Haters Are the New Trainers: Social Media Experts Share Tips on How to Ruin Your Riding Confidence

Gone are the days when riders learned from actual trainers with qualifications, experience, and a physical presence. Thanks to the magic of social media, you can now receive instant, unsolicited training advice from self-proclaimed experts in the comments section—most of whom last sat on a horse when MySpace was still a thing.

To better understand this exciting new era of equestrian coaching, we reached out to some of the internet’s finest critics for their top tips on how to completely destroy a rider’s confidence!

Tip 1: Slow Motion is Your Best Weapon

According to Aya Nakamura (JPN), equestrian influencer extraordinaire, the key to online expertise is slow motion video analysis.

"Take a normal clip of someone riding and slow it down to 0.25x speed. Now, you can find every tiny mistake and screenshot it with a caption like ‘Oh dear…’ for maximum effect!"

Bonus points if you post a freeze-frame where the rider’s position looks particularly tragic. Extra bonus points if you circle random parts of the image with red lines and call it biomechanics analysis.

Tip 2: Dismiss Experience—Your Opinion Matters More

Felicity Lloyd-Knight (GBR), eventer and product of generations of pony club and hunting stock, has faced her fair share of online “trainers.”

"I once posted a cross-country round, and someone told me my horse looked ‘unhappy’ in a snaffle bit. Meanwhile, their profile picture was them standing next to a Shetland pony in a headcollar."

This brings us to the golden rule of social media training: Your own experience is irrelevant. Your critic doesn’t need to have ever sat on a horse—they have opinions, and that’s enough.

Tip 3: Compare Every Rider to a Professional

Want to break someone’s confidence instantly? Just tell them:

"Hmm, not bad, but it’s nothing like Charlotte Dujardin / Michael Jung / Tim Price."

Helga Müller (GER), dressage traditionalist, has a simple response to this.

"The internet told me my contact was ‘too strong’ and my curb rein should be lighter. That’s interesting, because my trainer—who actually competed at the Olympics—told me it was correct. But sure, let’s trust a person whose only dressage experience is watching ‘The Horse Whisperer’ on Netflix."

Tip 4: Tell Everyone Their Horse Looks Unhappy

Dr. Leila Al-Farsi, global horse welfare advocate, has seen it all.

"I care about horse welfare, but let’s be real—if you ride, someone online will tell you that your horse is miserable. If it’s on the bit, it’s ‘forced.’ If it’s stretching, it’s ‘lame.’ If it has ears back for one second, it’s ‘abused’ and ‘crying for help.’"

The best trainers spend years learning to read horses. The best online trainers spend seconds making assumptions.

Tip 5: End Every Comment with ‘Just My Opinion’

Perhaps the most important trick of the trade—always cover yourself with the classic "Just my opinion!" disclaimer.

According to Isabella Rinaldi (ITA), wealthy amateur turned Instagram dressage queen, it works every time.

"Someone told me my horse was ‘clearly in pain’ because he swished his tail once in a PSG test. When I politely explained that he was just being a horse, they replied, ‘Calm down, it’s just my opinion!’ As if that makes it less stupid."

Final Thoughts

Of course, there’s one thing these online trainers will never do: Get on a horse and prove they can do better.

As Paddy O’Sullivan (IRE), the gruff Irish racehorse trainer, puts it:

"You can’t hear idiots on the internet when you’re galloping flat-out across an open field. Just ride your damn horse."

Sage advice.