Find your focus

We’ve all been there. Competition day dawns and the butterflies start. Everything seems to be happening in fast forward and all those old doubts are creeping in. What if I forget the course? What if I let my horse down? What if everyone’s better than me?

It’s perfectly natural to feel a whirlwind of emotions in such moments – excitement, anticipation and even a little anxiety. But what if you could channel those nerves to help you to ride at your best? What if you could bring your thoughts to the here and now, to being in the saddle and the connection with your horse? What if you could turn nerves into focus and confidence? Well, the good news is – you can. And here’s how…

Attention seeking

We already know that athletes perform at their best when they can maintain their attention in the present moment by being able to create and maintain complete focus on what they’re doing. To do this, they practise and develop the skills of managing their thoughts and emotions to prevent them being distracted by what might – or might not – happen (or by what has or hasn’t already happened).

We know that when we focus on the future, whether that’s a month, five years or even five minutes from now, we can sometimes feel anxious because the future is unknown. Our minds work extremely hard to keep us safe and they seek certainty. But, of course, guarantees are hard to come by in life, and when we’re riding. We worry about what could happen, about possible mistakes and even worst-case scenarios.

Reliving the past

When we’re distracted and focusing on things that have happened in the past, we tend to relive those negative experiences and the emotions associated with them. We don’t want them to happen again, and we’re sucked into a vortex of anxiety.

So, we need to take our attention away from those distractions and move it into the present, and there are some simple, yet powerful, strategies that will help.

Did you know?

Even if we’re thinking about positive experiences that happened to us in the past, we can put extra pressure on ourselves by seeking to make those things happen again in the future.

Overcome competition nerves with Alison Buttery’s top tips in October Horse&Rider. Get your copy today!