Developing equestrian athlete confidence after experiencing the setback of a fall

Confidence is a key psychological quality for athletes’ performance success. Researchers have previously examined sources from which athletes gain their confidence; however, limited research has considered the coach’s role in rebuilding athlete confidence when returning to sport after dealing with setbacks. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to understand how coaches can work effectively with athletes to build confidence after a setback, considering the specific setback experienced by a rider from falling off a horse. To gain multiple perspectives, participants were six riders and six coaches (10 females and two males). Initially, participants wrote reflective letters to their younger selves on their experiences around the fall and consequent issues with confidence, with the content from these letters used to stimulate follow-up interviews. Three main themes were developed to represent the process of working effectively with riders to rebuild confidence: providing the foundation for building confidence, facilitating an understanding and awareness, and creating change in rider approach. These results informed the development of a temporal framework that suggests three stages that practitioners could implement into their practice. Findings were presented back to a further selection of coaches (n = 9) and sport psychologists (n = 3) as part of a member/external reflection process, to consider how these results might inform applied practice when working with riders after experiencing setbacks. The results are discussed regarding the practical implications for informing practitioners on how to work with riders who have lost their confidence in this context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)