
Riding Should Be Fun! Part Nine: SmartPaker Danielle’s time and research into the whys and hows behind riding nerves I am an extremely competitive person and have been horse-showing for as long as I can remember, starting around the young age of…
Coming from a lifetime of ridden dressage riding, training, and showing, I was able to “cut to the front of the line” when it came to dealing with show nerves around driving competitions. That is, I had already developed a set of skills for coping with the anxiety associated with a) being judged b) in front of people. Combined driving competitions though – with their dressage tests, cones courses, and marathon phase, including obstacles — required me to not only revisit that skill set but also add to it. In this article, I’ll share some of my personal coping mechanisms to “keep calm and drive on” at competitions.
I was completely fearless! I got on anything and everything I was offered. Over time, my first human child arrived (then #2,3,4, and 5!) and I became a responsible adult. I had a job, a mortgage, and a fancy truck and trailer to tote my horses around in! One day, I can’t tell you what changed or exactly when it was. I found myself standing at the mounting block with my heart racing and my hands sweating.
Inevitably, no matter how much I enjoy the preparations, when the day of the show dawns, my doubts, jitters, and fear of failing are strong enough to (almost) make me change my mind about attending. Usually when this happens, the threat of losing my pre-paid entry fee is motivation enough to get me out of bed and to the barn.
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