Luke Purtill - Equestrian

Big few days in Victoria training with Zoe Vorenas Dressage 🐎🐎 Lots of learning and new experiences! 💪😀 Thanks to Team mate Bel Dabic - Equestrian for yet another horsey adventure! 🐎 🐴 😁 And a big thank you to Zoe and her lovely dogs 🐕 and horses! 🐎 🐴

'The messy middle' Love ❤️ this description and sums up how I feel about my riding a lot of the time! 🤔
Reach out to Tanja Mitton Equestrian Success And Mindset she can really help you push through 💪 🙏 👍 🙌 👌

You're working harder than you ever have. So why does it feel like you're getting worse?

I hear this from riders constantly — the ones putting in more hours, more lessons, more effort than ever before, and somehow feeling further from where they want to be, not closer. If that's you right now, I need you to hear this: that feeling is not proof you're regressing. It's proof you're growing past what your current habits can hold.

Here's what nobody tells you about progress — it isn't a straight line. It's a mess of dismantling and rebuilding. Before you get better, you have to get uncomfortable enough to break the compensations that got you this far. That awkward, clunky, "I used to be able to do this" phase? That's not you failing. That's you finally addressing something you used to just push through.

The riders who never feel that discomfort aren't progressing — they're plateaued and calling it consistency.

So if your position feels foreign right now. If your horse feels like he forgot everything. If you're questioning whether you've lost your feel entirely — you haven't. You're in the gap between who you were and who you're becoming. That gap is uncomfortable on purpose. It's supposed to feel like this.

The riders who make it through aren't the ones who never regress. They're the ones who don't quit in the messy middle.

If you're in that messy middle right now and you're tired of white-knuckling it alone, this is exactly why I built Roadmap to Dressage Success — a mindset training program for competitive riders. Here's what's included:

- 12-week mindset training program for competitive riders
- 6 private strategy calls with me
- 3 live coaching webinars throughout the program
- Direct WhatsApp support during competition moments
- A Competition Support Journal to help you reinforce winning habits

This isn't just theory. It's real, ongoing support built for the exact moments you're in right now.

The October cohort and the February 2027 cohort are both open now — and slots are limited. If you've been waiting for a sign to finally get the support and clarity you need, this is it.

👉 Enroll Now — 12-Week Program Starting Soon

https://tanjamittoncoaching.com/sign-up

Tell me — are you in that messy middle right now? I read every comment. 👇

Breakfast of Champions!🏆 Included icecream 🍦
Eye roll 🙄 👁 🧐 from the responsible mother 👩 🤣

We've been having a wonderful but freezing 🥶 time training with Zoe Vorenas Dressage 🐎 🐴 With temps below zero 🥶 I could not have survived without my amazing Back on Track products from KickitBack. They kept me warm and my muscles well supported.
Mum loves them too! ❤️
We were so glad when the sun came out today! 🌞 ☀️

Our wonderful friend RIDE with SUI 💙

July 25, 2026 Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Today is World Intellectual Disability Day 🧡

We wanted to celebrate by sharing some information on Virtus Sport Para Dressage. So what is Virtus?! Virtus is the global organisation that governs – advocates – organises – promotes
elite sport for athletes with an intellectual impairment.

One of WA's elite Virtus dressage riders is Luke of Luke Purtill - Equestrian. Luke is the 2025 EWA Rider of the Year. Luke was born with 22q11.21 micro deletion syndrome. When asked what this sport means to him, in his own words " I love it! I like the challenge it provides me. I love the relationship with all horses. It’s not about winning. It’s about being the best I can be!" What a champ! ☺️

Very true.

Keeping Your Personal Drama Out of the Arena

The argument happened this morning. The work stress is still sitting on your shoulders. Your family said something that stung. And now you're standing at the arena, trying to remember why you came here in the first place.

Here's the hard truth: You can't separate your personal life from your riding life as cleanly as you think you can. Your mind doesn't work that way. Your body doesn't work that way. Your horse definitely doesn't work that way.

But you can make a choice about what you do with it.
When you walk through the arena gate carrying someone else's drama, you're not just affecting yourself—you're affecting your horse. She's picking up on the tension. She's sensing the distraction. And instead of having a conversation with you, she's having a conversation with your anxiety, your frustration, or your sadness.

So how do you keep the drama out? First, acknowledge it. Don't pretend it didn't happen. Sit with it for a moment. Feel it. Then ask yourself: Can I shift my focus right now? Some days the answer is yes, and some days it's no. And that's okay.

On the days when you can shift focus, use a ritual. Take three deep breaths before you enter the arena. Ground yourself in the present moment. Remember why you're here—not to escape the drama, but to show up fully for something you love.

On the days when you can't let it go, that's information too. Maybe today isn't a riding day. Maybe today is a day to sit with your horse and just breathe. There's no shame in that. Your horse would rather have you present and grounded than physically there but emotionally absent.

The arena is a place for you and your horse to connect. When you protect that space, you protect the relationship that matters most.

Day Two of the Para-Equestrian Western Australia High Performance Clinic and its another day of WOW! 😮🫯
Today we all rode 'Licorice' the horse simulator owned by Corine RDA. Thanks for being lovely hosts 🦄
What a fascinating and fun way of working on our riding. 🐎
Thank you to Ellen from Every Stride Physiotherapy for your sponsorship of the day and your amazing insights and suggestions 😊 💪 🦵
Thank you Sharon Jarvis for running the day and most of all thanks to Licorice for not bucking anyone off! 🤣🤣

Im proudly supported by Voler Equestrian and KickitBack