Fatherhood brings perspective to Luis Fernando Larrazabal
Luis Fernando Larrazabal is riding a wave of success with a serenity he attributes to mental health coaching and fatherhood.
“There is no secret,” said Luis, speaking of his second WEF Challenge Cup win this season. “My mindset now is just to enjoy the process, do my plan with my horses, trust more in what I’m doing every day…That’s been a big change in my sport and that’s where I feel the results are being better and more consistent because I’m more relaxed and in the moment when I’m competing. Hopefully I can keep it like this.”
Luis added to his WEF Challenge Cup win in Premiere week astride Ribery, with a victory aboard Baroness, on the grass of the Derby field. His time of 38.19 seconds set the bar in the jump off, with Lillie Keenan and Kick On, trailing him with 38.57 seconds, and Alexandra Worthington and De L’Oisiere rounding out the podium in 39.18.
“I’ve been riding this mare since she’s six years old, so I know her completely,” Luis said of the 10-year old Westphalian mare. “I haven’t showed for like five weeks, and I made my plan to start this week here.”
The plan came to fruition perfectly beginning with a win yesterday in the 1m40 class at Wellington International to settle Baroness into the show week. “She has a lot of stamina and she can be very fresh in the body and the mind so I wanted to make sure that even though it’s the first week [for her], she didn’t come out that fresh,” he said. “Because if she gets a little bit anxious in the ring she can lose focus. I had a couple of weeks in December to settle her down to get her ready for this week and I guess we had a good plan because she felt amazing today.”
Baroness was not the only one feeling more settled. Luis has been working with equestrian mental health coach Annette Paterakis for two years and the counseling is paying off.
“She’s [had] a very big impact on my career as a whole,” he said. “She’s the one that [has] put my feet on the ground, making me relax and take step by step and enjoy my ride more than just thinking about the results and winning.”
Luis’ challenges are at home as much as they are in the show ring. He and his wife Alexia have three-year old twins, a one and half year old and a baby on the way in a month. “When I get home I’m really working,” he said.
But fatherhood has also brought rewards to the 34-year old Venezuelan. “Now that I have kids it changes your perspective,” Luis said. “I see my kids and my family and you don’t waste your time on stuff that you cannot control or you cannot do much about.”
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