Louise Hamilton Hypnotherapy

Louise Hamilton Hypnotherapy Helping horse riders overcome anxiety, boost confidence & rediscover joy — in and out of the saddle. Calm minds, confident rides, and genuine self-belief.
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Helping horse riders overcome anxiety, boost confidence & rediscover joy - in and out of the saddle. I’m a friendly, down-to-earth hypnotherapist who helps riders (and non-riders too!) conquer nerves, build self-belief, and feel calm, focused & in control - whether it’s for competitions, everyday riding, or life in general. If you’re ready to quiet the self-doubt and ride with confidence again, I’

m here to help. Specialising in:
• Rider confidence & mindset
• Overcoming anxiety & fear
• Building self-esteem & inner calm

Let’s get you back to feeling like you again — calm, capable, and confident.

PART 18 - MY JOURNAY WITH MJIn November 2024, after I'd retired MJ completely, a client of mine recommended a specialist...
27/08/2026

PART 18 - MY JOURNAY WITH MJ

In November 2024, after I'd retired MJ completely, a client of mine recommended a specialist equine vet from Newmarket who was a friend of hers.
As a favour, he came up to Scotland to see MJ. He agreed that she may well have DSLD, but he also felt that there was something else going on which could be contributing to the discomfort we'd been seeing. His suspicion was that her sacroiliac area was causing her significant problems, potentially because she'd been compensating for the DSLD.
He came back on 21st January 2025 and injected her SI. I remember the date clearly…it was my birthday.
A week later I took her out for a little hack. And she felt completely different. I honestly couldn't believe it. We gradually did a little more, being incredibly cautious and watching her for every possible sign that she wasn't comfortable. Everything seemed to be going well. Then in March, we decided to see what she thought about jumping. I wasn't expecting much. In fact, I think I was almost scared to hope.
We started very small….70cm….then 80cm. And she absolutely loved it.it was the same old MJ.
She went to the fences with that familiar enthusiasm, and when we gave her a little time to process what she'd done and then jumped again, she still didn't hesitate. I can't really explain what that felt like. After being told that she'd never jump again, suddenly I was sitting on her back, jumping little fences. It felt like we'd been given a second chance.
We didn't know how long it would last, so I was determined not to waste a single minute of it. Our first competition in nearly two years was a British Dressage combined training competition. MJ scored an incredible 72% in the dressage and then went clear in the showjumping, albeit with her usual slightly erratic enthusiasm!
She won her class. I don't think I've ever been so emotional about a rosette. Not because winning mattered. It was because we were back. Somehow, unbelievably, we were back.

Photos of first time I jumped her again and realised she was feeling good, and us coming out of the dressage arena at our first competition back (even though I didn't know the score or result at that point, I knew she was feeling fantastic). Look how much this gorgeous horse of a lifetime makes me grin😍

Link to blog in comments below

If you’ve ever been in for a session during a warm spell, you might be VERY pleased about this exciting development in t...
27/08/2026

If you’ve ever been in for a session during a warm spell, you might be VERY pleased about this exciting development in the therapy room 😂☀️

AIR CONDITIONING! ❄️🙌

The new aircon is being installed in my therapy room today and I’m so excited!

It’s not just about keeping the room lovely and cool in the summer. 🌸

The windows in the therapy room overlook the fields, which is beautiful… but in the summer, when the tractors are busy working, having the windows open can mean it gets VERY noisy! 🚜😂

And when you’re trying to relax, switch off and focus on yourself during a session, the last thing you need is a tractor roaring past just as you’re getting into a lovely relaxed state! 😆

So now we can keep the room at a comfortable temperature without needing the windows open, meaning a much quieter, calmer and more comfortable environment for your sessions. 💕

I think this is going to make a HUGE difference!

Pics of installation ongoing today🙌

SO VERY SORRY FOR THE PAUSE IN "MY JOURNEY WITH MJ" Here is the next installment...anybody who has not seen previous ins...
24/08/2026

SO VERY SORRY FOR THE PAUSE IN "MY JOURNEY WITH MJ"

Here is the next installment...anybody who has not seen previous installments these are on my FB page and longer versions available as blogs on my website

Part 17 - MY JOURNEY WITH MJ

After MJ was diagnosed with DSLD and I was told she would never jump or compete again, I had to get my head around the fact that our life together was going to look very different.

The vets felt that the only thing she could really do was hack, so that was what we decided to focus on. It sounds simple, but it wasn't quite as straightforward as I'd imagined.

One thing I'd noticed over the years was that every time MJ had been off work injured, she seemed to come back into hacking more anxious than she had been before. The longer she'd been off, the worse it seemed to get. And this wasn't just a little bit of napping or being fresh. She could completely lose the plot. Particularly if there were other horses around.

It was almost as though a red mist descended and she had no control over her own body. She'd go backwards, sideways, stand on her own feet and generally become incredibly difficult to manage....going backwards down ditches, into cars, nearly went backwards off a bridge once!

The strange thing was that she could be completely different at competitions. We could be warming up for cross country with horses galloping past us, or in a busy showjumping arena with horses flying around everywhere, and she'd be as calm as anything.

But out hacking with another horse? Completely different.

By 2022 I'd got to the point where I couldn't safely hack her with other horses at all. Now, having been told that hacking was going to be our future, I decided we were going to persevere with it, but on our own and very gradually.

We started going to lots of different places and doing things we'd never done before. We even did online treasure hunts which gave us a reason to go looking for railway crossings, traffic lights and all sorts of random things that forced us to explore places I probably wouldn't otherwise have taken her.

On one occasion I even hacked her into Kilmarnock town centre early on a Sunday morning. And actually, the more we did, the better she became. I started to think that perhaps we'd found our new normal.

Then in July 2024 I entered our first affiliated TREC competition.

We'd spent ages practising the obstacles and the control of paces, and I'd been trying to learn how to read a map, which was probably a bigger challenge for me than anything else!

The obstacles went well. The control of paces went well...even leading other horses into fields....this was a competition environment and she was happy with other horses in this environment. Then we started the orienteering section (like hacking).....and MJ spotted other horses. That was it.

The red mist descended and we were heading backwards into trees, tree stumps, other horses... pretty much anything that happened to be behind us. It became so dangerous that we had no choice but to head home. I was absolutely mortified.

But more than anything, it made me realise that I still hadn't really found a way of making hacking enjoyable and safe for her.

A few weeks later, she was struggling with the hills around home and I started to question whether I was actually doing the right thing by continuing to ride her. So I made the decision to retire her completely.

At that point, I honestly thought that was the end of the riding part of our story. I just wanted her to be happy, comfortable and living the life she deserved.

And then, completely unexpectedly, somebody came into our story who was about to make me question whether we really had reached the end...

Link to blog in comments below.

There’s something I wanted to say about reviews… ❤️Many, many times my clients tell me how happy they are with the resul...
20/08/2026

There’s something I wanted to say about reviews… ❤️

Many, many times my clients tell me how happy they are with the results they’ve achieved from working with me. They’ll message me afterwards, tell me how different they feel, what they’ve been able to do that they couldn’t do before, or how much their confidence has changed.

But not everyone feels comfortable leaving a public review.

And honestly, I completely understand why. Sadly, social media can sometimes bring out the nastiness in people, and putting your name to something personal can feel quite exposing — particularly when you’ve been working on something like anxiety, confidence, self-belief or a fear.

So when someone chooses to leave a review, I never take it for granted. ❤️

And sometimes clients would like to share their experience but prefer to do so anonymously — which is absolutely fine with me.

Here’s one of my latest reviews, shared anonymously with permission:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Five months ago, my daughter had completely lost her confidence and wouldn’t get back on her horse. She is loving riding again, has been to Pony Club camp, back jumping full courses, and most importantly is learning to ride through the difficult moments rather than panicking and giving up.

The sessions have helped me hugely too. I’m now able to watch her ride again without hiding or feeling completely overwhelmed by anxiety.

The difference in both of us has been enormous. I would recommend the sessions with Louise!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m incredibly proud of the work I do and, more importantly, of the amazing people who put their trust in me.

You don’t have to shout from the rooftops about your experience for it to matter. But if you do feel comfortable leaving a review, please know just how much it means to me, and how much it can help someone else who is sitting there wondering whether hypnotherapy could help them too. ❤️

Thank you to every single person who has trusted me with their story. 🥰

No pic in relation to the review, just another pic of my Mum…this time, spending what time she is able to with Erin while she is recuperating❤️

12/08/2026

I wanted to give you a little update on why I’m still not quite back to working full time at the moment, and also share something positive that I hope might be useful to some of you.

The good news is that Mum’s ribs and back are now no longer causing her any pain, and over the last week she had even started doing a little light gardening and walking Poppy again.

However, when they scanned her ribs following her fall from Erin, they discovered breast cancer. Thankfully, it looks as though it has been caught early because of that fall, which we are incredibly grateful for.

Yesterday Mum went into hospital to have the lump removed. She was initially very unwell and sick after the anaesthetic, but thankfully today she is starting to feel a little better. She is back on the pain medication, unfortunately, which previously made her feel nauseous, exhausted and lightheaded. And, rather frustratingly for Mum, she has been told that for the next week she can't lift anything with either arm – not even a saucepan! So there will be no cooking for her 😂 – and for the following four weeks she can't use her left arm, as that is the side she had surgery on.

So I’m back to looking after Erin full time for at least the next four weeks, by which point Mum will have started radiotherapy. We don't yet know exactly how that will affect her or how much support she will need, so I’m taking things a week at a time.

I’m not sharing this for sympathy or to complain about having to take some time away from work. I’m incredibly grateful that Mum is getting the treatment she needs, and that we caught this when we did. It’s simply an explanation as to why I’m still working reduced hours for the time being, and why replies and appointments may sometimes take a little longer than usual.

And there is something about Mum through all of this that I really want to share. Despite everything that has happened, she has remained incredibly upbeat and positive. Of course, she has moments when she feels fed up, worried or emotional – she’s human! – but she makes a real effort every day to focus on gratitude, positivity and the things she *can* control.

One of the things she does every single day is meditate. And I genuinely cannot say strongly enough how beneficial I believe a regular meditation practice can be. It can help to reduce anxiety, build emotional resilience, encourage a more positive mindset and help you feel calmer when life throws something unexpected at you.

It doesn't mean you never feel worried or upset. It simply gives you a little more space between what happens and how you respond – helping you to **respond rather than react**.

I recorded a guided meditation for myself quite some time ago, and I now give it to all of my clients who come to me for help with general anxiety.

But I thought that, given everything Mum has been going through, it might be helpful to share it more widely.

So if you struggle with anxiety, overthinking, feeling overwhelmed, or simply find that your mind never seems to switch off, I’ve made the recording freely available on my website.

You’ll find it under the **Blog** section – I’ll put the link in the comments below. ❤️

And finally, thank you so much for all the lovely messages and support you’ve sent to both Mum and me over the last few weeks. They really do mean a lot.

Video below of my amazing Mum eventing at the age of 71❤️

Over the last few weeks, while I’ve been helping Mum, looking after Erin and making sure Poppy still gets her daily adve...
07/08/2026

Over the last few weeks, while I’ve been helping Mum, looking after Erin and making sure Poppy still gets her daily adventures, one thing has slipped a little… checking in with some of my lovely clients after their sessions.

Today I finally sat down and started catching up. And I don’t mind admitting… I’ve had a few happy tears.

Reading message after message from people telling me they’re back out hacking, enjoying competitions again, feeling calmer, believing in themselves, or simply enjoying being with their horses again… it’s the reason I do what I do. ❤️

When you’re busy helping people every day, you don’t always stop to appreciate just how much their lives have changed until you hear it back from them. I’ve shared a few snippets of the messages (with personal details removed), because they deserve to be celebrated far more than I do.

To every single client who has trusted me to be part of your journey… thank you. It is an absolute privilege.

And thank you as well for bearing with me while family has had to come first for a little while. Your kindness and understanding has meant more than you’ll know.

I’m hoping to get back to posting regularly over the coming week. I’ll share a little update on how Mum is getting on, and I’ll also be picking up my ‘My Journey with MJ’ story, which many of you have been asking me to continue.

For now though… I’m going to keep smiling through these lovely messages. They really are the best reminder of why I love what I do. ❤️🐴

20/07/2026

Like so many people in the horse world, I was absolutely heartbroken to hear the devastating news of the loss of Sophie Fouracre and Kerry Donoghue.

Although I never knew Kerry well, she followed my page, so seeing her name in this heartbreaking news felt especially poignant.

My heartfelt condolences go to both of their families, friends and everyone who knew and loved them. My thoughts are also with every competitor, official, volunteer, medic and spectator who has been affected by these unimaginable tragedies.

The eventing community is such a close-knit one, and losses like these are felt right across our sport. Horses bring us so much joy, but days like this are a heartbreaking reminder of the risks that riders accept every time they leave the start box.

Please look after one another, check in on your friends, and hold your loved ones a little closer.

Rest in peace, Kerry and Sophie. 💔🐴

If you’ve been wondering why I’ve gone a little quiet on here recently… I haven’t disappeared! Life has been a bit diffe...
08/07/2026

If you’ve been wondering why I’ve gone a little quiet on here recently… I haven’t disappeared!

Life has been a bit different over the last couple of weeks after my amazing mum had a serious fall from her horse, Erin.

She ended up in intensive care with 5 broken ribs, 3 broken vertebrae and a collapsed lung. It was a very frightening time for all of us, but thankfully she’s now home with us where she belongs. She’s still in a lot of pain and has a long recovery ahead, but we’re so grateful she’s here.

With Mum unable to do everything she’d normally be doing, I’ve been stepping in to look after her rather cheeky horse, Erin, and making sure her lovely dog, Poppy, still gets plenty of walks.

It’s also made me realise just how much Mum quietly does for me every single day. Like so many mums, she’s always just got on with helping out whenever I’ve been busy, and I don’t think I’d fully appreciated quite how much until now.

So if you’ve noticed fewer posts than usual, that’s why. My clients are, of course, still my priority, but any spare time at the moment is being spent helping Mum as she recovers.

The photo is of my incredible mum competing in her very first BE event at the age of 71 (7 years ago now)…proof that age has never stopped her doing what she loves. ❤️

Thank you to everyone who has sent messages, kind wishes and support. It really has meant so much to us all.

Hopefully normal service will resume soon… although I suspect Erin may have other ideas! 🐴🐶

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Inchbean Cottage
Kilmarnock
KA15LL

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