:00:00 +0100

Welcome to our first journal club episode where I choose a research paper from a journal that I think would be great to unpick and explore the practical 'so what' with one of the research team and a coach/rider.

The paper I have chosen for this episode is called 'Faults in international showjumping are not random' by David Marlin and Jane Williams (Comparative Exercise Physiology: 16 (3)- Pages: 235 - 241. 2020).

Jane Williams introduces her research, including the why, what, when and how of the study before Emma and I ask some questions and the three (well mostly my two brilliant guests) discuss the implications of the research and findings to everyday riding, coaching, horse and rider welfare, and competition performance.

Emma Slater
Emma has competed and trained at the highest level of Showjumping in the UK and around the world. She is a British Showjumping UKCC Level 3 Coach and Excel Talent Coach who supports national development and coaching programmes including the DiSE (diploma in sporting excellence) programme. Emma is also a level 2 and 3 Assessor and the lead coach from British Showjumping Gloucester.

Emma Slater is an experienced and respected showjumping competitor and still competes at an elite level. As a coach she specialises in the performance management of showjumping and eventing riders from grass roots to the International level. “I really enjoy working with people to develop their long-term goals and to help them achieve success”. Emma has excellent technical knowledge and is used to working in high pressured environments, maintaining a calm, confident manner. In her coaching as well as life Emma is empathetic, honest, motivated and a fair person.

Developing potential in horses and riders, it’s all about the partnership, growing confidence through knowledge and seeing them succeed – I love it!

www.teamslater.co.uk

FB: Emma Slater Showjumping Page

Instagram: slateremsj

Dr Jane Williams
Jane is an Associate Professor and Head of Research at Hartpury University. She is an experienced researcher, with a passion for enhancing equine performance and wellbeing through industry-informed, real-world research that generates change. Jane qualified as a Veterinary Nurse then gained her Masters in Equine Science before completing her doctorate exploring the application of surface electromyography as a tool to assess muscle adaptation during training in racehorses and sport horses.

Jane's main areas of professional interest include scientific evaluation of equestrian performance, training and wellbeing, rider impacts on equitation, reliability assessment across equestrian science and veterinary physiotherapy, and human-animal interaction. Jane co-edited and authored ‘Training for Equestrian Performance’ with Dr David Evans, to showcase how science and research can be applied practically to improve performance for horses and their riders, and has published over 100 research articles as well as regularly presenting at international equine conferences. She is also Honorary President for the International Society of Equitation Science, which promotes the application of objective research and advanced practice, to improve the welfare of horses in their associations with humans. Jane is also a founding member of the Sport horse Welfare Foundation.

Jane’s research outputs can be accessed here.

Developments in gait analysis that help identify pain related asymmetry could support your training and coaching, with Eva Marunova.

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 10:00:00 +0100

In this fascinating conversation Eva shares the main themes and findings from her PhD research. Eva helps to unpack the complexity of equine movement systems and and how gait analysis research is bringing new insights to our understanding of what is healthy or normal gait variability, and what movement strategies may be an indication of pain adaptations.

We discuss how research findings from gait analysis of horses could one day become much easier and cheaper to access and the implications of being able to pick up changes in in movement strategies used by your horses. Finally we explore how findings from research with and without riders can be used to inform coaching and training practice design.

Eva is an equestrian coach, a university lecturer and a researcher. She is a British Horse Society Accredited Professional Coach with diverse teaching experience from grassroots to expert riders. As a coach, her main interest lies in developing a horse-rider relationship based on biomechanics principles and equitation science. Eva is currently completing a PhD programme at The Royal Veterinary College - her research focuses on the quantification and evaluation of movement asymmetries in horses and the associated movement adaptation strategies horses might utilise under different conditions. This is an exciting area of research which is quickly gaining momentum in the veterinary circles as well as in the wider equestrian community.

Eva's social media links:
Facebook
Instagram
Website

Blog posts mentioned in the podcast: Rider position Exercises to improve your rising trot

Eva's research article (open access): Smartphone-Based Pelvic Movement Asymmetry Measures for Clinical Decision Making in Equine Lameness Assessment

Exploring how and why we need to become 'learning environment designers' for our horses, with Kathy Sierra.

Sun, 03 Jul 2022 16:00:00 +0100

In this episode I am joined by the brilliant Kathy Sierra. I came across Kathy's work near the beginning of my PhD due to her work with a fellow PhD candidate (studying skill acquisition in American Football) in Keith Davids Lab.

Kathy has been exploring using a constraints-led and differential learning approach underpinned by ecological dynamics theory for many years. This is a conversation I have been looking forward to for a long time, I know it's long but it is full of absolute gold so I couldn't edit it down.

I hope you find this episode as fascinating as I did. I know some of you will find it challenging in places because much of what is traditional wisdom in sports (including equestrianism) does not hold up under the lens of contemporary science of movement, skill acquisition, or pain science.

Kathy's area of interest is in the rehabilitation and skill adaptation of horses. She has an incredible amount of knowledge, skills, and experience in designing movement activities and learning environments/contexts that support horses to re-access their movement toolboxes. Using an ecological approach Kathy found that the horses she worked with would quickly blow past rehab and into high performance with surprising ease and motivation.

In this episode we explore a number of themes, including -
- How we can apply knowledge from neuroscience, pain science, and skill acquisition science research to working with our horses.
- Why a constraints-led approach to skill acquisition may be important for horse sports moving forward, particularly the role of self-determined motivation.
- Supporting horses to have autonomy and ownership of their movement.
- Why people and horses need to expand not reduce their movement toolboxes.

Links:
Kathy's website and information about her pain science courses and free resources.
The spider robot that learnt to limp.
Self-determination theory. How do we create optimal learning environments?
Learning the ugly zone.

'Can't jump, won't jump!' Reflections on considering an ecological approach to coaching with Warren Lamperd.

Sat, 25 Jun 2022 14:00:00 +0100

Welcome to episode 4! This is the first of a series of episodes that will be focussed on the recent publication of my concept paper making a case for applying an ecological perspective to coaching in equestrian sports (Can’t jump, won’t jump: Affordances of the horse-rider dyad underpin skill adaptation in Showjumping using a constraints-led approach).

In these episodes, my guests will question, challenge and explore the ideas with me. They will be bringing the concepts to life, adding practical examples and discussing the potential benefits and challenges of embracing contemporary theories of skill acquisition and coaching practice.

During the conversation we cover many topics, including:
- Brief explanation of theories of learning used in sport coaching and with horses.
- Why theories of learning change or influence the way we teach and coach.
- Are cues and affordances different? - the role of context and agency.
- What the implications of these ecological concepts are in designing practice. The importance of variable practice and making mistakes in training.
- Perception-action coupling and what information (visual, auditory, haptic, kinaesthetic) is important.
- The importance of embracing uncertainty and becoming comfortable feeling uncomfortable.
- Creating safe uncertainty or safe-to-fail opportunities in practice.
- Importance of a social licence to operate (SLO).

Link to the research paper (open access):
Research Gate copy: Can’t jump, won’t jump: Affordances of the horse-rider dyad underpin skill adaptation in Showjumping using a constraints-led approach

Links to my guest:
Warren Lamperd. Warren is a British Equestrian Federation UKCC Level 4 coach for British Showjumping and UKCC level 3 British Eventing Warren has a Masters Degree in Coaching Science, a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Practise in Sports Coaching and a Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Science. https://warrenlamperd.com/content/coaching

Hosted by Marianne Davies. Marianne is a PhD candidate at Sheffield Hallam University researching the application of non-linear pedagogy to equestrian sports coaching. Marianne is also a director at Dynamics Coaching. https://dynamics-coaching.com/

'If the horse (or child) can't say no, saying yes is meaningless.' Exploring agency with Mia Palles-Clark and Stuart Armstrong.

Sat, 28 May 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Welcome to the third episode of the River Tiger Podcast. In this conversation I am co-hosting with Stuart Armstrong (The Talent Equation Podcast) and welcoming our fabulous guest Mia Palles-Clark. Mia is a British showjumping BSCC Level 3 Coach, Coach Developer, British Army team coach, England Home Pony Chef d'Equipe and UKCC Coach of the Year 2017. For many of you, Stu needs no introduction, but if you have not checked out his podcast yet you are in for a treat. There is a link to Stu's podcast at the end.

In this episode we start to explore some of the implications of agency (or lack of) for horses and children within our sporting communities. Not surprisingly, this ended up as a long conversation and covered many fascinating areas and ideas. The focus was always on how we move forward and what all of us can do to help shape a great future for both equestrian and youth sports.

The themes we covered included:
- why agency is important
- aspects of our language and culture that shape our interactions and behaviours
- what can we do to change the landscape of our sporting and coaching eco-systems
- listening to our horses and children
- why agency is just as important in youth sports and how we can learn from other sports and disciplines
- why and how ecological dynamics and a constraints-led approach could have an impact on competence and also support agency
- a bit of a wish list of what we would love the future could look like.

Links to my guests/co-hosts
Mia Palles-Clarke can be found on Instagram @miapallesclark. She is a coach educator with British Showjumping and runs her own coaching business Mia Palles-Clark Showjumping (find her on FaceBook).

Stuart Armstrong is the host of the wonderful The Talent Equation Podcast which can be found on most podcast platforms. He is also active on Twitter @stu_arm.

Exploring a constraints-led approach in equestrian coaching with Jane Randall

Mon, 02 May 2022 21:00:00 +0100

In this episode I catch up with dressage rider and coach, Jane Randall. Jane is a Dressage Coach and Rider with an all round equestrian background having evented and show jumped, ridden point to point and enjoyed many happy days on the hunting field. Dressage is Jane's passion and she has competed Nationally & Internationally and produced her own horses to Grand Prix. (including her hunter!)

Jane is now following her passion for all things equestrian as a coach and mentor. She is a British Equestrian Level 4 Coach, British Dressage Accredited Coach, MSc professional Practice in Sports Coaching , Mentor Coach with a keen interest in developing coaching science in equestrian sports.

When I first met Jane, she was exploring skill acquisition and coaching pedagogy as part of her British Equestrian Level 4 coach award at Gloucester University in the UK. We had many wonderful conversations about understanding and applying theories of learning and development with horses, humans and horse-human partnerships.

When I was asked to host a session about applying a constrains-led approach (CLA) to equestrian disciplines and activities at the upcoming Connected Equestrian Coaches Conference, I was really keen to ask Jane to share her experiences.

Jane can be contacted at https://www.jrdressage.co.uk/
Jane is also active on Instagram @janerandalldressagecoach and on Twitter @janerandall111

Calibration: How do horses and riders become attuned to each other and their environments? A conversation with Dr James Stafford and Warren Lamperd.

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 12:00:00 +0100

Welcome to the River Tiger equestrian podcast.
In our first episode I am joined by two fabulous guests, James Stafford who completed a PhD in perception-action coupling in skill acquisition, and international rider, level 4 equestrian coach and MSc in coaching science, Warren Lamperd.

This episode builds on the topic of 'calibrating perception and action: how we become skilful at timing our movements.' We discussed how two different sentient beings (horse and human) become attuned to each other, and learn to skilfully calibrate movement with each other and their environment. This was a fascinating conversation and we ended up talking for 90 mins. Listen in sections, or pop it on for your next long drive.

During the conversation we cover many topics, including:
- Understanding the timing of movements, calibration to individual action-capabilities, and the implications to riding. We focus on jumping with horses as an example.
-Balance and other fundamental skills in sports and how they can be applied to riding.
- 'Affordances' and why this is such an important concept for all sports, especially for understanding horse behaviour.
- What the implications of these ecological concepts are in designing practice. The importance of variable practice and making mistakes in training.
- Perception-action coupling and what information (visual, auditory, haptic, kinaesthetic) is important.
- Implications for the design and use of technology in either supporting or thwarting perception-action coupling and learning to be skilful.

Links to my guests:
Warren Lamperd. Warren is a British Equestrian Federation UKCC Level 4 coach for British Showjumping and UKCC level 3 British Eventing Warren has a Masters Degree in Coaching Science, a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Practise in Sports Coaching and a Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Science. https://warrenlamperd.com/content/coaching

James Stafford is an experimental psychologist. He completed a PhD in perception-action coupling and the development of calibration and timing of movements. He is currently the Business Development Lead at INCISIV Action Intelligence. www.incisiv.tech. Check out and example of VR technology MOViR (https://youtu.be/mGjTvgGYWng)

Hosted by Marianne Davies. Marianne is a PhD candidate at Sheffield Hallam University researching the application of non-linear pedagogy to equestrian sports coaching. Marianne is also a director at Dynamics Coaching. https://dynamics-coaching.com/

The River Tiger Podcast from Dynamics Coaching

Confidence, Control, and Connection: NLP Meets Ecological Dynamics in Riding. A conversation with Dr Tracey Cole

Horse Welfare 12 with Dr Karen Luke: Systems Thinking, Wicked Problems, and Rethinking Equestrian Practice.

Response-Able: Ecological Psychology, Wayfinding, and Multi-Species Life. A catch-up with Carl Woods.

On finding one’s way: a comment on Bock et al. (2024)

How we learn to move in the real world: A conversation with Harry Heft.

Coaching Falling with Style: Affordances, safety, and skill adaptation with Danny Hatcher

Beyond Optimality: Embracing emergent adaptation. A conversation with Madhur Mangalam.

Exploring 'the affordance hypothesis' with Ed Baggs. What are affordances and are they different for non-human animals?

A contemporary perspective on strength, conditioning and rehabilitation with Yuji Suzuki.

Circumnavigating Anglesey: Celebrating friendship, adventure, and play.

Why the concept of affordances is so important to our understanding of becoming skilful. A conversation with Dr Andrew Wilson

What it is to be human: A conversation with Professor Eric Brymer about the nature of adventure sports.

Are we smart enough to know how smart horses are? A conversation with Louise Evans about her research into horse learning.

The paper we are discussing:

Louise Evans, Heather Cameron-Whytock, Carrie Ijichi,Whoa, No-Go: Evidence consistent with model-based strategy use in horses during an inhibitory task,Applied Animal Behaviour Science,Volume 277,2024,106339,ISSN 0168-1591,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106339.

Nonlinear pedagogy and being skill-full: levelling up your skills through experience with Dr Alex Lascu.

Part 2. Exploring Learning Theories with David Farrokh: An ecological (systems) approach in practice.

Part 1. Exploring Learning Theories with David Farrokh: From Behaviourism to Ecological Psychology.

Navigating Fear and Confidence: A conversation with Dr Rebecca Williams of Smart Climbing.

Breaking Flow! A conversation with Joe Kelly about skill acquisition and coaching in high risk activities.

Let's talk about menopause! A conversation with Steph Bradley about supporting women to stay active.

Training your horse using contemporary movement science. Kathy Sierra shares practical tips for helping your horse become a skilful and motivated mover.

Meeting the demands of your sport; increasing fitness and performance, reducing injury and pain. A conversation with The Equestrian Physio, Katie Wood.

How equipment design impacts motivation and skill acquisition. A conversation with adventure sport athlete and designer, Corran Addison.

Leading change: paradigm shifts and the importance of being evidence informed. A conversation with climbing coach Pete Edwards.

The importance of agency and relationships: A conversation about enhancing the wellbeing of our horses with Bonny Mealand and Emily Kieson.

Evolving Trends in Equestrian Journalism. A conversation with Sara Bref and Dr Petra Andersson.

If movement behaviour is a problem-solving activity, is there such a thing as "correct" biomechanics? A conversation with skill acquisition specialist, Tyler Yearby.

Research Papers

(Re)conceptualizing movement behavior in sport as a problem-solving activity - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1130131/full

Welfare, safety, and training. Exploring a systems view of equestrianism with PhD candidate Karen Luke.

Are instructions always good? Exploring the importance of how and why coaches guide 'Focus of Attention' with Dr Vicky Gottwald and Dr Robin Owen.

Understanding coaching eco-systems: Challenges and opportunities for developing a more nonlinear coaching practice. A conversation with Dr Mark O'Sullivan.

Fuelling your coaching journey: Event rider and coach Alex van Randwyck shares her insights on how to develop and nurture your own coaching skills.

Are you paying attention? Exploring the role of 'focus of attention' in skill acquisition with Richard Barbour

Open access research paper - Every story has two sides: evaluating information processing and ecological dynamics perspectives of focus of attention in skill acquisition

Part 2. 'Maybe their feet know something we don't.' A conversation with Lacy Stormes, barefoot showjumping USA.

The transformative bond: Exploring embodied cognition in motor racing, with Dr Gal Ziv.

This is the paper that inspired me to connect with Gal for a conversation about his research (open access) - An embodied and ecological approach to skill acquisition in racecar driving.

Part 1. 'Maybe their feet know something we don't.' A conversation with Lacy Stormes, barefoot showjumping USA.

Poker faces and the reason we don't ride zebras. A conversation with Dr Carrie Ijichi

Hoof talk: A guide to barefoot basics, with Equine Podiatrists Nia Cooke, Ali Taylor, and Harriet Jane Szwed.

Stepping outside the Matrix: (Re)examining our relationships with horses, with Equine Ethologist Renate Larssen.

Beyond tradition: Reshaping equestrianism for the modern world. A conversation with Organisational Culture researcher and practitioner, Dr Niels Feddersen.

Part 2. Anti-fragility: Building a resourceful body. A conversation with Dr Paula Silva.

Part 1. Becoming anti-fragile: The importance of training for growth beyond resilience. A conversation with Dr Paula Silva.

In Action and in the Code: Enhancing concussion recovery through technology, with Dr James Stafford

We need to 're-set' peoples eyes in terms of what is normal behaviour for a horse: A conversation with Dr Sue Dyson about the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram

The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain: Shifting the Paradigm of How We See Lameness at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrZgtrqbMVI

Lorimer Moseley - Why Things Hurt

Part 2: What is a coaching philosophy and why do we need one? A conversation with Dr Alex Lascu, Dr Carl Woods, Craig Morris and David Farrokh.

Part 1: What is a coaching philosophy and why do we need one? A conversation with Dr Alex Lascu, Dr Carl Woods, Craig Morris and David Farrokh.

The importance of saddles, saddle design, and listening to our horses. A conversation with Dr Anne Bondi, the Saddle Research Trust Seminars,.

Creating optimal learning environments and supporting motivation

Part 2. Exploring the concept of 'feel' with 'For The Horse' equine educator and consultant, Chris Adderson.

Part 1. Exploring the concept of 'feel' with 'For The Horse' equine educator and consultant, Chris Adderson.

Snow, Rabbits and Pooh Sticks: motivation, arousal and focus of attention in the ugly zone

Learning in the Ugly Zone: The Importance of Play and Exploration (with guest Snoopy)

This is an audio version of the blog post 'Learning in the ugly zone: the importance of play and exploration.'

An introduction to the Athletic Skills Model (ASM) with Dr Martina Navarro

Becoming skilful at asking questions, with coach developer Nicky Fuller

Keeping your horse's movement system healthy: A conversation with Dr Gillian Tabor.

Moving forward: Can youth and equestrian sports become more child and horse centred? A conversation with Dr Jennifer Fraser and Julie Taylor.

Part 2. Biotensegrity and the horse-human partnership: a conversation with authors Dr Susan Lowell de Solorzano and Maren Diehl.

Biotensegrity and the horse-human partnership: a conversation with authors Dr Susan Lowell de Solorzano and Maren Diehl. Part 1.

All things Flow! Exploring flow states with David Farrokh and Equestrian coach Maddi Burchell.

For the love of horses. A conversation with Ecuyer, Georges Dewez from Carreg Dressage.

Performance planning and adaptability: A conversation with Olympic Coach, Craig Morris and Richard Seals.

What is representative learning design (RLD) and why is it important? A conversation with Dr Alex Lascu and Jane Randall.

Improve your coaching and practice design for jumping with Katie Williams and Mia Palles-Clark.

Embracing uncertainty and a response-ability to the experiences of others (human and non-human). A conversation with Dr Carl Woods.

Journal Club #1 How can 'performance analysis' support our riding and coaching? Researcher Dr Jane Williams discusses the practical implications with showjumper and coach Emma Slater.

Developments in gait analysis that help identify pain related asymmetry could support your training and coaching, with Eva Marunova.

Exploring how and why we need to become 'learning environment designers' for our horses, with Kathy Sierra.

'Can't jump, won't jump!' Reflections on considering an ecological approach to coaching with Warren Lamperd.

'If the horse (or child) can't say no, saying yes is meaningless.' Exploring agency with Mia Palles-Clark and Stuart Armstrong.

Exploring a constraints-led approach in equestrian coaching with Jane Randall

Calibration: How do horses and riders become attuned to each other and their environments? A conversation with Dr James Stafford and Warren Lamperd.

Louise Evans, Heather Cameron-Whytock, Carrie Ijichi,
Whoa, No-Go: Evidence consistent with model-based strategy use in horses during an inhibitory task,
Applied Animal Behaviour Science,
Volume 277,
2024,
106339,
ISSN 0168-1591,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106339.