Joe Stockdale talks about psychological toughness and the way he has developed his mindset on this unique article for H&H subscribers
Profitable a six-bar or a puissance requires an ice-cool temperament. The strain ramps up as the sphere whittles all the way down to the ultimate contenders for the prize. When British showjumper Joe Stockdale cleared 2.13m on Its Confidential (Rolo) at Spruce Meadows, he not solely received, however set a brand new six-bar document (joint with Czech rider Vaclav Stanek).
However the mark of a fantastic rider is how they reply to that strain, and in Joe’s case it was very a lot “convey it on”. He had meant to leap solely a few rounds, however as Its Confidential was leaping so nicely, he determined to go for the win.
“I bought a bit excited, he stored leaping higher and higher, and I ended up going all the best way,” says Joe. “I wasn’t going to tug out as soon as it was a two-horse race.
“After I went in and confirmed Rolo the fence, that made me nervous. It doesn’t even appear like a soar when it’s that huge. However Rolo is so courageous; he didn’t blink a watch.”
However Joe recognises that thriving underneath strain is a symptom of being on kind.
“That’s when you understand you’re assured, since you’re not pondering of what might go unsuitable,” he says. “Stress is a pleasant factor to be part of. For those who’re underneath strain, it comes all the way down to being the final individual to leap and having to go clear. That’s what you dream of – and pulling it off.”
“Stress is a pleasant factor to be part of,” says Joe – it reveals you’ve put your self in a profitable place. Credit score: Alamy
Joe explains that this sort of good strain is a results of the laborious work that’s delivered you to a profitable place – and that readiness is one thing you may lean into.
{“content material”:”<p>“When you’re feeling under pressure, you have to think about the preparation, the work you’ve done to get to this point,” he says. “The horse is ready, you’re ready, you’ve ticked every box and you’re in the best position you can be in at the time. Obviously it’s a worry if you’re not well prepared, but if this is your big goal, you’ve trained to be ready for this moment and you try to do the best you can.”</p>
<h2>Dealing with pressure when the results aren’t coming</h2>
<p>But pressure can exert negative forces in showjumping. The pressure of the winning round might be a privilege, but there are other times when the burden of just keeping your head above water in a highly emotive sport can weigh heavily.</p>

<p>“Mentally the sport is very difficult, there are lots of ups and downs,” says Joe Stockdale. “Any sport is tough, but ours is particularly tough. We have massive highs and then have big troughs, lows when things aren’t working out.</p>
<p>“It’s very difficult to deal with. You feel under pressure, because you want to do well, and the people around you want you to do well and they’re part of that team.”</p>

<p>Joe’s tools for diffusing that pressure when the rosettes aren’t coming is to remember what motivates him in the first place.</p>
<p>“I just try to find what I enjoy about it,” he says. “I enjoy being with the horses, I enjoy working with them day to day trying to improve them, even if it’s a little a time. It’s taking it step by step, a day at a time, keep turning up and doing what you can. Hopefully, eventually you get the result you deserve but it might take time.</p>
<div id="attachment_913092" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-913092" class="lazyload blur-up size-full wp-image-913092" data-processed src="https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2017/03/new-hh-placeholder-200x200.png" data-src="https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/12/JoeStockdale_Feature_PN8792-.jpg" alt="Joe Stockdale pats bay horse" width="2000" height="1125" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/12/JoeStockdale_Feature_PN8792-.jpg 2000w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/12/JoeStockdale_Feature_PN8792--300x169.jpg 300w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/12/JoeStockdale_Feature_PN8792--630x354.jpg 630w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/12/JoeStockdale_Feature_PN8792--135x76.jpg 135w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/12/JoeStockdale_Feature_PN8792--1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/12/JoeStockdale_Feature_PN8792--320x180.jpg 320w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/12/JoeStockdale_Feature_PN8792--620x349.jpg 620w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/12/JoeStockdale_Feature_PN8792--920x518.jpg 920w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/12/JoeStockdale_Feature_PN8792--1220x686.jpg 1220w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/12/JoeStockdale_Feature_PN8792--1620x911.jpg 1620w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/12/JoeStockdale_Feature_PN8792--1920x1080.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><p id="caption-attachment-913092" class="wp-caption-text">“When times are tough, I try to find what I enjoy about it – I enjoy being with the horses and working with them day to day,” says Joe. Credit: Peter Nixon</p></div>
<p>“I’m lucky to have a great team of people around, who’ve been with me a long time and we’re all working towards the same goal. They understand that if it’s not going well, I’m still trying my best and vice versa, they’re giving 100%. That’s all you can ask for and hopefully the results come.”</p>
<p>If he has a horse that loses confidence in a show environment, Joe immediately works to build back the trust.</p>
<p>“The best thing is to slow things down, drop down in height to take the pressure off yourself and the horse, and make it easier for everyone,” he says. “Then get them confident before you go up the levels again, not rushing to go to bigger shows. Take it in the horse’s time, so that only when they’re ready can you pull the trigger and move up.”</p>
<h2>How Joe Stockdale developed his mindset</h2>
<p>In terms of <a href="https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/tag/rider-mindset">mindset</a>, Joe Stockdale has various mentors that have shaped him into the rider he is today, but the main drive has been his work ethic.</p>
<p>“There’s not one piece of advice I’ve been given that’s made the difference but there are a lot of people in the sport and around me I look up to,” he says. “My dad [<a href="https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/tag/tim-stockdale">Tim Stockdale</a>] was one: very hardworking, very determined, worked extremely hard to get to where he wanted to. That’s something I think about every day.</p>
<p>“When I’m struggling or finding it difficult he’d be giving me a rollicking, telling me to buck my ideas up and get stuck in and get on with it!”</p>
<p><a href="/tag/william-funnell">William Funnell</a> is another.</p>
<p>“William’s a mentor and a very good friend,” Joe says. “He’s got the biggest breeding operation in the UK, a massive set-up with so many things going on at once, and he’s run that and gone to the top of the sport. I look up to him and his work ethic at lot. These are the things that inspire me and keep me going every day.”</p>
<p>As for the little hacks that help him along the way? Don’t mention Lady Luck.</p>
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<p>“I was always told you’re not allowed superstitions,” Joe says. “My dad always said that then you have an excuse when things go wrong. I once had a lucky set of cricket gloves I always used to bat in, and Dad told me it was nonsense, because one day I’d forget them and it wouldn’t go well and I’d say it wasn’t my fault because I didn’t have my lucky gloves.</p>
<p>“So I have no superstitions but I have my routine and I stick to that. I’ve got a system, and I try not to rely on luck, though I could do with a bit every now and then!”</p>
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Martha is an skilled journalist who’s mad-keen on horses and canine. Her reporting CV consists of the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Competition and World Cup finals. After rising up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she loved 14 years with two rescue canine. Now, her fixed companion is Fidget, a particularly energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on matters as numerous as a prime horse’s clone to the very best GPS trackers for canine, in addition to equestrian and rural issues for Nation Life, The Area, The Occasions, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
