The Mental Challenge

Riders have more fun and make their best runs when they learn to accept that pre-run jitters are normal. Once in motion, many contestants are clearly in their element.

Do you know this competitor? She's serious about participating in timed events. She loves riding and works constantly to make her horse work correctly. Her practice is perfect, and she is capable of exceptional runs. Her horse is talented, athletic, and capable. She takes great care of him; she has spent the extra time to have him in winning condition, and she's in great physical shape herself.

At home, she can put together run after perfect run. But at shows, it's a different story.

"Although I try to have a positive mental attitude, I've always been nervous about competing. I have been competing for six years and it just hasn't got any better. When the announcer calls out my name, I wish I were at home watching TV!"

Why, after six years, has the problem not gotten any better?

It's probably because, although she has worked hard to improve in every other aspect of competition, she has just "toughed it out" in the nerves department, thinking that, with time, the problem would most surely correct itself.

Good Dose of Adrenalin
But managing your mind is like every other facet of horsemanship-it takes work.

If, at show after show, you get nervous and tense and make mistakes, you reinforce to yourself the idea that competition makes you nervous and tense.

So, what do you do?

The answer is different for everyone. The main thing is to admit there is a problem and pledge to yourself that you will find a solution.

First, you must realize that some nervousness is good. It is a sign that your body is getting a dose of adrenalin, which brings with it a sense of heightened awareness and edginess. With that acceleration comes extra strength and sharper, quicker reflexes. Think about using the advantages that adrenalin can give you rather than worrying about that shaky feeling.

Many riders admit to being nervous when they compete. The key is that they manage to make their nerves work for them. They are pumped up and their nervousness adds sharpness to their performance.

Perception Influences Reality
A few years ago, some researchers did a study on U.S. Olympic-level athletes. They wanted to find out who was more nervous before competition-those who eventually won, or those who didn't. What they found was that there was about an equal number of each-about as many of the subsequent winners were as nervous as were those who didn't win. The difference was in how the competitors themselves felt about their nervousness.

The winners accepted the nervousness and shakiness as part of competition-maybe not a pleasant one, but a sign that competition time was near. The ones who were eventual losers perceived their nervousness in a different way. They thought, "Oh my gosh, I'm nervous. What if being nervous makes me mess up? I wonder if I can do well if I'm this nervous?" So it wasn't whether or not the athlete was nervous that made the difference in performance, it was how he felt about it.

When nerves do affect your performance in a negative way, you have a problem that you need to correct. It's hard to have fun when you dread competing, so something about the way you look at competition, or prepare for it, or perform, needs to change.

Some people are nervous before competing. "But then, when I ride into the arena, the nervousness goes away." How many times have you heard contestants say this? That type of nervousness is a kind of anticipation and is usually not a problem.

If your nerves bother you, think about yourself. Take out a pencil and make some notes. When do you begin to get nervous? What makes you nervous? Is it when your event starts, or when the announcer calls your name, or is it when you think about the competition? Are there times you are more nervous than others? Knowing when and where those feelings of anxiety occur, and under what conditions your nerves are an obstacle to your ability to perform well, will help you overcome the problem.