Picture this…..you’re one of the world’s top dressage rider. Tokyo is just around the corner. You are at a Nations Cup representing your team and your horse just says no. This is where Danish dressage star Cathrine Dufour found herself at Compiègne, just two months out from the Olympics when her horse Bohemian, who had been consistently scoring over 80%, decided the arena wasn’t for him and refused to enter for the Special, resulting in elimination for both her and her Danish team. That must shake the strongest of nerves. So what did Cathrine do? Went home, did some soul searching and called on her long time mental coach Rasmus Bagger who guided Cathrine back to the top of her game resulting in an individual fourth place finish at the Tokyo Games and then just a few weeks later, a team bronze an individual bronze and silver at the European Championships. Wow! I had to talk to Rasmus! He’s such an enthusiastic and generous person. His passion is totally infectious. In this chat Rasmus talks about building confidence, knowing how much of the game is mental and taking from other sports. Dancing with horses and the beauty of changing your mental interpretation of a situation. Seeking out gurus, his “Five-Three-One” Rule and why your mental state is more important than 10,000 hours. Balancing heart and head and Rasmus digs deep into focus, emotions and body language and how important it is with horses and in the ring: choosing it, showing it, feeling it, giving it. How your horse interprets you and our responsibility to our horse as well as making horses greater. And in regards goals, what’s realistic anyway?