Ep 118: Preparation and Confidence
Guest hosted by: Paula Cooper
On this episode, I’m joined by an ambitious young trainer named Paula Cooper who transitioned from competitive skiing into roping and rodeo at the age of 16.
Although Paula had a later start in her horsemanship journey, this has not stopped her from becoming an extremely competitive roper and trainer, earning a college rodeo scholarship at the University of Wyoming.
Paula has taken her work ethic and competitive spirit from skiing and applied this to her goals inside the arena. When she was enrolled in the ski academy, Paula trained 6 days per week. Once she got into high school, Paula had to consider what path she would take in college. And at this point, she began to gravitate toward horses and rodeo.
“My story is an interesting one to share, and that is because it is such a testament to how welcoming the western industry is. I came in as an outsider, and I was welcomed by my coaches and teammates because of my work ethic and shared love of horses.”
One of the great things about horses is that you can get involved with horses at any age. If you have the opportunity to own and ride just one horse, you are already in a unique position that many people would love to be in. Just that alone is a remarkable opportunity.
“Horses have taught me gratitude and about the type of person I want to be. One of the biggest things I have learned from Phil is the importance of treating horses as something you want to build a relationship with rather than treating them like a tool for your success.”
A big part of Paula and I’s discussion centered around the notions of preparation and building confidence. As someone who did not come from a ‘rodeo’ family, Paula worked to build confidence in her horsemanship journey by creating routines and focusing on her strengths.
When you focus on your strengths and doing your job to the best of your ability, you train your brain to build confidence. When you are learning and progressing, it is essential to focus on those runs where everything came together instead of only focusing on the things that could have been better.
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