When I am in the ring, I just completely fade away all the background so it is just me, my pony and whatever I need to do e.g me, my pony and the jumps. Just try concentrate on what you are doing and dont worry too much about winning, cos that will just get you stressed out.

Meditation and visualizing your ride and how you want it to go. This mentally prepares you and focuses your thoughts. Its also beneficial to your horse as your nervousness transmits directly to your horse. It takes practice and I have found yoga classes help hone your skills. Good luck.

What do you mean control them (just kidding) I haven't shown yet but I would put all my nerves into looking good and performing good (remember to breathe!)

Concentrate. This is nothing. You can do this!! Nothing to worry about! Deep breaths and your calm!!

Breath, breath, breath!!!!You must. That is what eveybody forgets to do!concentrate and focus on you and what you are doing and your pony. I doubt you are in the grand prix jumping so you don't really have to worry. Local shows are for fun!Just go in there and try your best and don't think about having to win even if someone wants you too. That will make you even more nervous. so go in the ring and just RIDE!!!

Calm down!

Remember that (in most competitions) the judge isn't judging YOU - they want to see how nice your horse is. So relax, ride her properly, and give her the chance to show off how good she is at her job.

Local and riding club shows are a mishmash of different types and abilities, and if your worry is that people will be staring at you - they won't be! Everyone is always far too worried about themselves to give a toss about what else is going on. The only place you get ringside judging is in big shows, so relax!

Good luck

do u no wat? ? ?
well shows are meant 2 be fun! ! ! !
im from ireland so ill use me irish slang! !
its for de craic! !
let your horse no ur der 4 him and ride away! !

Keep busy.

Be prepared.

Be organized.

Don't think about losing/falling off/making a fool of yourself ('cos you wont).

And think positive thoughts (i.e I will canter at this corner, I will turn at E, I will get a clear round, I will jump the jump with the spooky filler)

Have a helper to do keep hold of your pony, to fill hatnets, to keep a supply of water going, to clean the bottom of your boots.

Eat at energy rich foods.

Drink lots of water.

Tack up 10 minutes before you have to.

Make five minutes before you leave the stables the night before the show/before you go to bed the night before/before you leave for the stables on the morning of the show/before you leave for the show from the stables/when you get to the show/before you go into the ring to think of anything you have forgotten.

Hope that helps…

Try some herbal candies with Valeriana: they help you keep calm!

i know what to do and i know this weird but you should humming and singing very softy it really does help trust me and while you are humming or sing you should rub her back and neck. hopes this helps

please could you help me with my horse ??? i really need my name is xhorseyloverx

Firstly make sure your prepared. If you have everything and know your ready its easier to calm down.
DON'T say "what if…?" if you start thinking about what can go wrong ts more likely to happen.. and if you go in the ring all tense you won't be able to perform to your or your horse's best abilities.
Music calms me down a lot. Fun, upbeat, happy music! If you listen to something that's sad or angry/revengeful you won't be in a good mood entering the ring.
I know is hard, but try not to be too competitive. It puts more pressure and takes away from the fun. Its good in little bits cuz it is a show… but don't take it past that, your not in the Olympics (yet!)
Do your thing not someone else's, switching your routine will just add stress! Just because the horse before you took a turn like so, extended here or whatever doesn't mean you should/have to. It'll throw your routine out of the window and confuse you. Go in knowing exactly what you have to do and how you plan to do it!
And remember your there to have fun! Sure if you screw up it'll be embarrassing, but if you keep your head up high and smiling your not defeated.
No matter what, smile! You'll be surprised how much smiling can make you confidant!! It will also earn you points with the judges.

Hope this helps!

Don't be nervous, its not just you doing the show, its you and your horse, as a team, doing the same course, together. Your horse will be your greatest support system at the show and she will do everything to please you. So instead of thinking of " am I going to mess up", Think about " I can't wait to show of my new horse" ( congratulations on your first horse! ). You will be less nervous if you think about that.

i've shown for over a year, and it is fun for me and my horse, but i am basically unemotional about it other than "yay! i get to go to a horseshow today!". i still get butterflies in my stomach everytime before a run. what the heck, i'm getting them rgiht now cuz i'm talking about it and i have a show tomorrow! lol. anyways, just breathe and tell yourself it's just like at home except fancier and that you will be fine just like every other time.

I always try to forget that I'm actually competing. When I'm in the ring, no matter what class it is, I just treat it like I'm at home, practicing. I concentrate on just me and the horse. We might as well be the only ones in the ring.
I think when you worry too much about how well you'll do, that's when you get the most nervous. You have to just forget about everyone else. When I show, I don't care how I place. What's important to me is if I have a good ride on my horse, or a good showmanship pattern, or whatever. That's all I care about.
However, that's not to say that I don't get nervous at all. I've just learned to ride through it. If I ever completely stopped getting nervous, I'd probably stop showing. For me, part of what makes showing so much fun is getting a few butterflies in my stomach before I go into the ring, but once I'm in there, they go away and I just ride!