While the latest issue of the magazine GRAND PRIX devotes its coverage to the new but essential subject of the mental health of high-level riders, our long file dealing with this theme will also be available throughout the month of April on GRANDPRIX.info, and will be accessible for subscribers. Find the summary and publication schedule below.
Long taboo, the subject of mental health has gradually emerged in our societies, particularly since the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions on social ties, so much so that the hierarchy of norms seems reversed today. Indeed, public opinion now seems ready to recognize the strength and courage of those who raise awareness and confront their doubts, sadness or fears, long synonymous with weakness. A profession of passion, pressure and requirement if there is one, the practice of professional sport is not immune to the evils that strike many individuals evolving, moreover, in an environment conducive to these imbalances.
Burn-out, anxiety, depression or even eating disorders, many athletes have spoken out in recent years, calling on sports organizations to take preventive and support measures in an area that they still consider too confidential. What about top riders?
This file first proposes an inventory of fixtures in the equestrian world. Laurent Karila, eminent psychiatrist and expert in addictology, delivers keys to understanding the various pathologies concerned. Several show jumping and dressage champions have agreed to confide in the difficulties they have gone through. Finally, the major national federations present their initiatives, supported by the experience of Jean-Maurice Bonneau and Patrick Caron, former coaches of the French jumping teams.
When can I find articles from the mental health dossier on GRANDPRIX.info?
Monday 17 and Tuesday 17 April:
The riders, athletes like the others?
“He who wants to succeed must learn to fight, persevere and suffer”, said Bruce Lee, Chinese-American actor, director and producer, who also distinguished himself as a distinguished martial artist. Supreme symbol of self-transcendence and passionate devotion, high-level sport subjects athletes to a daily intensity, to which riders do not escape, for whom the horse factor often represents a source of additional pressure, which can weaken their mental balance. However, the potential psychological repercussions of this rhythm of life seem to be still confidential, even taboo; an anomaly in an area where the smallest detail affects performance.
Wednesday April 19:
“When emotions are sources of psychic disorders, you have to get help”Laurent Karila
Laurent Karila is an eminent professional in psychiatry, a subject he teaches at the University of Paris-Saclay and regularly popularizes in “It starts today”, a television program broadcast on the public service. Expert in addictology, which he works to prevent through the association SOS Addictions and his Addiktion podcast, the charismatic professor offers here a scientific and medical reading of the potential harmful consequences of the intensive practice of sport.
Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 April:
“In front of my shrink, I felt like I was naked”Philip the Younger
After a resounding triumph, a bitter underperformance or a simple period of doubt, the majority of great riders have probably already gone through more or less delicate periods on the mental level. Anxious to lift the veil on this subject, Peder Fredricson, Philippe Le Jeune, Charlotte Dujardin and Alexandra Ledermann evoke, each in their own way, some of the difficulties they had to overcome during their brilliant career.
Thursday 27 and Friday 28 April:
What Sports Organizations Do
Why and how to provide psychological support to top athletes, including those who do not want it or do not feel the need? Should it be imposed? Propose it with conviction? To what extent should we act in prevention? At a time when mental health has become a social issue, how do sports organizations, which guarantee the well-being of athletes, act and integrate this field of expertise into their systems? Twelve of the most important national equestrian federations deliver their keys, enlightened by Jean-Maurice Bonneau and Patrick Caron, former coaches of the French team.
