Confidence counts

When it comes to horses, even the best riders have moments or phases where their confidence takes a dip. For many showjumpers, for example, the idea of cantering around a course of fences (including rider-scarers like water trays and triple bars) can turn you into a bundle of nerves.

The good news is that anyone can become more confident if they use the right tools, and even the top riders have moments of real doubt. Luckily, you don’t have to resort to shutting your eyes and trying to convince yourself – and your horse – that you’re Ben Maher. Instead, here are three mindset exercises you can put into practice to help you overcome jumping nerves. In no time, you’ll be flying round with confidence, whether you’re jumping at a show, having a lesson, or simply popping over a log on a hack.

1. Practice makes perfect

The first step to more confident jumping – and riding in general – is to commit to integrating mindset building techniques such as visualisation into your everyday life. Only when you start to use them consistently will you feel the benefits. Building a positive mindset is a long, continually evolving process – you have to use these techniques throughout the day, not just a couple of minutes.

The basics need to be worked on regularly, so take a few minutes at a time throughout the day to shift your mindset to positive language and intent. Embrace any feelings of confidence – this is key to developing mental strength and resilience.

This concept is similar to schooling a horse. Exercises like shoulder-in can help improve engagement and be a useful tool in achieving certain goals for your horse’s way of going, but doing shoulder-in for three days straight won’t turn your horse into Valegro. However, considering that we have around 60,000 thoughts a day, being aware of the type of thoughts and questions you have is very important – not just when you’re consciously working on your mindset, but consistently throughout your day.

Did you know?

For the majority of riders who suffer with nerves, it tends to stem from expectations around results and wanting to do well.

Top tip

Equestrian sports require a lot of mental strength – so training your mind to jump confidently can help reap benefits for your body in the saddle, too.

Find out more mindset techniques to your confidence when jumping in August Horse&Rider magazine, on sale 14 July 2022.