Horse Show Anxiety: Keeping You and Your Horse Calm
Michelle DrumHorse show nerves show up in different ways. Maybe your brain starts running through worst-case scenarios. Maybe your body gets stiff, and your horse suddenly feels sharper than usual. Maybe you start riding defensively instead of riding the canter you know you need. Most of the time, it’s not about lack of preparation. It’s about pressure—the desire to perform well and to do right by the horse you’ve put so much time into.
The good news is this: anxiety at shows is normal, and it’s manageable. A small edge of adrenaline can actually help you focus. The key is learning how to recognize when nerves are working for you and when they’re starting to interfere with feel, timing, and connection.
In this guide, we’ll take a good look at what horse show anxiety tells us and how to keep both ourselves and our horses calm on the day of.
Horse Show Anxiety—And When It’s A Good Thing
Horse show anxiety is that tight feeling in your chest when walking the course. It’s second-guessing a distance you’ve ridden a hundred times at home. It’s feeling your horse get a little electric in the warm-up and wondering if it’s you, the atmosphere, or both.
You want to ride well and want to do right by your horse. You want to perform like you know you’re capable of.
Human anxiety vs. horse anxiety
Your anxiety tends to be future-focused: thinking about the score, the ribbon, the trainer watching at the in-gate.
Your horse’s anxiety is immediate and physical. New venue. New footing. Banners flapping. Loud voices over the speakers. If you get tight in your hip angle and start holding, they feel it instantly.
Horses don’t worry about placings. They respond to tension in your hands, seat, and breath. If your leg clamps and your rein shortens half an inch, that changes the whole picture for them. That’s why calming horse show nerves is more about managing your own body, so your horse can stay confident underneath you.
When show nerves are good
A little adrenaline sharpens you and gives you a healthy edge when competing. Adrenaline can improve your reaction time, heighten your focus, and make you more aware of your pace and balance.
That alert, switched-on feeling can actually improve your ride, especially in technical classes where you need to think quickly and stay organized.
When show nerves start to work against you
Show nerves become a problem when they change how you ride.
You might notice:
- Rushing your canter instead of establishing it
- Picking at a distance instead of trusting it
- Micromanaging with your hands
- Forgetting to breathe between fences
On the flat, it can look like over-riding every transition. Over fences, it’s chasing the jump instead of riding the canter. When anxiety pulls you out of your fundamentals, that’s when it starts costing you.
Navigating Horse Show Anxiety Throughout the Day
Horse show nerves don’t just show up at the in-gate. They build and shift throughout the day. Learning how to manage them at each stage keeps them from snowballing.
Before the show
Preparation is your best defense against spiraling.
Handle all the details the night before. Clean your tack. Lay out your show shirt and coat. Check your helmet. Knowing your equipment is taken care of eliminates one layer of mental noise.
The morning of, give yourself more time than you think you need. Rushed riders create rushed horses. Walk your course with intention. Where will you rebalance? Where will you soften? Visualize riding it the way you school at home, not the way you’re afraid it might go.
If your heart rate starts climbing, focus on something physical. Roll your shoulders back, take a deep breath and let it out slowly, and loosen your jaw. You’d be surprised how much tension starts in your jaw and trickles all the way down your reins!
Learn more: 10 Things To Know Before You Show
During the show
Let your warmup set the tone. Establish the canter you want before you think about the jumps. If you can’t get the rhythm on the flat, adding fences won’t fix it.
Keep your warm-up efficient. Endless circles and extra jumps build fatigue, not confidence. A few quality efforts are better than chasing a “perfect” feeling.
At the in-gate, narrow your focus on the first fence and the canter you need to get there.
In the ring, ride the stride you’re in. If you chip one, move on. If you meet one long, close your leg and keep riding. The fastest way to unravel a round is to dwell mid-course.
After the round
This is where riders can be hardest on themselves. Resist the urge to pick your performance apart and replay the ride in your head. Commit to your post-show routine and get back to a regulated state.
And no matter what the score says, let your horse walk out on a loose rein. Scratch their withers. They showed up for you. That partnership matters more than a number on a card.
Learn more: What Do Equestrians Do After The Horse Show Ends?
How to Relieve Horse Show Anxiety Long-Term
Calming horse show nerves is all about building real, repeatable confidence through preparation, mileage, and honest schooling. The more often you prove to yourself that you can ride through mistakes, make adjustments, and stay organized, the less power nerves have over you.
1. Recreate pressure at home
If every course at home gets a do-over, the show ring will always feel harsher.
Start schooling with intention. Set a course, pick a start point, and ride it once—no circling back to fix fence three. Treat it like a class. Halt after the last fence and evaluate it the way a judge or trainer would.
Occasionally:
- Wear your show coat or stock tie during schooling.
- Have someone sit at C and “judge.”
- Put a time limit on your warm-up before you start your round.
With this exercise, you’re teaching your nervous system that pressure is normal and manageable. The more familiar that elevated feeling becomes, the less it spikes your adrenaline at a real show.
2. Strengthen the fundamentals
Confidence comes from knowing you can fix things mid-round.
If your horse lands cross-canter, can you calmly reorganize? If you miss slightly, can you close your leg and ride forward instead of panicking?
Work consistently on:
- An adjustable canter within the line—forward to steady and back again without losing balance.
- Riding off your leg without grabbing with your hand when you need support.
- Straightness before and after fences, not just over them.
School transitions within gaits. Practice riding related distances in both numbers. Work on landing leads and immediate organization. When you trust your basics, nerves have less room to interfere because you know you have the tools to recover.
3. Build physical fitness
A secure lower leg and strong core are anxiety insurance. When you feel physically stable, you’re less likely to clamp with your knee, tip forward at the base, or get left behind and start chasing the next fence. Fitness gives you margin for error.
Off the horse, simple strength work—core stability, glute strength, balance drills—translates directly to more composure in the saddle. On the horse, ride without stirrups occasionally, focus on independent hands, and develop a seat that doesn’t change when your heart rate goes up.
Learn more: Stretching For Horse And Rider To Build Strength And Prevent Injuries
4. Establish a pre-show and post-show routine
Consistency regulates both you and your horse.
Your pre-show routine could include:
- A set grooming order.
- A specific warm-up structure (flat first, then a small vertical, then one oxer).
- A mental check-in before mounting.
A post-show routine matters just as much. Walk on a loose rein. Untack in the same order. Take a few minutes to reflect (one thing that worked, one thing to refine), then let it go.
Routines create emotional boundaries. They prevent you from carrying anxiety from one class to the next or from a tough round into the next show weekend. When both you and your horse know what to expect, processing nerves becomes structured instead of chaotic.
5. Invest in the right gear
Gear won’t fix your distances, but it absolutely affects your confidence.
When something feels off, whether that’s your helmet slipping, boots pinching, or your saddle isn’t quite balanced, it occupies mental space. And at a show, you don’t have extra mental space to spare. Small distractions become big ones when adrenaline is already elevated.
Start with the non-negotiables:
- A properly fitted helmet that feels secure and balanced
- Show attire that allows full range of motion without adjusting mid-round
- Riding boots that support a stable lower leg
- Tack that fits your horse correctly and stays consistent ride to ride
If you find yourself thinking about your equipment while you’re riding, that’s usually a sign that something needs attention.
How to Keep Your Horse Calm at a Show
How you manage your horse at a show will depend largely on their personality. A seasoned campaigner who’s been down the centerline or waiting at the in-gate a hundred times needs a different approach than a young horse at their first rated show. Some horses internalize stress and get quiet. Others get reactive and electric. The strategy has to fit the individual.
Arrive early and let them acclimate
If your horse tends to be looky or sensitive, time is your biggest ally. Arriving early and hand-walking or tack walking in the show ring, if permitted, gives them a chance to stand by the ring and take in the banners, loudspeakers, and general commotion without being asked to perform immediately.
More confident horses may not need as much time, but even the steady ones benefit from a few quiet minutes to observe their surroundings. Horses process through exposure. When they’re allowed to look and settle, you’re less likely to feel that tension spike under saddle.
Keep routines as consistent as possible
Shows disrupt the normal rhythm of the day, and some horses are deeply routine-driven. Different footing, different stabling, and different noise levels can disrupt your horse’s composure and throw them off their game. Keeping as much of your routine consistent as possible helps offset that disruption.
Feed at the usual times if you can. Groom in the same order you do at home. Warm up in a familiar pattern. Even small consistencies create predictability, and predictability lowers stress.
Learn more: Pole Exercises For Success
Pay attention to physical comfort
An anxious horse isn’t always being difficult. Sometimes they’re uncomfortable.
Before assuming the behavior is due to nerves, evaluate saddle balance, girth placement, and bridle fit. Check that your pad hasn’t shifted. Make sure nothing is pinching or rubbing. Small fit issues can feel amplified in a busy show environment.
Get the right show tack for your discipline:
Manage your own energy
Your horse reads your body faster than they process the environment. If you get tight in your shoulders, shorten your reins defensively, or ride with a driving leg every stride, they interpret that as urgency.
If you know your horse feeds off your tension, build in moments to reset. Take a deliberate breath before picking up the canter. Soften your elbows. Let your seat follow instead of brace.
Adjust to your horse’s triggers
Calm does not look the same on every horse. For some, it’s long and low. For others, it’s forward and organized. The key is recognizing what “comfortable and confident” looks like for your partner.
Pay attention to patterns over time. If your horse tightens in busy schooling areas, plan to warm up strategically. If they get anxious waiting, keep them walking rather than parked.
Reward the effort
At the end of the round, your horse doesn’t know the score. They know whether you rode them fairly. Walk out on a loose rein and let them decompress. Acknowledge the try, especially if they handled something that was previously hard for them.
Confidence builds over time. When your horse learns that the show ring is a place where they’re supported, not pressured, their ability to stay calm improves with every outing.
Calm Is a Skill You Can Build
Horse show anxiety isn’t a sign that you’re not cut out for competition. If anything, it’s proof that you care about riding well, about presenting your horse properly, and about doing your job when it counts.
Ultimately, shows are just one piece of the bigger picture. The real goal is partnership—riding in a way that supports your horse, even when your own heart rate climbs a little. When you stay organized, ride your basics, and keep your horse’s comfort at the center of your decisions, the results tend to follow.
Feel more confident when you walk to the in-gate. From properly fitted helmets to show-ready apparel that moves with you, the right gear removes distractions so you can focus on your ride.
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