BOOM! Baby! Kuzko from The Emperor’s New Groove Gives His Best Advice

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What’s your favorite character from The Emperor’s New Groove? 

Kuzco? Yzma? Kronk? Pacha?

If you’ve been around a while, you know I love my 90s movies! It’s been a while since I wrote about how 90s movies and mental performance and horse riding all tie together, and when my husband recently met the actor who plays Kronk… Well I knew what I needed to do. 

OK, so The Emperor’s New Groove is the wild tale of a spoiled emperor who gets turned into a llama, teams up with a peasant, and somehow learns humility while dodging a vengeful villain with the best evil laugh in cartoon history. I highly recommend it. Now, in the movie, there’s a point where Kuzco (the llama emperor) and Pacha (the villager he teams up with) are tied together to a log and they’re about to go over a waterfall? 

Sound terrifying?!? Here’s what Kuzco has to say.

Kuzco: Don’t tell me. 

We’re about to go over a huge waterfall.

Pacha: Yep.

Kuzco: Sharp rocks at the bottom?

Pacha: Most likely. 

Kuzco: Bring it on.

(yells yahoo!!!!)

THESE are the vibes, cowboy. This is what I want for you and what you get when you work with me. When you’re in the show pen and your horse decides to throw in a PLOT TWIST mid-pattern, but you’re sitting there like, “Please, I’ve ridden out crazier moves than this!” 😆

We’re talking:

✅ Unbothered

✅ Unphased 

✅ Full-on Kuzco energy. Boom, baby!

This is what mental coaching and mental preparation does for you. Every unexpected spin, missed lead change, and last minute adjustment is just another moment to handle with style. (Because if Kuzco does anything, he does it in style!)

Building resilience means no surprise can shake you. 

I have a client and her horse came into heat at a show and she had to ride that wild mare through a pattern squirting left and right like a sprinkler. 🤦 Did she let it phase her? No way. Bring it on.

Another client was loping along, nailing every move, when their horse decided to throw in an unexpected happy buck right as they were lining up for the next maneuver. Instead of panicking, they sat deep, stayed balanced, and carried on like nothing happened. Unfazed. 

I had someone where right as they cued for a lead change, the horse didn’t switch. Instead of freaking out, they calmly asked again, recovered the rhythm, and finished strong. A small hiccup? Sure. (Honestly, if your horse doesn’t switch most riders freak out). But they knew how to stay present, stay in control and keep moving. Unbothered.

Now this one happened to me. I showed up to compete at a ranch horse versatility show, and a downpour started right as I entered the ring. Rain or shine, I was committed and I rode with confidence, adjusting to the conditions without missing a beat. A little weather wasn’t about to stop me from performing at my best. Full Kuzco energy.

Halfway through, I had a gal blank on the next part of their ranch riding pattern. Instead of letting nerves take over, they paused, breathed, and refocused, remembering just in time and riding on. That slight stumble didn’t throw off their entire performance. Total cool.

This one is a classic I hear all the time, especially from riders with young colts. They were fully in the zone, and their horse suddenly spooked at a shadow or noise. But the rider stayed calm, they’d handled spooks before, & they quickly brought their horse’s attention back, calmed their nerves, and carried on with focus and composure. No drama here.

I’ve heard this one from clients competing at the Derby, or World Show. Riding by the rail, you notice a Big Name Rider is in the stands watching your go. It’s hard to ride your best when your heart is pounding because your riding idol is watching you! But instead of letting the distraction and pressure throw you off, you take a breath, stay in focus and in flow to have a great run. Grace under pressure.

Again, we are: 

✅ Unbothered

✅ Unphased 

✅ Full-on Kuzco energy. Boom, baby!

This is what it looks like to stay unfazed, unbothered, and fully in control in unpredictable moments. It’s the kind of mental resilience that makes you feel like a champion, even when things don’t go perfectly.

I want you to feel inspired. I want you to feel fired up. I want you to jump up and yell, BOOM BABY! 

Kuzko didn’t let a freaking waterfall or a llama transformation throw him off his game, and you won’t let a few hiccups in the arena break your stride either!

Ride on, cowboy,

Nicole

PS-If you’re ready to get the “how to” for Kuzco energy, join me in Resilient Reiner Academy for your step by step blueprint of how to develop your own unshakable confidence as a rider!

PPS- We’ve got the AQHA World Show, the NRHA futurity, and the BFA Futurity all going on or coming right up! If you’ve been putting off scheduling a 1:1 with me, my books are filling up so shoot me a message for an application!