IN a new development for the Irish senior show jumping team, world-renowned sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella has joined forces with Team Ireland as part of an ongoing initiative to support riders in gaining a competitive edge through enhanced mental preparation and mindset training.

Rotella is the bestselling author of a dozen books and is widely known as sports psychologist to recent Augusta Masters winner Rory McIlroy. Dr Rotella has long-standing ties to show jumping, having worked with riders since the 1980s. His current clients include US Olympic medallist McLain Ward and international rider Lillie Keenan. Over 50 senior riders joined a Zoom session this week which explored elite athlete mindset strategies and practical techniques for applying them in the ring.

This new collaboration with Dr Rotella has been introduced by High Performance manager Michael Blake and is aimed at enhancing rider development both on and off the horse.

Positive step

Speaking about the experience, 21-year-old Tom Wachman, who is on a fantastic run of form at five-star level and was this week selected for the Young Rider European Championships, said: “I found it really interesting. In other sports, you see how professional the athletes are and they bring in many outside people to help with different areas like mental coaching. So it’s great show jumping is catching up and Bob is obviously at the top of his field, so it was a great experience.”

American-based team rider Andrew Bourns added: “I think using Dr Bob Rotella is a very positive step forward for Team Ireland. He is proven across many sports to help athletes perform their best and, with show jumping becoming increasingly technical and high pressure, a little advice from someone like Bob can go a long way.”

Seamus Hughes Kennedy, who recently made his five-star Nations Cup debut and is named on the senior European squad, said: “It was a great talk, especially from someone associated with such high-level performers, such as McLain Ward and Rory McIlory. We took home a few very noteworthy points. It’s a great team and we all lift each other up.”