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.

Regardless of who else shows up to compete, stick to your game plan. It’s just you and your horse against the clock.

Your Pre-Run Routine
Sometimes it’s a case of having too much time to think about the upcoming run.

Have you ever been late to a show, arriving just in time for your class? You hurry in, unload the horse, saddle and mount up, and finish a hasty warm-up just as they are calling your name to compete. You move right into the arena, feeling a lot rushed, and do great!

“What happened?”

Maybe you didn’t give yourself time to get nervous. Maybe you were too busy worrying about what you had to do to get ready and didn’t have time to worry about what might go wrong.

If this is the case for you, you might need to revamp your preparation strategy. Of course, you don’t want to rush through your warm-up every time, but you might want to start a little later so you have a “task” (getting ready) to occupy you when the butterflies hit. You won’t give yourself the time to dwell on your nervousness.

Avoiding Sabotage
How about this scenario? You get to the event, unload the horse, get entered and ready to warm up, and you are feeling fine. You know you can have your best day, ever!

You ride over to the exercise area and begin to work and here comes Sally.

You know Sally. She’s the one who’s here to tell you, “The ground is slick around the first pole.” Or, “The competition is really out of your league here.” Or, “The timer is set wrong.” Or she says, “Are you going to use that bit?” Or, “You really need shorter reins.” Or, “Remember last week when you hit the second barrel?” Or, “Just do your best. You can’t expect to do well here.”

You’re distracted by all that. “It’s all Sally’s fault,” you might say.

But it’s not Sally’s fault. Not really. You are the one who let her do a demolition job on your head. You could have said, “Hi, Sally. It’s great to see you. Your horse (hair, blouse, new saddle…) looks fantastic! I want to visit with you after the flags, but I have to go lope my horse right now!” If you don’t ride around with her for 20 minutes, listening to her take on everything that can go wrong, you will be a lot more ready to compete.

What’s more important to you, visiting with Sally or winning?

After your run (once you get your horse cooled down and have collected your ribbons or money), you’ll have lots of time to visit. Before you compete, you have a responsibility to your horse and to yourself.

Or maybe, you do everything right. You feel good about yourself and your horse, and you don’t get trapped into talking with Sally. You finish warming up your horse, then you ride up to the arena gate. You park your horse and look around.

“My goodness, there are two champions here!” Suddenly you don’t feel so confident. How on earth can you ever beat them?

You frantically begin to think about how you’ll get more out of your horse. He’ll have to have the best run of his life in order to compete with these folks.

You think of every mistake you have ever made. Then you get a little sick to your stomach and start to wish you were somewhere else. Even a piano recital sounds good.

Suddenly you have gone from enjoying yourself, to trying to run with the champs, to just wanting to get out of there without humiliating yourself.

You’re not thinking about doing your best, and helping your horse, and staying with your game plan. You have abandoned everything that works for you because you are intimidated by the competition.

And that competition will probably better your time in this instance. You see, you’ve forgotten your game plan, but they haven’t forgotten theirs. They are going to give that same solid performance. Their game plans are the same ones that earned them their championships.

But unknowns do beat champions. It happens all the time. They do it by taking care of business—doing the best job they and their horses are capable of—concentrating on their performance and not on the competition.

Remember, every winner was once a beginner. And every champion was once nervous about going up against really tough competition.

You become a winner by overcoming those doubts and nervous feelings. Just as you develop your riding skills, you need to develop your mental strengths.

Once you’ve isolated the times and situations that make you nervous, you’ve taken a big step toward overcoming the problem.

The good news is, like any other competition problem, nerves can be fixed. The not-so-good news is that the same cure doesn’t work for everyone.

Relax, Nervous Nelly
Explore ways to put your pre-run tension to positive use. Take notes about your nervousness— when, where, and how it affects you. Don’t let Sabotage Sally corner you. See her after your run. Try a few jumping jacks or other exercises to dissipate tension. Be silly; laugh at yourself. Whether you finish first or last, no apology needed.

No Apology Needed
For some, admitting to nervousness is a help. Tell your traveling partner that your nerves are bothering you. Getting it out in the open often helps, especially if your nervousness comes from a fear of looking foolish in front of people.

We often advise our students, “If you have a problem with looking silly in public, you need to give up competition.” Sooner or later, we all end up in some sort of embarrassing position in the arena. It doesn’t mean that we won’t do well, or that we’re not talented, or that we’re not trying. All it really provides is a little humor for everyone else. Be sure to share their laughter when it happens to you. It happens to all of us.

If fear of failure is a problem, ask yourself whose opinion really matters anyway. Yours, or a bunch of strangers and acquaintances?

I’d hate to think that, after competing at a big rodeo, we had to go out and, one by one, apologize to everyone in the audience. “Hi, I’m Cheryl Magoteaux and I really messed up tonight. I’m sure sorry.”

“Hello, I’m Savannah Magoteaux and I want to apologize for hitting the second barrel tonight.”

It sounds pretty silly, doesn’t it? Remember, those people who are watching you didn’t pay your entry fees. They didn’t go out in the cold weather to work your horse. They didn’t stay up all night when your horse was colicky, or endure everything you have to get to where you are. You don’t owe them anything!

Move It, Move It!
Some people who get really tense or tight report that exercise—a few jumping jacks, or running around the horse trailer a couple of times—seems to help them loosen up.

Still others say that they like to have a whole agenda of things to do before the barrel race. They make lists—everything from cleaning out their horse trailers to actually warming up their horses—and work methodically through the action points.

Some people say they get nervous if they eat; some say they get nervous if they don’t eat. If you feel you have to eat, don’t eat something heavy that will make you uncomfortable when you ride. Also, don’t go without food for so long that it makes you weak and shaky.

One girl said that chewing gum seemed to help her for some reason. Another swears by listening to some motivational tapes while driving to the show. Still another just has to hear “my good luck song!” She even sings it as she walks her horse around getting ready.

Try anything. It just may work. In any event, you’ll be working on the problem and gaining mental strength in the process.