Falling—whether from a horse, during competition, or in life—is more than a physical event. It activates your brain’s primal fight-or-flight response, releasing adrenaline and cortisol to protect you.

While helpful if in real danger like running from a bear, these hormones can work against you in sports, leading to fear, hesitation, and overthinking.

Alex Hutchinson’s Endure explains how athletes face these mental challenges head on and highlights the importance of building your response inhibition. Which is the ability to consciously override instinctual reactions. This skill is what allows top performers to stay composed and push forward despite discomfort or stressful pressures.

Remember the brain test from the beginning? Once you’ve completed it, reflect: How easily were you able to override your brain’s automatic responses? What do your results mean?

Awareness is the first step to overcoming your brain. By understanding how your brain works, you gain the power to control it.

This is especially important for equestrians, where the challenge of falling off in cross-country means you can’t immediately try again, so the failure sits in the back of your mind until your next show. Uncertainty lingers, much like an uncleaned wound.

“Since I’ve been practicing mental techniques since my gymnastics days, this process has become second nature. But I know that falling off in gymnastics—into a foam pit—isn’t the same as falling off a horse and literally eating dirt!”

The good news? Mental strength is a skill you can develop, and it starts with small, intentional steps like the Stroop task.