There are moments in your riding life when someone arrives and shakes you—gently or not—out of the fog. A coach, a mentor, a trainer who doesn’t just correct your diagonal or improve your transitions, but somehow reaches right into your soul and reminds you that you are capable of more.

For me, that person was Caroline Moore.

I’d been stuck. Not in a dramatic, crisis-type way. Just… stuck. Ticking along. Safe. Quietly existing in a haze of “good enough.” It wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t brilliant either. I was coasting.

Then came a training weekend organised by Callum Banfield – with the guest coach being Caroline—and it was like someone cracked open a window I didn’t even realise had been shut.

She didn’t ask for more. She expected more. Demanded it. I will admit it was in a quite shouty way—also but with such unwavering belief that you had more in you, you started to believe it too. That weekend was a wake-up call. I was riding my big, bold 17.3hh horse, Jack, but I wasn’t riding big or bold on the inside. Caroline saw that. She saw through the polish and pleasantries and called out for more. Called out to the rider I was very capable of being.

And I’m so grateful she did.

Caroline’s recent passing has left a huge hole in the equestrian world—but her influence is stitched into the seatbones and souls of so many riders. Mine included.

She reminded me that great trainers don’t just teach technique. They ignite something in you. They push you out of the comfort zone—not for the sake of it, but because they can see what’s waiting on the other side, because they demand more and they expect the best.

So if you’ve ever had a coach who turned up exactly when you needed them—when you were flat, lost, or playing small—honour that.

And if you’re lucky enough to find that person, even for just one weekend, hold on to the spark they lit.

Never, ever settle for just “good enough.”