In the Northwest, the performance horse sport is booming.  The Cow Cuttin Colonel/Key To My Cash Box Stallion Spectacular in Lynden, WA, at the end of March was the largest show the NWRCHA has ever seen.  The biggest reason for the surge in entries is an influx of new people into the sport. I have had the pleasure of meeting a lot of the newcomers, since most are non-professionals like me, and almost every person asks me the same question: how do you not get nervous?  First off, I will let you know that I always have some amount of nerves going on, but I have found some good ways to help keep my nerves from getting the best of me.

Identify the Problem

What exactly makes you nervous?  If you can properly identify the problem, it is easier to address.  Are you afraid of looking stupid in front of people?  Well, get over that because it will happen, and it happens to everyone in this sport on a regular basis.  If you just accept that and understand that no one cares at all if you look dumb because they are worrying about not looking dumb themselves, then you will be fine.  Is it a fear of forgetting the pattern?  You have to run patterns a lot before that becomes easy.

There are a million problems people can conjure up to work themselves into a panic.  I suggest writing them down so you can see them.  All your fears, right there on paper on the table in front of you.  Then, write down a reason that each fear is silly and commit it to memory.  If you need help with this part, feel free to email me and I will tell you why it's silly.  In the absence of any specific reason you can always use, “It's just a horse show!”  There will always be another one.  I think that this is the one I use the most myself.

The weekend shows don’t get to me much anymore, but the big horse shows really do.  I try to remind myself that although I may not be able to eat next month because I spent so much money just to get to the show, there will always be another horse show.  The world is not going to stop spinning when I lose a cow in the herd at the Snaffle Bit Futurity.  I can guarantee this, because I have done it more than once and no one died because of it.

Before the Show

I used to start getting nervous in March for the Snaffle Bit Futurity, and it doesn’t start until the end of September.  How ridiculous is that?  Don’t waste your time worrying about things that haven’t happened yet (something my yoga instructor is constantly telling me).  Live in the present.  Do your homework and go to the show as prepared as you can.  Remember, horses get broke at home.  Don’t expect your horse to do something in the show pen he doesn’t do at home.

In the Warm-up Pen

This is where it usually gets bad.  Your horse is afraid of the banners.  You forget the pattern even though you have a copy of it in your hand. Your chaps fit funny.  Are your reins always this heavy?  You look fat in your shirt.  Your horse won’t turn to the right now, and so-and-so's horse is over there winning the warm-up, doing things your horse doesn’t do on his best day!  You have yourself so worked up at this point that your horse is looking around for the mountain lion that has the person on top of him so scared.  Trust me, I have been there.  This is the spot where I want to give you some really important pointers.

·  Breathe.  Take a deep breath.  When you quit breathing, nothing works.  Take ten deep breaths if you need to.  Any time your stomach starts to turn and you are sure the ten cups of coffee you drank are coming back up, just take a really deep breath and relax your shoulders.

·  Vocalize.  Say your pattern out loud to someone.  This will help you remember it better than just reading it. 

·  Visualize.  Sit in a corner on your horse, close your eyes, and feel yourself completing the entire run.  Imagine a positive experience where your horse is willing and you are calm.

·  Relax.  Especially your face.  I tend to really tighten my jaw, and then I don’t say "whoa" in the pen.  Smile at someone, or talk to your horse to loosen up that jaw.  I talk to my horses and pet them a lot before I go in.  I think it really relaxes them as well.  I tell my stud that I caught that roan mare checking him out, and if he is really good maybe the owners will buy a breeding.  Stupid, I realize, but talking silly to my pony makes me feel better.

·  Hydrate.  I always find my mouth gets really dry, so I keep gum in my pocket.  A dry mouth makes for poor clucking.

·  Reaffirm.  My mom makes me say a mantra, which I in turn make my horses listen to.  Mine goes a little like this: “I am a great rider on a wonderful horse.  I deserve to be here."  Find your own mantra, like, “I am doing what I love. I am improving daily. I deserve to be here.”

And always remember, it's just a horse show!  The outcome of your run is not going to find the cure for cancer or AIDS.  You will not become independently wealthy as a result of this run.  This run is not a reflection upon you as a person.  Your future happiness is not based upon the next 3 minutes.  Let the experience be what it is and go from there. Let it build you into a better rider and a better competitor, and when you come out of the pen, remember that there is always something positive to take away from that run, even if it is only that you had the courage to walk through the gate.