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Join date: Oct 2, 2023

About

Welcome!

My name is Gilead (Gil) Friedman, founder and head coach of Mental Athletics.

My more than 20 years experience in the horse industry as a trainer, competitor, and coach has highlighted the importance of a strong mindset for sports performance.


In the past, mental toughness was thought to be innate – we now understand that resiliency can be learned through training. Concerned by the lack of resources available to riders on the mental aspect of showing, I created Mental Athletics.


Mentals Athletics combines my years of horsemanship experience with my education in Sports Mindset Coaching into a hands-on approach that helps riders of all skill levels and disciplines gain the knowledge and practical tools to step up their mental game and reach their Peak Performance Mindset (PPM). A PPM describes one’s ability to overcome mental barriers along their journey to success.

My goal as a Performance Mindset Coach is to support riders worldwide, and help them develop the skills to improve their well-being as competitors and their awareness about the inner workings of their mind that impact performance.

Posts (25)

Jun 22, 2026 ∙ 3 min
The 51% Rule: Finding Freedom and Overcoming Fear in the Arena
Horsemanship in a competitive setting is 51% mental. Every movement, decision, and reaction directly reflects our current state of mind. When I watch people ride, I look for the optimal balance between performance and well-being. A happy person is a more productive and effective rider. The journey of competition often feels like a constant high-stakes game of "make it or break it." We are told we must be flawless, inches from perfection, to secure a win. While hard work, big dreams, and...
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Apr 2, 2026 ∙ 3 min
The Puzzle Theory
Everyone knows how to put a puzzle together: piece by piece. Having all the pieces in the box is one thing, but getting them all connected is a whole different deal. To see the picture we want, we must connect the pieces one at a time. There is no other way. A broke horse is a lot like a puzzle. When a horse is "finished," we have complete communication. It understands pressure and release, it knows what we want, it knows the drills of every session, and it is genuinely, willingly guided....
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Dec 21, 2025 ∙ 5 min
From Good to Great
Finals day at the NRHA Futurity — we freaking killed it. Gabriel Borges finished Reserve Champion Level 4, and Rodrigo Nieves won both Level 2 and Level 3 of the 2025 NRHA Futurity. I am extremely proud of them, and I’m proud of myself for doing what I’ve been doing to help get them there. And still, the question comes up: What do you actually do, Gil? It’s not always easy to explain what I do in a sentence, so instead, I want to share what I see again and again — what it actually takes to...
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Gilead (Gil) Friedman

Gilead (Gil) Friedman

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