1:1 Coaching

Do you know what to do to improve your riding but don't actually do it?

I help equestrians who are struggling to balance career, family, and sport find time and energy to tackle their own wellness program.

Let's work together and close that gap to help you ride with confidence and improve your partnership with your horse.

Get Started with a Free Consultation

How can I help you?

Hi, I'm Shelley Thomas

Is the equestrian athlete equation elusive to you because you run out of time and energy? Do you take amazing care of your horse but struggle with your own health, fitness, and mindset?

I understand where you're at! Been there, done that, lived that struggle. I badly wanted to be a good rider and partner with my horse, but couldn't seem to fit in time for my own training plan alongside my career, family, riding, and everything else. I just kept letting myself down despite all my goals. I remember thinking, "how can I be so successful at my career but can't follow the simplest workout and eating program? What's wrong with me?"

Then I learned it's about getting very specific. Specific exercises, specific habits, specific patterns. It's not the same formula for every equestrian. When you and I work together, we'll figure out your specific needs so you can get fit, healthy, and be a great partner for your horse.

My mission at Intrepid Wellness is to help busy, overwhelmed equestrians successfully follow a wellness program for themselves and their horses so they can ride with confidence and handle the workload required to achieve their performance goals.

There is a powerful connection between wellness and performance. If you think of your trainer as the head coach, think of me as your barn manager. I help you get organized and do all the prep work to have that "I'm in it to win it" attitude when you ride.

I'm a horseman, human and equine physical therapist, certified Champion Performance Coach, PN Level 1 Nutrition Certified Coach, and Master Reiki practitioner. I bring together movement, health, and mindset skills to create a three-prong approach to your one-on-one coaching program.

For your wellness:

Together we work to improve your fitness, health, energy, and mindset.

For your riding:

Through regular video analysis, your fitness program is tailored to improve your riding biomechanics.

For your horse:

I will help you design a wellness program for your horse to improve their movement, posture, core strength, and comfort.

Dream + Plan + Do

You know that feeling of having big goals with your horse, and knowing that you’re half of the “athletic team.” You know you need to get fit, eat healthy, recover properly, and have a forward thinking, I-am-a-great-rider-and-can-do-this mindset.

Every week, you make training plans for your horse and yourself, and then you fail to follow them. Every week, despite your best intentions, you don’t find time to get it all done. You can feel your goals slipping away, and feel like you’re letting your horse, yourself, and your family down. They’ve all sacrificed so much and you still don’t feel like you’re good at your sport.

Now, imagine this:

If you knew someone who was struggling to pass a class, what would you tell them? I bet you’d recommend they get a tutor.

What if you knew someone who wanted to run a marathon but felt overwhelmed by the training programs? I bet you’d recommend they hire a coach.

What if you knew someone who wanted to lose 30 pounds but was struggling to stick to their meal plans? I bet you’d recommend they see a dietitian.

See the pattern here? Coaching is an incredibly powerful way to get some help.

Equestrian sports are complex, and you’re trying to juggle a career, family, training your horse, AND your own wellness and performance plan. You’ve got a trainer to help you train your horse. Now you need someone to help you train yourself.

The benefit of one-on-one coaching is the plan is 100% customized to your goals, schedule, and needs.

Some riders want a hardcore fitness program to change the shape of their body. Great, you can have that.

Some riders want to lose weight. Perfect. We can focus on that goal.

Some riders want to feel energized at the barn and mentally focused. We can build a program that focuses on that goal.

Some riders really want help with creating training plans for themselves and their horses. They have no idea where to start. That’s a great goal and we can tailor your program to that.

One-on-one coaching is a little like “choose your own adventure.” Shelley will help you identify your important goals and combine the science of wellness with the magic of accountability to help you close the gap of knowing what to do and actually doing it.

Sound intriguing? Schedule a free consultation today. You have no obligation to enroll. It’s just a great way to learn more and see if this program is what you’ve been looking for.

When you work with Shelley -

You'll have a great partnership with your horse because you're riding with confidence and intention.

When you work with Shelley - You'll feel great because you consistently fit sport-specific exercises into your jam-packed schedule.

When you work with Shelley - You learn that action is an antidote to overwhelm and you stop letting yourself down.

When you work with Shelley - You feel confident that you have created a foundation of strength, fitness, and soundness for your horse because you have a wellness program for them too.

The Ultimate One-on-One Coaching Program

Equestrian sports are among the most difficult in the world. You need a comprehensive wellness program to prepare you and your horse for the challenge.

For Your Wellness

Fitness, nutrition, and mindset coaching are tailored to your needs. We start with a "dream and scheme" goal-setting session, evaluate your athletic needs, and make an action plan that you can fit into your busy schedule.

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For Your Riding

Shelley will review videos of your riding to help you improve your biomechanics. It's fun to put a physical therapist's eye on your riding; it's a whole different point of view. Your fitness program will be tailored to release restrictions and strengthen weak areas noted in the video.

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For Your Horse

We'll also create a wellness program for your horse that improves their posture, movement, and soundness. Through your feedback, video and photo analysis, Shelley will help you create a strength and conditioning program for your horse the keeps them going throughout the season.

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What's Included:

Here's what's included in your Custom Coaching Program

DREAM & SCHEME GOAL SETTING SESSION

We start with a FUN! and comprehensive goal planning session. What do you dream of accomplishing? What skills do you need to achieve your goals? We create an action plan and break it into manageable steps.
WEEKLY COACHING SESSION

You meet with Shelley for 30 minutes each week to check in, talk about what's working, and decide the next step to take. This is great for accountability and making adjustments to your plan.

VIDEO ANALYSIS OF YOUR RIDING

Submit videos of your riding for analysis. Shelley uses an app called OnForm that lets her draw lines, slow things down, and talk over your video so you can see how you move on a horse. Your exercise program will be tailored to help you improve your riding biomechanics.
WHATSAPP ACCESS TO SHELLEY FOR HELP

You can message Shelley for help between coaching sessions on WhatsApp. This lets us stay in touch and helps you stay on track with your wellness program.

CUSTOMIZED EXERCISE PROGRAM

Based on your goals, movement restrictions, and amount of time you can commit to fitness, Shelley designs your customized program. The program is delivered in an app that makes it easy to understand and track your exercises.
HEALTHY MEALS ON THE GO

As an equestrian, you are on the go! Learn to eat healthy meals to boost your energy levels, even when you're running from work to the barn to home and then to your kid's soccer game.

VIDEO ANALYSIS OF YOUR HORSE'S MOVEMENT

Keeping your horse sound and well is just as important as your program. Shelley is an equine physical therapist, so she'll help you design a program to improve your horse's posture, movement, and soundness.
TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR YOUR HORSE

Learn to use the Soundness System Tracking Tool™ to monitor your horse and reflect on your rides. This is a great way to catch issues quickly and keep your horse sound.

Who needs coaching?

Here are Some of My Clients

R.M. lives in a rural area and doesn’t have access to regular dressage lessons. She enrolled in the coaching program to have a comprehensive approach to her riding. She has a customized exercise and nutrition program for herself, and gets help creating a training program for her horse. Each week she is provided with some riding exercises and she takes a short video clip, then submits them for review. In her weekly coaching sessions, we review her progress, which helps her stay motivated and accountable to her plan.

The "needs distance coaching" rider

E.A. has a very busy job and is a mom. She takes excellent care of everyone, including her horse, but is challenged to make time to work towards her goals. She uses the coaching program to help her set realistic goals, then stays accountable to those goals. Each time we meet, we review her plans for riding, workouts, and healthy eating. We prioritize how to adjust the plan if her work or family needs more of her time. She logs her progress and reports in each coaching session.

The "no time for my own goals" rider

M.C. enrolled in the coaching program because she was struggling with some weakness and pain issues. No matter how hard she tried to be more symmetrical on her horse, the strength and coordination difference would show up and she felt stuck. She enrolled in coaching to get an effective program from a physical therapist, and have some accountability to stick to the program. She reports her riding has significantly improved and she feels much more balanced on her horse!

The "healing old injuries" rider

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