Preparing for Showtime

By Brooke Taylor

I think everyone who rides is familiar with the fact that there is no straight line from training to showing, but it gets particularly more complex after you’ve had a significant fall or injury. In my case, a pretty horrific injury requiring surgery and downtime of close to 6 months. So, the preparation is a little longer, a little more in depth and a lot, lot slower. I’ve spent months sending my horse out to recognized shows with my trainer so that she can prepare him for me and, meanwhile, I can prepare myself mentally for showing again.

I’d like to say this was easy, but the fact is both my horse, myself and us as a pair have encountered several roadblocks along the way. It’s quite frustrating to be a very capable rider trapped in an anxiety ridden body. Equally as frustrating I imagine for the horse who is the unintended recipient of this anxiety by osmosis. I’m identical parts excited and horrified that the time has come to go out and face my fear. Excited, because I’ve been preparing. Horrified, because I’m climbing aboard a 1200 lb. unpredictable mass of inertia and, well, physics….

So, what are some ways to cope with the anxiety and getting yourself into the start box? It’s quite a loaded question; and while I’m no expert, hopefully some of these ideas can help someone else who is struggling.

Sit With the Anxiety: I listened to a podcast recently about controlling anxiety and one of the best pieces of advice for me was to get comfortable sitting with the anxiety. Pushing it away or ignoring it has a tendency to magnify its effects. So, I’ve spent a couple of weeks practicing when the anxiety washes over me to just sort of sit and recognize it for what it is. To say, “Oh hey there anxiety, old friend. What have you been up to?” I’ve noticed that by just sitting with it and confronting it, it tends to dissipate a whole lot quicker than it did previously. It also feels familiar when it arises now, and less like panic. I put myself right in the middle of the discomfort and hang out there, so I know I have within me the capability of acknowledging it and moving on. The more you make yourself uncomfortable, the better equipped you are to deal with those feelings.

Visualization: As in, positive visualization. When your brain starts to freak out and imagine you somersaulting into oblivion, you have to say to yourself no, I don’t accept that vision and replace it with a positive picture. Sometimes when I’m lying awake at night waiting to fall asleep, I ride my dressage test over and over in my head perfectly until my brain is like fine, I’m bored, let’s go to sleep. The other part of positive visualization for me is watching videos of my trainer on my horse and repeatedly putting together a picture of how well he goes in my head to replace the negative outcomes your mind fictionalizes.

Breathing: Ok it sounds hokey, but I recently read an article about how Navy Seals use a box-breathing technique to lower their heart rate and “re-set” the fight or flight instinct. So, imagine a box and breathe in deeply for a count of 4 “up”, pause for a count of 4 “over”, breathe out for a count of 4 “down” and pause for a count of 4 “over”. Admittedly I have not mastered this technique because I sometimes feel like I’m being water-boarded on the holding breath after breathing out, but it does actually work to physically stop the panic reaction you are experiencing by slowing the heart rate and giving you more oxygen. Practice makes perfect.

Talk About It: In many respects I think riders, especially adults, don’t want to be seen as bothersome to their trainers. We try hard not to be the squeaky wheel and we certainly don’t want to be seen as someone who needs to have a babysitter. But I’ve come to realize that doesn’t mean not vocalizing your fear. A trainer is there to make sure you are prepared and unless she knows what you are terrified of, she can’t help you face it. You can’t suffer in silence. So, speak up – even if you think it sounds ridiculous.

Above all else remember that we do this because we love it, it is what we live for, practice for and train for. Focus on the progress you have already made and enjoy the partnership and friendships you have developed.

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” – Jack Canfield