Tame Your Horse Show Nerves

your things packed the day before the show so you wont be stressed and forget things when you leave in the morning. Photo by AlexnikaShutterstock
Young rider Katie likes to get everything prepared ahead of time.
Tack cleaning organizing scheduling and packing in advance or the night before the horse show gives me time to relax and get a good nights sleep so I can be my best the following day.
Riley has a similar mindset.
The night before I fall asleep dreaming of my perfect test she says. She also tries to have a healthy breakfast planned for the morning. Some shows involve arriving the day before to set up school and walk your courses. This also gives you extra time to relax and get your game plan together.
Emma events her Paint pony Ima Fancy Design. Once she gets settled into the show she walks her crosscountry course the night before and takes photos of all of the jumps.
She studies these as a way to help memorize the course so she feels extra prepared. Having less to do on show morning means she can focus on riding her best and taking care of her pony.
Show Day
Show day is finally here! Youve done all the hard work preparing and now its time to show off. Being in the right mindset going into the ring is most important for Katie. When driving to the show she listens to relaxing music and takes the time to visualize her dressage tests and think about the movements.
I find that by being wellprepared and confident in remembering my tests it helps me to entirely focus on my riding without worrying where Im going she says.
Ryleigh also has a horse show playlist that she listens to when braiding her horse and tacking up to help calm her nerves.
Coach Becky says that doing a similar warmup to what you do at home is a good idea.
Try to not change lots of things just because its a show she says.
Final Advice
If you are jumping at the show you might need to learn your stadium course the day of the show. This can