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Dec 2022
1h 29m

Ian Stark: From Desk Job to the Olympic ...

Ride iQ
About this episode

In Stride is brought to you by Ride iQ. With Ride iQ, you can take a lesson with a top coach anytime you want through access to hundreds of listen-while-you-ride audio lessons. Start your 2-week free trial in the Ride iQ mobile app for iPhone or Android, or visit Ride-iQ.com for more information.

On today's episode of In Stride, Sinead talks to Ian Stark about his non-traditional start to an astonishingly successful eventing career and the lessons his horses and support team taught him along the way.

Ian Stark is a Scottish event rider who has competed in five Olympic games in addition to several World Championships, and European Championships. He collected many medals, both team and individual, during his career, including four Olympic silver medals. In addition to being a top competitor, Ian has served as a coach, selector, and course designer at the highest level of the sport. 

Ian tells the story of how he got into riding and competing in his first event at 18 years old. Ian and Sinead discuss people’s temperament and the connection to their success. They talk about the importance of being able to work well with others and how that has been a reoccurring lesson in Ian’s career. He details how he selects the right horses, which involves having self awareness and discipline around keeping his ambitions separate from his assessment of a horse's abilities. Ian also discusses the change in the relationship between riders and officials, and what the future may hold for eventing.

✨ Ride iQ gives you unlimited access to listen-while-you-ride audio lessons taught by some of the world‘s best coaches. Membership also includes weekly invitations to Office Hours (Q&A with an equestrian expert), access to exclusive podcasts, dressage test playbooks, and more. All for only $29.99/month. Start your 2-week free trial in the Ride iQ mobile app for iPhone or Android. Visit Ride-iQ.com for more info! ✨

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