Bettina Hoy: The Drive for Greatness

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On today's episode, Sinead is joined by German Olympic event rider Bettina Hoy.

Bettina has competed for Germany in multiple Olympics games, World Championships, and European Championships. She was the first German woman in a championship and rode in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and 2004 Athens Olympics.

Bettina has been incredibly successful on multiple horses, one of them being Ringwood Cockatoo. This pair won team bronze at the Blenheim European Championships in 2005, team gold at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, and individual bronze at the 2007 European Championships. Bettina was the coach for the Dutch eventing team from 2017-2019. She also coached the Mars Bromont Rising U25 Grant Program in 2022.

In this episode, Bettina discusses various topics related to her career as a rider and coach, including:
• Her father’s influence on her riding career from a young age.
• Being naïve about pressure early in her career and eventually realizing that she needed to work harder.
• Her approach to teaching feel and the value in having a trainer occasionally ride your horse.
• Knowing that the sport was not about physical strength but understanding your horse and being able to adjust to the situation.
• Dealing with different personalities as a coach and realizing that not everyone is as determined or willing to learn as they could be.
• Using rider fitness to minimize miscommunication between you and your horse, establish a correct position, and teach your brain to talk to certain parts of your body.

✨Ride iQ gives you unlimited access to listen-while-you-ride audio lessons taught by some of the world‘s best coaches. Membership also includes weekly invitations to Office Hours (Q&A with an equestrian expert), access to exclusive podcasts, dressage test playbooks, and more. All for only $29.99/month. Every sign up includes a 14-day no-risk free trial. Get your personalized lesson recommendations at ⁠Ride-iQ.com/quiz⁠. ✨