So you’ve got your entry in, you’ve done the practice and you know that you’re capable of jumping the course or carrying out the movements for the test but then you start getting nervous… the self doubt arrives with a big bang and the physical sensations of anxiety kick in!
You don’t like the sensations you feel or the thoughts you’re having… they’re uncomfortable and unpleasant and definitely don’t help you on the day.
So what can you do to help yourself as you prepare to compete? How can you put into practice what you know that you can do at home when you’re in a competition environment?
The key here is to learn to be able to perform DESPITE feeling nervous rather than trying to banish the nerves or wish them away. With this attitude you learn to take the power away from any nervousness rather than being at the mercy of it.
You can learn to be proactive in the competition environment with a plan which will help you and the more you practice this the stronger your resilience becomes and the more able you are to perform under pressure.
Tip One - Be Practical and Prepared
Arrive in plenty of time so that you can check timings, get your number, tack up without rushing and carry out your warm up routine effectively.
Tip Two - Have Some Support
Have someone with you who you trust and who understands your plan for dealing with nerves. Avoid anyone who wants to tell you how nervous they are or describe problems in technicolour detail. This is your day, your competition and you want to carry out your plan effectively without interference.
Tip Three - Breathing
Deep breathing is the key to settling your physiology and allowing the stress hormones to stay within normal limits (even though that will be higher than when you are at rest at home).
Find a simple breathing technique that works for you – I teach a ratio breath, breathing in for the count of three and out for the count of six. Breathing right from your belly and using your diaphragm.
5-10 deep breaths at regular intervals will be extremely helpful.
Tip Four - Active Relaxation
After your deep breaths do some active relaxation. Start with a body scan from the top of your head to the tips of your toes and be aware of areas of tension. Then work your way through your body actively letting go of that tension with each out breath.
It’s useful to carry out this active relaxation both before you mount up and then repeat it once you’re in the saddle before you begin your warm up routine.
Tip Five - Positive Focus
Rather than focusing on any sensations of nerves or thoughts of self doubt, be active. What does your warm up involve? What do you need to do to get your horse moving effectively, listening to you and responding to your requests? Go through your program at your own pace focusing totally on what you’re doing now as you prepare for your performance.
This is also the time for positive visualisation, which we can discuss in more detail another time, but in simple terms it might be visualising your test one more time or visualising the course/angles/approaches etc.
This positive focus is an active exercise which help to keep your mind on the job and helps you to avoid any panic.
Tip Six - Practice, Practice, Practice
This could perhaps have been better as number one tip as it’s so important….
Practice this routine for dealing with nerves as often as you can so that it’s effective when you really need it.
Practice it when you’re going for a lesson and are only a little bit out of your comfort zone.
Practice it in those situations when there are people watching you ride on the yard and, even though you aren’t competing, you may feel like you’re being “judged”.
Practice it when you’re stretching out of your comfort zone in any way such as hacking on your own or trying something new.
If you can handle the nerves in these mildly stressful situations then you’re setting yourself up nicely to be able to handle the nerves on competition day.
And One Final Thing...
If you feel you need support with dealing effectively with competition nerves then seek help rather than suffering in silence and allowing the nerves to spoil your fun.
You can get in touch with Jane through her website – Horse Riding with Confidence Scotland.
Read Jane’s previous blogs: