How cognitive biases could be holding us back from positive change.

By Annika McGivern, MSc, Sport and Exercise Psychology

The equestrian world is steeped in tradition, with practices passed down through generations of riders, trainers, and coaches. While these longstanding approaches often carry wisdom, they can also keep us stuck if we aren’t willing to evolve and integrate new knowledge as it becomes available. Whether it’s with training techniques, horse care practices, or business models, change can be difficult. The familiar feels safer than the unknown.

How do you feel about change? Your personal answer to this question will be influenced by many things: your personality, your experience with change, your knowledge, and your motivation. In my work as a certified mental performance consultant, I’ve seen that resistance to change, both conscious and unconscious, is a common obstacle to progress. This resistance is usually fuelled by a natural human tendency to avoid change, driven by the fear of uncertainty and the unknown.

Related: Psychology for Equestrians: First, Focus on Yourself

The kicker is we may not consciously understand our reluctance to embrace change, only registering that it feels uncomfortable and therefore avoiding it, because there are several subconscious forces at work. The focus of this article is on one of these subconscious influences: cognitive biases. Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts that shape how we interpret and respond to new information. These biases affect decision-making in all humans and can make the process of embracing change even more difficult. While they provide a sense of stability, cognitive biases can also block progress and growth, holding back both people and the horses they work with.

We will explore three common cognitive biases that frequently influence human decision-making and how they could be impacting the equestrian industry: status quo bias, confirmation bias, and anchoring bias. Becoming aware of and understanding these biases is the first step in managing them, opening the door to greater innovation and a more adaptive approach in the pursuit of excellence in horsemanship.

Status Quo Bias

Status quo bias refers to a psychological tendency to prefer things to stay the same rather than embrace change. In the equestrian world where tradition runs deep, this bias can play a significant role in maintaining long-standing practices, even when new approaches could offer better results.

Many equestrians, whether riders, trainers, or coaches, tend to stick with familiar methods, such as traditional training techniques or horse care routines, because these practices have been used for generations. This bias can cause us to see traditional practices as superior, even when modern research or technology suggests otherwise. For example, a coach impacted by status quo bias may resist incorporating evidence-based sports psychology techniques into their training regimen, even though these methods could enhance a rider’s mental game and performance under pressure, because these techniques weren’t used openly in the past.

This bias can also affect decision-making around equipment, diet, and stable management strategies. Riders may avoid experimenting with new saddle designs, training aids, or feeding protocols because they feel more comfortable sticking to what they know.

While sticking to the status quo offers comfort and familiarity, it can prevent growth and progress. By not being open to try new methods, riders and trainers may miss out on advancements that could improve both horse and rider welfare and performance.

To manage status quo bias, consider being more open to questioning tradition and trying new methods, even if it feels uncomfortable at first. Start with small changes, such as experimenting with a new technique in a controlled environment or learning from mentors who are open to innovation. A key strategy that helps us manage status quo bias is curiosity. If we can choose the belief that there is always more to learn and best practice is ever-evolving, we can tap into curiosity and continuously explore new knowledge and approaches to find what truly works best.

Related: Why Curiosity is an Essential Mindset in the Saddle - Psychology for Equestrians

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms our preexisting beliefs while ignoring evidence that contradicts them. In the equestrian industry, this bias can prevent riders, trainers, and coaches from adapting to new approaches or understanding their horses and themselves in a more accurate light.

For example, a rider who believes their horse is “lazy” may selectively focus on behaviour that supports this belief, such as the horse slowing down during a ride, while ignoring other signs that might point to fatigue, pain, or improper training. Similarly, a trainer convinced that a particular method of groundwork is the most effective might dismiss new evidence showing that alternative techniques could yield better results for certain horses or riders. This bias reinforces outdated or incorrect views, blocking opportunities for growth. Confirmation bias can also influence how equestrians view their own progress. A rider who believes they aren’t good enough is likely to selectively focus on all mistakes, while ignoring evidence of progress or success. This may lead to them attributing any success to luck or circumstance, while internalising all mistakes or failures as their own fault.

The consequences of confirmation bias in the equestrian world are significant. When people consistently seek out information that only supports their current beliefs, they limit their ability to learn from mistakes and embrace new ideas. This can hinder progress and even negatively impact horse and human welfare by maintaining ineffective practices. To manage the influence of confirmation bias, it’s important to build the habit of challenging your assumptions and actively seeking out different perspectives. Engage with fellow equestrians who use different methods, stay open to new research, and critically evaluate your practices. This will help create a more balanced understanding of your horse’s needs and your own development as a rider or coach.

Related: Equestrian Psychology - Remain Calm and Ride On

Anchoring Bias

Anchoring bias occurs when people rely too heavily on the first piece of information (the “anchor”) they receive when making decisions, even when new or better information becomes available. In the equestrian industry, this bias often manifests when riders, trainers, and coaches form strong initial impressions or beliefs about a horse, training method, or piece of equipment, and continue to hold onto those impressions, regardless of subsequent evidence.

For example, a rider who has a negative first experience with a particular breed — perhaps finding the horse difficult to manage — may anchor on that initial experience and develop a general belief that all horses of that breed are challenging. This prevents the rider from giving future horses of the same breed a fair chance. Similarly, if a trainer’s first exposure to a new training method yields disappointing results, they may dismiss the approach entirely, assuming it doesn’t work, even though it may have been a case of improper application or the wrong fit for the particular horse. Anchoring bias can also show up in how riders evaluate their horses. A rider might make a snap judgment about a horse’s temperament based on their initial interaction and cling to that perception, even when the horse’s behaviour changes over time due to improved training or health conditions.

The impact of anchoring bias can be limiting, as it discourages adaptability and the reassessment of earlier decisions. It keeps us rigid in our thinking, reducing opportunities to learn from new experiences or information. To manage anchoring bias, consider working to remain open-minded and regularly reevaluate decisions with fresh data. Encouraging a mindset of continual reassessment — whether regarding training methods, horses, or equipment — allows for greater flexibility and growth, ultimately leading to more informed decisions that benefit both rider and horse.

Related: Navigating Stress and Emotions for Success at a Horse Show

Paving the Road to Greater Adaptability

As humans, we are naturally resistant to change. The comfort of familiar routines and long-held beliefs often feels safer than venturing into the unknown. This resistance is reinforced by cognitive biases like status quo bias, confirmation bias, and anchoring bias, which can affect decision-making. While these mental shortcuts help us maintain stability, they also hinder progress and innovation, both for individuals and the broader equestrian community.

Status quo bias keeps us clinging to traditional methods even in the face of compelling new research; confirmation bias leads us to always interpret evidence in ways that affirm our existing beliefs; and anchoring bias locks us into early impressions, making it difficult to adapt when new information arises. Together, these biases can contribute to a reluctance to embrace new ideas, even when those new ideas have the potential to improve both rider and horse performance and well-being.

Understanding and identifying these biases is the first step in limiting their impact. By being open to change and continuously reassessing our decisions, we can foster practices that support us to keep innovating and growing, despite the existence of cognitive biases. Horses and humans thrive when we actively embrace innovation and are willing to integrate new approaches to training, horse care, and coaching with the wisdom of time-honoured practices.

Related: Psychology for the Horse Rider - From Self-Sabotage to Success

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