How to Overcome Horse Riding Competition Nerves
You can ride confidently at home all week and then arrive at a competition feeling like a completely different rider.
Your heart starts beating faster. Your stomach feels unsettled. You become more aware of everyone watching. Suddenly you're worrying about forgetting your dressage test, missing a stride, having a refusal or simply making a mistake in front of other people.
Competition nerves are extremely common, and they don't necessarily mean you're unprepared or lacking in ability.
Sometimes the more a competition matters to you, the more pressure you put on yourself to perform well.
As a clinical hypnotherapist and an experienced horse rider and owner of more than 30 years, I've seen how easily anticipation and overthinking can interfere with riding confidence. The good news is that competition nerves can be managed, and learning to approach competition day differently can make competing considerably more enjoyable.
Why Do Horse Riders Get Nervous Before Competitions?
Competition changes the environment around something you normally know how to do.
At home, there may be no audience, no judge, no score and no expectation of achieving a particular result. If something doesn't go perfectly, you simply try again.
At a competition, the same riding skills can suddenly feel as though they're being tested.
You may worry about:
making a mistake
forgetting your course or dressage test
disappointing your instructor or family
letting your horse down
other riders watching you
being judged
your horse behaving differently away from home
not performing as well as you do in training
Once those thoughts start, the competition can begin to feel threatening rather than enjoyable.
Why Can You Ride Well at Home but Struggle at Competitions?
This is particularly frustrating.
You know you can jump the height. You've ridden the dressage movements countless times. Your horse has schooled beautifully at home.
So why does everything feel different at a competition?
Often, it isn't your ability that has changed. It's your level of tension and where you're placing your attention.
At home, you're probably concentrating on riding.
At a competition, you may be concentrating on the result.
Instead of thinking about rhythm, balance and communication with your horse, you may be thinking:
What if I mess this up?
What if everyone is watching?
What if my horse stops?
What if I forget where I'm going?
That shift in attention can affect the way you ride.
Recognise What Competition Nerves Feel Like
Competition anxiety doesn't feel the same for everyone.
Some riders experience obvious physical symptoms such as a racing heart, trembling, nausea or needing the toilet repeatedly.
Others become unusually quiet, irritable or emotional.
You might notice that you:
hold your breath
tighten your shoulders
grip with your legs
become heavy or rigid through your hands
rush everything
struggle to concentrate
repeatedly check equipment
mentally rehearse everything that could go wrong
Recognising your own pattern is useful because it gives you something specific to work with.
Prepare Well, but Don't Try to Control Everything
Good preparation can reduce unnecessary stress.
Have your equipment ready. Know your times. Check your route. Make sure you've allowed enough time to get there without rushing.
But there is a point at which preparation becomes another form of anxiety.
Repeatedly checking everything, running through every possible disaster or trying to control every minute of the day can leave you mentally exhausted before you even get on your horse.
Prepare what you reasonably can and then accept that competitions always contain things you can't control.
The weather may change. Classes may run late. The warm-up may be busy. Your horse may be more excited than expected.
Confidence doesn't come from knowing that everything will go perfectly. It comes from trusting yourself to deal with things when they don't.
Managing Competition Nerves the Night Before
For some riders, the worst part happens before competition day even arrives.
You get into bed and your mind starts working through tomorrow.
What if my horse won't load?
What if we're late?
What if I forget the test?
What if I make a fool of myself?
Trying to force yourself not to think about the competition rarely works.
Instead, acknowledge that you're feeling nervous and deliberately bring your attention back to what you can control.
Make sure everything is reasonably prepared, then give yourself permission to stop preparing.
If you find yourself mentally rehearsing tomorrow, make the rehearsal constructive. Picture yourself arriving, settling your horse, warming up calmly and beginning your round or test feeling focused.
You don't have to imagine winning.
Imagine coping.
Don't Compare Yourself with Everyone Else
Competition environments make comparison very easy.
Someone arrives with an expensive horse and immaculate lorry. Another rider looks completely relaxed. Somebody in the warm-up appears to be riding beautifully.
None of that tells you how your own competition will go.
Other riders may also be nervous. Their goals may be completely different from yours, and their horse may have years more experience.
Concentrate on what you and your horse came to achieve.
For one combination, success might mean winning.
For another, it might mean completing the course.
For somebody rebuilding their confidence, success might simply mean entering the arena and enjoying the experience.
All are legitimate goals.
Set a Goal You Can Actually Control
Results are tempting goals, but you can't completely control them.
You can ride beautifully and still not win. Another competitor may simply produce a better performance on the day.
Instead, give yourself goals based on your own riding.
For example:
“I'll concentrate on maintaining my rhythm.”
“I'll ride positively into every fence.”
“I'll breathe and take my time.”
“I'll focus on giving my horse a confident ride.”
These goals give your mind something useful to do.
Ironically, concentrating less on the result can sometimes help you perform better.
How to Calm Your Nerves Before You Ride
If you notice your anxiety building, bring your attention back to your body.
Start with your breathing.
Don't try to take enormous breaths. Simply slow your breathing slightly and make the exhalation relaxed.
Then check where you're holding tension.
Are your shoulders raised?
Is your jaw tight?
Are you clenching your hands?
Are you rushing around unnecessarily?
Relaxing those areas sends a very different message to your body from continually behaving as though something dangerous is about to happen.
Once you're mounted, bring your attention to your horse.
Feel the rhythm beneath you. Notice your horse's breathing and movement. Concentrate on riding rather than monitoring your own anxiety.
Don't Let the Warm-Up Arena Decide How Your Day Will Go
The warm-up can be one of the most intimidating parts of competition.
There may be unfamiliar horses, riders passing closely, instructors calling instructions and everybody apparently knowing exactly what they're doing.
Try not to get drawn into somebody else's warm-up.
Your job isn't to impress anyone there. It's to prepare your horse for your performance.
Know roughly what your horse needs and concentrate on creating the right feeling between the two of you.
If another rider looks spectacular, let them.
Their performance has nothing to do with yours.
Stop Mentally Rehearsing Mistakes
Mental rehearsal can be extremely useful, but nervous riders often use it in the wrong direction.
They visualise forgetting the test.
They picture the refusal.
They imagine their horse spooking.
They see themselves coming out of the arena disappointed.
By the time the actual competition begins, they've already experienced several imaginary disasters.
Change the picture.
If you're jumping, imagine approaching the fence in a steady rhythm and riding away from it.
If you're riding a dressage test, mentally move through the test calmly, concentrating on one movement at a time.
If you're showing, picture yourself riding into the ring feeling composed and focused.
You're not trying to predict the future. You're giving your brain a more useful pattern to rehearse.
Focus on the Next Thing, Not the Whole Performance
When you're nervous, an entire course or dressage test can feel overwhelming.
Shrink it.
Don't ride the whole course in your head while you're approaching fence one.
Ride fence one.
Then ride the turn.
Then the next fence.
In dressage, concentrate on the movement you're riding rather than worrying about something coming several movements later.
Keeping your attention in the present prevents your mind from racing ahead and creating problems that haven't happened.
Remember That Your Horse Can Feel Your Tension
Horses are extremely responsive to changes in the rider.
When you're nervous, you may sit differently, grip, shorten your reins, hold your breath or become less clear with your aids.
Your horse may react to that tension by becoming more alert or unsettled.
Then you notice your horse changing and become even more nervous.
It can become a cycle.
This doesn't mean you should worry about being nervous because you'll “make your horse nervous”. That simply gives you another thing to worry about.
Instead, concentrate on becoming physically softer and clearer in your riding.
What If Something Goes Wrong?
Something eventually will.
You may forget part of a test, knock a pole, have a refusal, take the wrong turn or simply produce a performance that doesn't reflect what you can do at home.
One disappointing competition doesn't define you as a rider.
Try to separate what actually happened from the emotional story you attach to it.
Instead of:
“I was terrible.”
Ask:
“What went well?”
“What specifically went wrong?”
“Was it nerves, preparation, communication, training or simply one of those days?”
“What can I change next time?”
That turns the competition into useful information rather than evidence that you're not good enough.
Can Self-Hypnosis Help with Horse Riding Competition Nerves?
Self-hypnosis may help when anxiety, anticipation or overthinking is interfering with riding that you are otherwise capable of doing.
Hypnosis combines deep relaxation with focused suggestion and mental rehearsal. This can give you an opportunity to practise approaching competition situations with greater calm before you experience them for real.
Rather than repeatedly imagining what could go wrong, you can mentally rehearse arriving at the venue, preparing your horse, warming up and competing while feeling more composed and focused.
This is why I created the Riding with Confidence: Overcoming Competition Nerves self-hypnosis MP3 specifically for riders whose nerves are getting in the way of enjoying or performing at competitions.
It isn't designed to remove sensible awareness or guarantee a particular performance. Its purpose is to help reduce unnecessary anxiety so that you have a better opportunity to ride as you know you can.
Nervous About a Particular Discipline?
Sometimes competition nerves are very specific.
You might be perfectly comfortable at one type of event but struggle with another.
If dressage tests are the particular problem, our guide to calming nerves before a dressage test looks more closely at worries about being judged, forgetting the test and entering the arena.
[LINK: How to Overcome Nerves Before a Dressage Test]
If jumping is where your confidence disappears, our jumping confidence guide covers overthinking, worrying about strides and approaching fences when you're nervous.
Measure Progress Differently
If competition nerves have become established, don't expect one event to transform everything.
Look for smaller changes.
Perhaps you slept better the night before.
Maybe you ate breakfast instead of feeling too sick.
Perhaps the warm-up felt less intimidating.
Maybe you made a mistake but recovered rather than allowing it to ruin the rest of your performance.
Those changes matter.
Confidence is often rebuilt through a collection of ordinary experiences rather than one dramatic breakthrough.
Remember Why You Compete
Competition can become so focused on results that it's easy to forget why you started.
For most amateur riders, competing is something they choose to do.
You may enjoy having a goal, testing your training, spending a day with your horse or seeing how the partnership between you is developing.
A rosette is lovely.
But if every competition becomes an exhausting test of your worth as a rider, something has gone wrong.
Preparation matters. Training matters. Results can matter.
But enjoying your horse matters too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I get so nervous before horse riding competitions?
Competition introduces additional pressure that isn't normally present when riding at home. Being watched, judged or scored, worrying about making mistakes and wanting to perform well can all increase anxiety even when you're well prepared.
How do I stop competition nerves when horse riding?
Good preparation, realistic goals, controlled breathing, focusing on the present and gradually gaining positive competition experiences can all help. It is also useful to identify the particular thoughts or situations that trigger your nerves rather than treating competition anxiety as one general problem.
Why can I ride well at home but not at competitions?
Your riding ability may not be the problem. At competitions, anxiety can increase physical tension and shift your attention from riding your horse to worrying about the result. Learning to manage that change in focus can help you perform more like you do at home.
How can I calm down in the warm-up arena?
Concentrate on your own horse and your own warm-up plan rather than watching other competitors. Slow your breathing, notice unnecessary physical tension and focus on creating the rhythm and responsiveness you want before entering the competition arena.
Can self-hypnosis help with horse riding competition nerves?
Self-hypnosis may help reduce unnecessary anxiety and provide an opportunity to mentally rehearse competition situations while relaxed. It can be used alongside appropriate training, preparation and instruction to help you approach competition with greater calm and focus.
What should I do after a bad competition?
Give yourself time before making sweeping judgements about your ability. Identify what went well as well as what didn't, decide whether there is anything specific to work on and treat the experience as information for your next competition rather than proof that you cannot compete.
"This article represents the personal views and opinions of the author and should not be taken as representative of the official policy or position of any organization, professional, expert, or individual."
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