Sports Psychology Consultant Mario Soto Works With Top Wellington Equestrians
By Sydney Durieux
For the past 17 years, leading sports psychology consultant Mario Soto has been helping top riders and trainers — many based in Wellington — reach their goals, both in the show ring and in life.
Soto, a professor of sport psychology and performance at California Baptist University, works with elite athletes and coaches in a variety of sports, from baseball and martial arts to water polo. But it is the equestrian world, especially in Wellington, that has turned to Soto to help maximize performance and give them a winning edge. These include top trainers and riders like Missy Clark, Steven Bluman, Tanner Korotkin, Maggie Jacobs, Matt Cyphert, Ali Sweetnam, Sam Walker, and Jimmy and Danielle Torano, to name a few.
Embracing Sports Psychology Consulting (SPC), which is designed to assist athletes to become better in their sport, takes a leap of faith, but Soto’s equestrian clients leap over fences, sometimes as high as 1.60 meters, regularly!
It was an unlikely beginning for someone with little experience in the saddle.
“I received a call from someone who had a few bad falls while riding. We met for lunch at a horse show, and a gentleman overheard us and came to introduce himself,” Soto recalled. “His name was Robert Ridland, who I later learned was the chef d’equipe for the U.S. show jumping team. He said he had someone he wanted me to meet. It was Olympic gold medalist Will Simpson. Will was my first equestrian client, and he was literally at the top of the sport. But he knew that he wanted to stay there. Athletes don’t have to have ‘issues’ to seek out a performance coach; they just need to want to continue to grow and get better.”
Bluman, a Grand Prix rider and trainer, recently started working with Soto.
“For someone to truly help equestrian athletes with their mindset, they need to understand our world from the inside,” explained Bluman, who is part of the family business at Bluman Equestrian in Wellington. “What stood out to me is that Mario has invested real time, effort and resources into learning the sport — our culture, our pressures and how our environment operates. Mario creates an environment where conversations feel natural, open and honest. That has allowed us to get into topics that are normally difficult to talk about, even this early in the process. I can already see how this openness will be beneficial as we continue working together.”
Mary Rose Canterbury, who trains at Bluman Equestrian, has been working with Soto for two years.
“I struggled with concentration and confidence, but working with Mario, I noticed almost immediately a change. A lot of times, one bad jump would cause me to lose focus, and my round would fall apart,” the 19-year-old amateur rider said. “The first time I jumped a 1.50-meter class, he was there. He helped me act like no one was watching, as if it was a regular class. This is such a mentally challenging sport, and Mario, who is patient, kind and understanding, helps so much with it.”
Every year, Clark, the owner and head trainer at North Run, and her husband and partner John Brennan, produce top riders who regularly take home blue ribbons at Wellington International. One of Clark and Brennan’s “tools” for success in the saddle is Soto, who works with many of North Run’s clients.
“I’ve always believed that working with a sports psychologist can give any athlete an advantage,” Clark explained. “Mario has been such a good fit for our riders, and we’re very grateful to have him as an important member of our North Run team. He has assisted in many ways, most notably by helping our riders to learn how to tune into their abilities to improve their focus and concentration, as well as how to handle pressure, mistakes and expectations. By sharing his insights with our riders, he has given them valuable tools to build confidence and maintain a strong mental focus when competing.
One of North Run’s clients who is excelling is 15-year-old JJ Torano, whose parents Jimmy and Danielle Torano own JET Show Stable in Wellington. The teen started working with Soto a year and a half ago and has been racking up prestigious wins in the equitation, hunters and jumpers.
“When I work with young riders, it is important to have the parents involved,” Soto explained. “Many top junior riders come from equestrian families, like JJ, whose parents are both winning Grand Prix riders and elite athletes themselves. They have a real understanding of the pressures of the sport, both physically and mentally, and know what it takes to keep moving forward. My goal is simple really, to always give the athlete — no matter their age or level — the tools they need to succeed, without getting in their own way.”
To learn more about Mario Soto and Sports Psychology Consulting, visit www.mariosoto.com.
