Behind the 236.5: Reflections from The Run For A Million

A month ago, I asked Gabriel Borges a simple question: What score are you aiming for at The Run For A Million?

Without blinking, he said, 79.

I was in awe. Do you know how much raw courage it takes to bet on yourself like that? A 79 average hasn't been touched in our sport for nearly two decades. Most of us hesitate too much to expect that. We second-guess - not always our talent, but our luck, the draw, our horse, or the timing. But Gabriel didn’t flinch. There was zero arrogance in it; it was pure, quiet conviction.

From that moment, we broke down the pattern piece by piece. Much like the framework I’ve  talked about in The Puzzle Theory, every high-level run isn’t one overwhelming mountain. It’s individual maneuvers, strengths, and weaknesses fitted together with precision.

As a performance coach, I had to look in the mirror and ask myself: What is my actual purpose here? What does an athlete genuinely need to cross that threshold? And more specifically, how could I help this rider, Gabriel, achieve his vision?

The answer wasn't more coaching, more drills, or technical micromanagement. What he needed most was space to quietly do his work.

The Inverted Pyramid

Think about your own daily reality in the barn or in your business.

In a healthy organization, you have a wide base supporting the peak. But in the equine world, as a professional, that pyramid is almost always upside down. The head trainer stands balanced under the tiny tip, carrying the entire weight of the world: training, coaching, managing clients, keeping the business afloat, running the crew, and dealing with the financial pressure.

When your entire mental bandwidth is consumed by simply balancing that heavy load, it’s impossible to access peak flow. You lose track of the core craft and the quiet, nuanced conversation between horse and human.

Coming into Las Vegas, I understood I had one singular mission: Flip the pyramid

The moment we met at the show, I looked at Gabriel and said: “Our goal is simple - we are here to support you. Whatever you need, and whatever decision you make, our only job is to execute it and protect your focus.”

Freedom as a Precondition for Excellence

The truth for every rider, no matter what level you show in, is that you cannot perform at your highest level if you feel trapped by expectation.

True horsemanship isn’t forged in rigid, mechanical drills. It’s an art of communication. It requires the internal freedom to do what feels right in the moment rather than what you think you must do to survive the pressure. When you allow yourself to stay present, practice with authenticity, and embrace the raw reality of the run, success stops being a hope and starts becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When Gabriel and Ice rode through the gateway into that electric arena, the building went wild. But inside the pen, it wasn't chaotic. It was pure athletic harmony.

When the score flashed - 236.5, with a 79 marked on three of the five judges' cards - he matched a world record that had stood untouched for 18 years.

It was a historic moment, but the real victory happened long before he walked into the pen. It happened when an athlete found the courage to claim his standard, backed by a team that cleared the noise so his horsemanship could speak for itself.

So, the takeaway for you, professional or not, is next time you prepare to walk into the arena or tackle a major goal, ask yourself some questions.What noise do you need to clear out, and what standard are you brave enough to claim? And whose support do you need to make those two happen?