I have a really hard time memorizing courses. Especially when it comes to the day of the show —my mind just goes blank the second I enter the arena. What can I do to help my nerves and stay focused?
“This is a really common difficulty. When our anxiety is high, our rational, thinking brain goes offline, which is why it’s so hard to remember things when we’re nervous. Preparation is key, so that you can do as little thinking as possible in the moment when stress is most intense.
We learn best when we have input from multiple senses. I like to learn visually (seeing the course both on the map and in the ring), auditorily (saying the jumps in order out loud), and kinesthetically (putting my body on the lines I’ll be riding).
Walk your course if possible, and if walking is allowed, walk it multiple times. Walk with a coach first to make your plan about how you’ll approach the course. After that, walk again by yourself. No chatting with friends, listening to music, or any other distractions! I tell my students to put their feet exactly on the line where they want their horse’s feet to go. Notice landmarks. For example, ‘I’m going to turn at the pole with the speaker on it and half-halt as I pass fence x on my way to jump y.’ Break the course into chunks: instead of just fence 3, 4, 5, ‘the red to the green to the black and white,‘ label a group of related fences: ‘the blue oxer to red vertical line, then the S-turn 3-4-5. Left to the outside line, tight turn to the one on the end, then the triple.’ It’s easier to remember 3 or 4 chunks rather than 12 individual jumps. Once you’ve walked it and chunked it, close your eyes and picture riding the course. Say your chunks out loud to yourself as you imagine it.
A little while before you go to bed the night before, review the course in your mind, or even better, ‘walk’ it in your living room or kitchen or wherever. I draw mine in the air frequently during that downtime before I get to ride as well. The more repetitions, the better!
Finally, you’re at the in-gate. It’s okay to be nervous, you just can’t let your nerves grab the reins! Here is where you need to do two things: one, breathe deeply–it helps your thinking brain to stay online. Two, recite your course to yourself. Focus on doing it right, not on whether you’re going to make a mistake. Put any past experiences out of your mind and just review your course. When you enter the ring, before your opening circle or when the bell/buzzer rings, exhale and pick up your canter very deliberately. Take another big exhale on the way to your first fence, then carry on from there. You’ve got this!”
Andrea Monsarrat Waldo holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling and is a riding instructor certified in 2008 by the United States Eventing Association. She is co-owner of Triple Combination Farm in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, where she and her two business partners train horses and riders of all ages and abilities in the sports of eventing and dressage. Andrea currently competes through the Intermediate level in eventing, has shown through third level in dressage, and has brought along several horses from the very beginning of their training. She was also a practicing psychotherapist from 1994 until 2012 and now does StressLess Riding Performance Coaching in workshops and individual sessions with equestrians at all levels of horse sports. She remains dedicated to constant development in both her riding and psychological training by seeking out regular riding instruction and staying abreast of current literature in equestrian theory, psychology, and neuroscience. She is the author of “Brain Training For Riders,” available by Trafalgar Square Books.
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