This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast episode, sponsored by Dechra, is with leading high-performance coach and nervous-system expert Natalie Hummel. She coaches top professional athletes in all sports, but her experience as a former upper-level eventer enables her to especially relate to riders.
Natalie started riding at 10 and after moving up the ranks she eventually achieved three-star status and started working for Michael Pollard. But after back-to-back tragedies involving the unexpected death of several horses, her heart was too broken to continue in the sport and the energy and passion she’d felt for riding started to shift toward pursuing higher education.
After getting her PhD in clinical psychology, she went on to develop Natalie Hummel Coaching—her personal performance coaching program that aims to help equestrians break through mental and emotional blocks. Drawing from neuroscience and somatic integration, Natalie helps elite athletes rewire their physiological response to stress so they can access clarity, consistency and flow when it matters most.
She’s worked with a number of top eventers—including Boyd Martin and Hannah Sue Hollberg—and countless other riders who came to her stuck in negative repeating patterns that often surface at the worst moments—the centerline, in-gate or in the quiet corners of everyday life. Through her coaching methods, Natalie focuses on helping riders reset their baseline, release subconscious performance blocks, and compete with more ease, power and purpose.
In today’s podcast, Natalie talks about her journey from being an upper-level eventer to becoming a coach and discusses the unique mental and emotional challenges faced by riders. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the nervous system, dealing with fear and separating one's identity from performance.
The conversation also touches on the misconceptions surrounding talent and support in equestrian sport, the significance of learning from failures and the emotional aspects of recovering from injuries. Additionally, Natalie highlights her upcoming projects, including a masterclass with Boyd Martin and a new program focused on self-mastery and performance mastery.
About This Episode’s Sponsor, DechraDechra is a global specialist in veterinary pharmaceuticals and related products. Our expertise is in the development, manufacture, sales and marketing of high-quality products exclusively for veterinarians worldwide. We are driven by our purpose of sustainable improvement of local animal health and welfare.
Dechra’s equine portfolio is diverse and focuses on mobility, joint health, reproduction, anesthesia/analgesia, dermatology, ophthalmology and fluid therapy.
Our key brands include Zycosan, (pentosan polysulfate sodium injection), Osphos (clodronate injection), ProVet APC (Autologous Platelet Concentrate) system, Ortho-kine vetirap, Equidone Gel (domperidone) and Vetivex Fluids.
Dechra’s rapid growth is fueled by these key products and others in the portfolio, as well as recent highly successful acquisitions. We continue to grow because we understand the challenges veterinarians face and we give them what they need. Dechra provides continual training and support to help veterinarians help animals. For more information, please visit www.dechra-us.com or call (866) 933-2472.