Mastering Show Nerves: A Winter Guide

As 2025 horse show season comes to an end and some are gearing up for the southern winter shows and others are battening down the hatches for a hard winter with limited riding and light. I reflect on what can we as equestrians can be doing at this time to prepare ourselves and our parters for the 2026 show season. So many ideas come to mind on how to keep your horse in some shape, mentally working with you and able to do more functional groundwork however, my mind always goes to my students and many folks I have the pleasure of working with and their struggles with nerves (both horse and rider).

Before discussing my offerings to help combat show nerves and or ride well with them, I like to think of the "why", why do most people stress or get nervous? Well, to put it plainly, nerves come from the unknown, stress and anxiety come because we are unsure how to handle every situation under the sun that may arise, and in the equestrian world, ANYTHING can happen at any time! Here are 6 of my many suggestions depending on the rider or partnership and their stressors~

1. Think of your partner. By the time you enter the show, you are ready to show. Many factors involved have led to the entry of this horse show and the main one being, you are ready ... NOT to win everything necessarily but for the next STEP in your partnership. When trainers feel the horse, they are working with is ready, they know the next step in training is to go offsite, show, stable overnight or for several nights and could take their journey to the next STEP. While planning the show, we pick our best or what our horse would benefit from the most and enter. If we have traveled off site and or overnight, we have observed how they react to those situations. If we have not traveled with our partner, our focus is how to keep them confident and comfortable.... do they get anxious unloading? Do they become dragons, do they suddenly feed off other horses, go off feed or water, swell at night etc... Then we go one step at a time through each stage of the show, prepping our partner as best we can and guiding them through all parts and calm and confidently as we can and take all pressure off our partner as we not only watch and observe them but adjust to help them as much as possible.

2. Prepare your tangible items. As equestrians, we tend to learn most by doing. We fail; we take note and try not to fail the same way again. We forget fans, water buckets, grain etc... and we always can either back track and grab, purchase or borrow. What can we do at home now to prepare our organization list, are you the type of rider who needs a dress rehearsal? How are you putting your hair up? Let’s test run that to make sure everything works seamlessly. Try your outfit on, see how long it takes you to get fully tacked and in your show gear so you can plan your warmup or prep for the show better. Do you need a list? What can you pre organize so that you can try to rest assured you have and or will have everything you both need to have the most successful show as possible.

3. What an opportunity. What a great opportunity to take the next step of your dream. So many doing get to follow their dream let alone put one foot in front of the other and live their dream. Take this opportunity and live in the moment, meet other riders, observe how others set up their horses, braid, warm up, etc... You get a prepaid behind the scenes look at how other people organize and compete. You have such an opportunity to meet all kinds of equestrians from your fellow barn mates, trainers in the warmup, show management, volunteers (thank them btw).

4. Know what you brought. As a judge I often get to ask myself, "Do I think this was brought to the show or showed up because we are at a show". What does that even mean? In the spring schooling shows you will see lots of learners looking horses that seem to be braced, quick and nervous... those riders in theory took the opportunity to expose their partner to the next step in their partnership. They are either showing a young horse the ropes or introducing that OTTB to a show without the cue for running. In this case, the training was going well at home, and we came to a show, and the horse added a little spice. Sometimes, you will see a horse trying its best to find any cue from the rider that has suddenly become frozen in their equation and shut down. This horse will be trying to find where to be in the contact and tempo will change through the ride as it tries its best to figure out what is being asked. If you feel like you are situation number two... Find the tempo and ride that... take pauses as you need and can, build on what you can comfortably do, try to best communicate with your horse in a clear and encouraging way (it will help shift you to "I can handle this as long as I am communicating and focusing on what I can aid

5. Addition and subtraction are our best friends in our partnerships with our ponies. Take the entire course or test and break it down. Don’t think of what could go wrong or your hope of winning, instead think of how your horse usually reacts do each movement or jump. What can you prepare for and help guide through. Remembering that each test movement is broken down score wise as are the jumps. Add to the things you do well within those tests or courses and on what you know you or your horse needs add on or prepare very well or subtract the pressure on that issue and save it for a later test or course. You will never find perfection, you can prepare for brilliance, you can prepare for what your horse needs extra help with and get a game plan that way.

6. Have a healthy community. Make sure you have a safe place within your team. Those who can help you out and or lean on in a pinch. Those you can trust being a safe place as you walk back to them after a tough ride or round. If you are scolded or constantly on pins and needles after a good or difficult ride, you are in the wrong space for you or your horse to grow within a confident space. Discuss with your trainer, family or team how you work best before or after a ride and guide them or prepare them for what you need mentally and emotionally to show successfully.

Then let it go. Once you are done, as you are riding or walking your horse back to the barn take the opportunity to pat them (weather you want to or not) take the opportunity to thank all who helped you get here. Take the opportunity to put everything back clean and ready for the next ride and go make memories with your barn crew or ... REST.

As always, enjoy the time. Enjoy the atmosphere, memories being made, time spent with your horse and friends. Appreciate that you earned the opportunity to be here. You knew you were prepared and now you know what to expect and prepare for next time. All of this is hard and stressful and draining at times. Don’t allow your mind to take your positive experience away from you! Good luck!!!!