Horse Sport Psychology

a friend or coach to guide you through the task or challenge.
Managing Irrational Fear
Step 1 Start managing your breathing. See above!
Step 2 Search for the story at the heart of your fear. Irrational fears all come from stories we are telling ourselves about ourselves and the world around us. This story might sound like
Everyone is watching me ride and thinking that I dont know what Im doing.
If I mess this up it means Im not good enough.
This seems way harder for me than it does for other riders. That must mean Im not talented enough to be here.
Step 3 Challenge and rewrite the story. Write the story down or say it out loud to yourself or someone you trust. Doing this brings the story out of your subconscious mind and into your conscious mind which allows us to look at the story from a more logical perspective. Ask yourself if this story is 100 percent true. Is this story helping me achieve my goals or is it distracting me from performing to the best of my ability? Look for a way to reframe and rewrite this story into something that empowers you to let go of the fear and take on the challenge. 
There is no way for me to know what other people are thinking. I am going to choose to focus on my thinking and my experience. 
You are bigger than your fear. Except for the scenario where the risk is too high to continue practice facing the fear to build confidence until the fear is reduced enough that it no longer feels unmanageable. When we are caught in the chaos of fear its easy to feel like its in control but this isnt true. It is possible to be afraid and still act. It is possible to